Construct · 3 fields · 3 citations

leaching: one construct, many systems

One name. One construct. Different systems. One map.

● invariant · one process, three systems Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
same process reframed as contaminant release from wasteleaching3 SYSTEMSContaminant leachingLANDFILL LEACHATEOre leachingLIXIVIANTNutrient leachingNUTRIENT LOSS

Spokes are the systems the one construct recurs in; dashed arcs are shared lineage. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

2002Contaminant leaching2013Ore leaching2017Nutrient leaching
2026

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Environmental engineering

Mobilisation of contaminants from waste by percolating water

In environmental engineering, leaching is the release of soluble constituents from a solid waste as water percolates through it, producing leachate, the contaminated liquid draining from a landfill, whose composition and long-term risk Kjeldsen and colleagues reviewed. The mechanism is the same seep-and-dissolve process the metallurgist runs on purpose and the soil undergoes naturally: a liquid moves through a porous solid and carries dissolved matter out of it. Here the carried matter is pollution to be contained, measured by leachate concentration and cumulative release.[1]

Unit
The concentration and cumulative release of constituents in the leachate
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Characterised by leachate composition, cumulative mass released, and leaching-test results over time

Hydrometallurgy

Dissolving a target metal out of ore with a solvent

In hydrometallurgy, leaching is the selective dissolution of a valuable metal from an ore or concentrate by a water-based solvent (a lixiviant such as sulfuric acid or cyanide) that percolates through or is mixed with the crushed solid and carries the metal into solution for later recovery. Free's Hydrometallurgy sets out the thermodynamics and kinetics that govern it. It is the identical percolation-and-dissolution construct seen in soils and landfills, here steered deliberately to win metal, and measured by the fraction of metal extracted and the leaching rate.[2]

Unit
The fraction of target metal dissolved and the rate of dissolution
Recovery means
Recovery here is the fraction of the target metal successfully dissolved into solution and won from the ore
Measured by
Quantified by percent metal extraction, leaching kinetics, and lixiviant consumption

Soil science

Downward washing of soluble nutrients out of soil

In soil science, leaching is the downward removal of soluble substances (nitrate, bases, and salts) from the root zone as water percolates through the soil profile, a natural loss that depletes fertility and can carry nitrate into groundwater. Brady and Weil's The Nature and Properties of Soils treats it as a central pathway of nutrient movement. It is the same construct as the metallurgist's ore leach and the landfill's leachate (liquid percolating through a porous solid and carrying dissolved matter away), here an unwanted loss rather than an engineered extraction, measured by leachate concentration and nutrient loss per area.[3]

Unit
The amount of soluble nutrient carried below the root zone per unit area
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Measured by leachate nutrient concentration and nutrient loss per unit area over a season

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Nearby constructs

carry1 fields · 1 citationsanchor · a standalone constructcomposition3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructsconcentration4 fields · 4 citationsjingle · one word, four constructs

References

  1. Kjeldsen, P., Barlaz, M. A., Rooker, A. P., Baun, A., Ledin, A., & Christensen, T. H. (2002). Present and long-term composition of MSW landfill leachate: A review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 32(4), 297–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380290813462
  2. Free, M. L. (2013). Hydrometallurgy: Fundamentals and applications. Wiley-TMS. ISBN 9781118230770
  3. Brady, N. C., & Weil, R. R. (2017). The nature and properties of soils (15th ed.). Pearson. ISBN 9780133254488

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