Important words and terms

Acid Injection: The process by which acid is injected into water or soil to treat waters with high Bicarbonate and Carbonate content. Adding an acid evolves the Bicarbonate and Carbonate off as Carbon Dioxide and water.

Bicarbonate: (HCO₃) equivalent weight = 61. A salt of carbonic acid, containing the HCO₃-1 group. Bicarbonate often combines with Calcium and Magnesium to form Calcium Bicarbonate and Magnesium Bicarbonate, which are forms of insoluble Lime and Calcite. Bicarbonates are one of the components in water that define its alkalinity.

Carbonate: (CO₃) equivalent weight = 30. A salt of Carbonic Acid. A Carbonate in the soil often combines with Calcium to form Calcium Carbonate or Magnesium to form Magnesium Carbonate.

Calcium: (Ca) equivalent weight = 20. A silvery, moderately hard metallic element that constitutes approximately three percent of the earth's crust and is a basic component of most animals and plants. It is an essential plant nutrient and the cation responsible for good soil structure.

pH: A measure of the acidity of a solution, in terms of activity of Hydrogen ions (H+). Aqueous solutions with pH values lower than 7 are considered acidic, while values higher than 7 are considered basic. On the pH scale, a shift up in value by one number represents a ten-fold decrease in value. For example, a shift in pH from 2 to 3 represents a decrease in total concentration of Hydrogen concentration by a factor of 10, and a shift from 2 to 4 represents a one-hundred fold decrease (10 X 10) in Hydrogen concentration.

Root Zone: The area of the soil around the plant that supports the roots. The root zone is the conduit for plants to obtain the essential micronutrients needed for growth and development. For the root zone to effectively channel nutrients to the plant it must be periodically leached of excess levels of salts that may interfere with proper root uptake.

Salinity: The amount of soluble salts in water. Salinity in water is measured as electrical conductivity for soluble salts ("EC"), total dissolved solids ("TDS"), or total soluble salts ("TSS"). Much, but not all saline water is also sodic in nature. Such water is usually relatively high in Carbonates and Bicarbonates (alkalinity) as well. Generally speaking, saline water with high pH (> 8.5) has a tendency to have high sodium associated with it. Saline water with low pHs (pH < 8.5) typically does not have high sodium concentrations.

Salts: Any ionic compound composed of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negative ions) so that the product is neutral (without a net charge). Salts include: Chlorides of Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium, and Bicarbonates and Sulfates of Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium. Anything that is soluble in water is considered a salt.

Sodium: (Na) Sodium is present as salt (Sodium Chloride, NaCl) in huge quantities in underground deposits (salt mines) and seawater and other natural waters. It is easily recovered as a solid by drying. High contents of sodium in soil cause hardening and disallow water penetration.

Soil Profile: Generally speaking and in terms of agronomic applications, the soil profile is that portion of a soil that contains the roots of a crop. It is commonly referred to as the "rooting depth." Soil formation begins first with the break down of rock into regolith. Continued weathering and soil horizon development process leads to the development of a soil profile, the vertical display of soil horizons.

Sulfur Burners: A sulfurous acid generator used for treating alkaline conditions in water and soil. Egyptians burned sulfur to treat alkaline conditions in soils. In modern history sulfur burning for agronomical benefits was re-discovered in Germany in the 1800’s.

Sulfuric Acid: (H₂SO₄) A strong mineral acid. It is soluble in water at all concentrations.

Sulfurous Acid: (H₂SO₃) A name given to aqueous solutions of sulfur dioxide. Sulfurous acid is created and discharged from the Sweetwater sulfur burner.

Transpiration: The passage of water through a plant from the roots through the vascular system to the atmosphere – usually through the leaves. Anything that inhibits a plant’s ability to take up water via transpiration (approximately 75 cm. of water) will reduce its ability to grow and develop. Plants transpire pure water, leaving salts behind in the soil.