How can a water soluble anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) reduce soil erosion?

Application of water-soluble anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) to the soil. Reduce soil erosion by water or wind. Improve soil surface infiltration rate and minimize soil crusting to allow for uniform plant growth. Irrigated lands susceptible to irrigation-induced erosion where the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of irrigation water is less than 15.

What is ionic polyacrylamide (PAM)?

Anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) has been sold since 1995 to reduce irrigation‐induced erosion and enhance infiltration.

How effective is Pam for erosion control?

PAM used for erosion control is a large (12–15 Mg mol −1) water‐soluble (non‐cross‐linked) anionic molecule, containing <0.05% acrylamide monomer. In a series of field studies, PAM eliminated 80–99% (94% avg.) of sediment in runoff from furrow irrigation, with a 15–50% infiltration increase compared to controls on medium to fine‐textured soils.

Is polyacrylic acid a product of Pam degradation?

Hayashi et al. (1994) suggested that the simple compound polyacrylic acid might be another product of PAM degradation under some conditions, which can also be metabolized by microorganisms.

What is Pam used for?

In agricultural applications, PAM is used as a soil amendment to effectively alter the disadvantageous properties of the original soil for crop growth, such as high erosion rates, low water infiltration, consistent surface runoff, and so on.

What are Pam formulations for irrigated agriculture?

PAM formulations for irrigated agriculture are water‐soluble (linear, not gel‐forming, not cross‐linked, not super water absorbent) anionic polymers. They have typical molecular weights of 12–15 Mg mol −1 (over 150,000 monomer units per molecule).