Sensitivity of leachate and fine contents on electrical resistivity variations of sandy soils

Laboratory pilot tests were performed to investigate the relationship between electrical resistivity and contaminated soil properties. Three different sandy soils and leachate collected from one of the industrial waste landfill sites in Korea were mixed to simulate contaminated soil conditions. The values of electrical resistivity of the soils were measured using laboratory scaled resistivity cone penetrometer probe. In the experiments, electrical resistivity was observed in terms of water content, unit weight, saturation degree of the soils, and leachate concentration. The experimental results show that the electrical resistivity of the sandy soils depends largely on the water content and electrical properties of pore water rather than unit weight and types of soils. The amount of fines can have significant effect on electrical properties of soils. Direct correlation with contamination in such soils may not be valid here. The results suggest that the electrical resistivity measurement is well suited and applicable for monitoring and delineation of contaminants in the subsurface.