ABSTRACT
The dielectric and electric behaviour of soil–water–electrolyte systems after being permeated by aqueous ionic solutions is investigated. The complex permittivity of a natural clayey soil is measured before and after permeation with a multiple aqueous ionic solution (synthetic leachate) that simulates the composition of leachate from a domestic solid waste disposal facility. The dielectric and electrical characteristics of soil, the experimental apparatus and procedure and the analysis methodology are discussed, followed by the results of complex permittivity measurement before and after permeation using the synthetic leachate at various dilution ratios. The results show that the experimental system provides reliable measurement of the soil static electrical conductivity and complex permittivity in the frequency spectrum up to 400 MHz. The electrical conductivity of soil measured using the apparatus is consistent with that obtained using the standard method (ASTM-G57a). The relative permittivity of soil is shown to decrease linearly with the overall ionic concentration in the pore fluid, whereas the relative loss factor of soil increases linearly with the overall ionic concentration in the soil pore fluid.
