Pore space studies on Wartanian glacial till (Central Poland) polluted with petrol and diesel oil, based on mercury porosimetry

Abstract

Air-dried samples of glacial till were polluted in the laboratory with petrol and diesel oil. A comparative analysis of natural and contaminated material was made on the basis of mercury porosimetry measurements. The investigation revealed relatively slight changes in the pore space of the polluted samples, which were associated with adsorption of hydrocarbons onto the soil particles rather than with microstructural change. Introduction of non-polar organic fluid into soil pores did not cause rearrangement of the natural soil structure. Due to the initial air-dried state of the soil material, these findings pertain to unsaturated soils only. These results contribute to the crucial, but still poorly recognized problem of the engineering geology properties of organic contaminated soils.