Effects of Electromagnetic Stimulation on Soil’s Hydraulic Conductivity

An alternating electric field can make dipole water molecules oscillate. Individual water molecules can be aligned using an electrostatic source and droplets of water can even be levitated by magnetic fields (Ikezoe et al. 1998). It has been shown that when stimulated by an electric field matching the water molecule’s resonant frequency, localized vibrations and flow within a water droplet can be induced which can cause an overall deformation through both direct and alternating currents (Yamada et al. 2003). The research involves the identification of the different effects that electromagnetic (EM) stimulation has on different soil properties and behavior such as hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity is a measure of the rate at which water moves through a porous material. Hydraulic conductivity is mostly dependent on the viscosity of the fluid, along with the pore and grain size distributions, void ratio, and the level of saturation of the porous medium (Das 2006). The hypothesis is that given an EM wave, individual water molecules can be oscillated and induce a net change in the movement and flow of water through a porous medium without altering the properties of the medium itself. This work could prove to be of importance in furthering understanding of the effects of EM stimulation on the hydraulic conductivity of soil. A correlation between EM stimulation and hydraulic conductivity could have broad applications for geo-environmental and geotechnical applications such as contaminant remediation in soils, aquifer regeneration, landfill lining, and for various geotechnical applications. EM waves can be used to enhance soil and groundwater remediation in a way that only a minute amount of heat is generated, yet the desired mechanisms in soil are stimulated or slowed down. This will eliminate the harmful pH changing or heat creating effects of direct or alternating currents used to enhance soil remediation.