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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Vadose Zone Processes and Chemical Transport

Degradation of Potassium Formate in the Unsaturated Zone of a Sandy Aquifer

^a Department of Expert Services, Hydrological Services Division, Finnish Environment Institute, P.O. Box 140, FIN-00251 Helsinki, Finland
^b Department of Environment Health, National Public Health Institute, P.O. Box 95, FIN-70701 Kuopio, Finland

^* Corresponding author (pasi.hellsten{at}ymparisto.fi)

Received for publication August 19, 2004. This paper presents results from a lysimeter experiment on the fate of potassium formate, an alternative deicing agent. The experiment was performed through the winter and spring to identify any thermal sensitivity in the transport and biodegradation of formate in the lysimeter. Ninety-eight percent of the total quantity of formate applied was degraded while percolating through the 1.7-m-thick unsaturated sand layer within the lysimeter. Concomitantly, the bicarbonate concentration of the percolating water increased. The low concentrations of nitrogen (0.02 mg L^–1) and phosphorous (<0.002 mg L^–1) in the percolated water, however, potentially limited microbial activity. During the study period, 99% of the applied potassium was retained in the lysimeter, and the ion exchange between the potassium and a variety of monovalent and divalent ions was assumed to be responsible for the leaching of barium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium from the soil material. Except for manganese, the concentrations of the studied metals in the percolated water did not exceed the threshold values set for drinking water by the Council of the European Union. By contrast, the application of potassium formate had a detrimental effect on the vegetation on the lysimeter. To conclude, formate was effectively degraded in the sandy lysimeter and its application did not cause major undesirable changes in the quality of the percolating water. Further research at field scale is, however, needed for instance on the biodegradation of potassium formate and on its impacts on roadside vegetation.

Abbreviations: AOC, assimiable organic carbon • COD, chemical oxygen demand • EC, electrical conductivity • HGR, heterotrophic growth responses • ICP–AES, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry • ICP–MS, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry • MAP, microbially available phosphorus • TOC, total organic carbon

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JEQ 2005 34: v. [Full Text]