Cette thèse porte sur les possibilités que les méthodes d’imagerie géoélectrique offrent à la fois pour la caractérisation des processus géochimiques mais aussi pour l’étude d’interaction sol-racines. La ligne conductrice de ce travail, repose sur la position centrale de la qualité des sols et des interactions racines-sols dans de nombreux problèmes environnementaux. En effet, un nombre croissant d’études rapportent l’importance des interactions mutuelles entre les racines et le sol. Dans cette optique, cette thèse explore l’utilisation le développements approfondis de méthodes géoélectriques. Les processus physico-chimiques ainsi que les interaction sol-racines sont à l’origine de mouvement d’eau et de soluté, d’altération de la structure des sols ainsi que de perturbations biologiques. Les méthodes géoélectriques sont potentiellement sensibles à ces modifications hydrologique et biochimique. La méthode de Polarisation Provoquée Spectrale (PPS) a été combinée avec des analyses et des modélisations géochimiques permettant de connaitre sa sensibilité à la composition du fluide interstitiel (contenu dans l’espace poral), du pH et de la force ionique. Plus particulièrement, la signature PPS de la substitution Na+/Cu2+ a été analysée car il s’agit d’un critère pertinent traduisant la qualité d’un sol et reconnu mondialement. L’analyse PPS a été réalisée sur un sable (silicate) saturé et pour des concentrations typiques de Na+/Cu2+ que l’on trouve classiquement dans des sols exposés à des utilisations de pesticides au Cuivre (Cu). Les résultats ont montré que le pH et la force ionique ont été les variables prépondérantes contrôlant le signal PPS, alors que des effets négligeables sont liés à la substitution Cu/Na. L’utilisation simultanée d’analyses chimiques et géophysiques en laboratoire a permis de mieux caractériser les processus de complexation étudiés et d’appuyer considérablement l’interprétation des signaux PPS. Enfin, la tomographie de résistivité électrique et la méthode de Mise-A-La-Masse ont été combinées pour développer une nouvelle approche d'imagerie du chemin préférentiel emprunté par le courant électrique dans le système racines-sols. Etant donné que la conduction électrique dans le sol et les racines est principalement électrolytique, l'approche proposée repose sur le mouvement de l'eau et des solutés dans le système racines-sol. Le potentiel de la méthode pour son application in-situ a été testée à l’aide d’une série d’expériences sur une vigne. À la suite des résultats prometteurs, la méthode a été développée et appliquée lors d’une expérience en laboratoire portant sur la croissance racinaire dans un rhizotron de plantes de coton et de maïs. La méthode s'est révélée sensible aux différences physiologiques entre les espèces et éventuellement à la réponse de la plante aux facteurs de stress environnementaux. De nouvelles expériences contrôlant les variables physiologiques des tissus racinaires sont nécessaires pour une meilleure compréhension de leurs influences. Les développements technologiques récents soutiennent fortement la diffusion de l’imagerie et du suivi géoélectriques à l'échelle du terrain. Dans ce contexte prometteur, les résultats de cette thèse contribuent au développement d'approches géoélectriques pour l'étude du sol et de ses interactions mutuelles avec les racines des plantes à des échelles spatio-temporelles pertinentes. / In this thesis I investigate some of the possibilities offered by the use of geoelectrical methods for characterizing soil geochemical processes and root-soil interactions. The motivation for this thesis arises from the pivotal role of soil quality and root-soil interactions in manifold environmental issues. In addition, there is growing evidence of the importance of mutual interactions between roots and soil, for this reason this thesis explores the use of geoelectrical methods for more comprehensive approaches. Both soil physicochemical processes and root-soil interactions involve, among others, the movement of water and solutes, altercations of the soil structure, and biological feedbacks. Geoelectrical methods are potentially sensitivity to these hydrogeological and biogeochemical modifications. The Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) method was combined with geochemical analyses and modeling in order to investigate its sensitivity to pore fluid composition, pH, and ionic strength. In particular, the SIP signature of Na+/Cu2+ substitution was investigated because of their worldwide relevance for soil quality. The SIP investigation focused on saturated silica, and explored concentrations of Na+ and Cu2+ that are typical to agricultural soils exposed to the use of Cu pesticides. The results showed how pH and ionic strength were the main variables controlling the SIP signals, while negligible effects were related to the Cu/Na substitution. The concurrent use of chemical and geophysical laboratory experiments allowed a better characterization of the investigated complexation processes and significantly supported the interpretation of the SIP signals. The Electrical Resistivity Tomography and the Mise-A-La-Masse methods were combined to develop a novel approach for imaging the electric current pathways in the root-soil system. Since the current conduction in soil and roots is mostly electrolytic, the proposed approach relates to the movement of water and solutes within the root-soil system. The potential of the method for field investigations was explored with a set of experiments on a grapevine. In light of the promising results, the method was further developed and applied to rhizotron laboratory experiments on cotton and maize plants. The method proved to be sensitive to inter-species physiological differences and possibly to the plant response to environmental stressors. New experiments with physiological analyses of root tissues are needed to elucidate these aspects. Emerging technologies are strongly supporting to the diffusion of imaging and monitoring geoelectrical applications at the field-scale. In this promising context, the results of this thesis contribute to the development of geoelectrical approaches for studying soil and its mutual interactions with plant roots over relevant spatiotemporal scales.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-11-30T09:09:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Antônio Marcelino da Silva Filho - 2015.pdf: 2204549 bytes, checksum: 2f0941c7970eff84c86b64f4fd261cb6 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-11-30T09:11:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Antônio Marcelino da Silva Filho - 2015.pdf: 2204549 bytes, checksum: 2f0941c7970eff84c86b64f4fd261cb6 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-30T09:11:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Antônio Marcelino da Silva Filho - 2015.pdf: 2204549 bytes, checksum: 2f0941c7970eff84c86b64f4fd261cb6 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-19 / This work presents the study of the relationship between soil apparent electrical resistivity ρa and the moisture content, clay content and soil compaction, for use of the ρa as a mapping tool of spatial soil variability. The values of apparent electrical resistivity are obtained by geoelectrical prospecting methods that detect the effects produced by the flow of electrical current in the soil. It is used the Wenner array and the technique of Lateral Profiling for data collection. It was held measures of ρa in different soil types, varying moisture content gradually while maintaining a constant compaction, and then varying the compaction and relating it to a constant humidity. To the study of spatial variability, it was chose two areas that would enable the change of moisture and compaction content, in order to verify the measurement capacity of ρa as methodology of identification of change in soil dynamics. The results obtained are presented and discussed. / Este trabalho apresenta o estudo das rela¸c˜oes entre a resistividade el´etrica aparente do solo ρa e o teor de umidade, teor de argila e compacta¸c˜ao do solo, para utiliza¸c˜ao de ρa como ferramenta de mapeamento da variabilidade espacial do solo. Os valores da resistividade el´etrica aparente s˜ao obtidos atrav´es de m´etodos de prospec¸c˜ao geoel´etricos que detectam os efeitos produzidos pelo fluxo de corrente el´etrica no solo. Utilizam-se o arranjo de Wenner e a t´ecnica do Caminhamento El´etrico para coleta dos dados. Realizaram-se medidas de ρa em diferentes tipos de solo, variando-se gradualmente o teor de umidade, mantendo-se constante a compacta¸c˜ao, e posteriormente variando a compacta¸c˜ao em fun¸c˜ao de valor constante de umidade. Para o estudo da variabilidade espacial, escolheram-se duas ´areas que possibilitassem a altera¸c˜ao dos teores de umidade e compacta¸c˜ao, a fim de verificar a capacidade da medi¸c˜ao de ρa como metodologia de identifica¸c˜ao de altera¸c˜oes na dinˆamica do solo. Os resultados obtidos s˜ao apresentados e discutidos.

Two-phase flow in porous media is an important subsurface process that has significant impacts on the global economy and environments. To study two-phase system in porous media, capillary pressure (Pc ), relative permeability (Kr), bulk electrical conductivity (σb) and bulk relative permittivity (εb) are often employed as characterization parameters. Interestingly, all of these parameters are functions of water saturation (S). However, the non-uniqueness in the Pc -S, Kr-S,σb-S and εb-S relationships pose considerable challenges in employing them for effective monitoring and control of the two-phase flow processes. In this work, laboratory scale experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the factors and conditions contributing to the non-uniqueness in the above relationships for silicone oil-water and supercritical CO2-water flow in porous media, with a special emphasis on geological carbon sequestration. Specifically, the dynamic capillary pressure effect, which indicates the dependence of the Pc - S relationship on the rate of change of saturation (αS/αt) during two-phase flow in porous media was investigated. Using a silicone oil-water system, the dynamic capillary pressure effect was quantified in term of the parameter named the dynamic coefficient, τ , and it was found to be dependent on the domain scale and the viscosity ratio of the two fluids. It was found that τ increases with the domain scale and the viscosity ratio. It is inversely affected by αS αt , which is related to the degree of resistance to the fluid motion, namely, viscosity. In almost all cases, τ was found to decrease monotonically with an increase in water saturation, S. An order increase in magnitude of τ was observed as the domain scale increases from 4cm scale to 8cm in height. A similar order of increase in τ was observed in the 12cm high domain scale. There is an order increase in the value of τ for the silicone oilwater system as the viscosity ratio increases from 200 to 500. For the supercritical CO2 (scCO2) and water system in porous media, the experiments and numerical simulations showed that τ increases with rising system temperature and decreasing porous media permeability. Dimensionless analysis of the silicone oil-water experimental results showed that by constructing non-dimensional groups of quantities expressing a relationship among different variables on which τ depends, it is possible to summarise the experimental results and determine their functional relationship. A generalised scaling relationship for τ was derived from the dimensionless analysis which was then validated against independent literature data. The exercise showed that the τ-S relationship obtained from the literature and the ii scaling relationship match reasonably well. This work also demonstrated the applicability of an artificial neural network (ANN) as an alternative computational platform for the prediction of the domain scale dependence of τ . The dependence of the Kr-S relationship on αS/αt was also investigated. The results showed that the Kr-S curve under dynamic flow condition is different from that under the quasi-static condition. Kr for water (Krw) increases with increasing water saturation and decreases with the increase in viscosity ratio while Kr for silicone oil (Krnw) increases with decreasing water saturation as well as with the increase in viscosity ratio. Also, Krw decreases while Krnw increases with the increasing boundary pressure. However, the εb-S and σb-S relationships were found to be independent of αS/αt for the scCO2-water system in carbonate and silicate porous media. Nevertheless, the εb and σb values decrease as the water saturation decreases in the two porous media samples. While εb decreases with increase in temperature in silica sand, the trend in the limestone showed a slight increase with temperature, especially at high water saturation. Also, the εb-S relationship is shown to be affected by pressure in silica sand increasing with the pressure of the domain. On the contrary, the σb-S relationship increases as the temperature increases with more significance at higher water saturation in the silica sand sample. This work further demonstrated the application of a membrane in the monitoring of the CO2 in geological sites used for carbon sequestration. Commercial silicone rubber coupled with a pressure transducer showed potential in the detection of CO2 leakage from geological sites. The response of the device in terms of the mass of permeated gas, permeability and gas flux were investigated for both CO2 and N2. In addition, the monitoring of potable water contamination in a shallow aquifer by the migrating or leaking of CO2 is demonstrated with the combination of the pH analysis, geoelectrical measurement techniques and the membrane-sensor system. Overall, the work in this PhD research demonstrated robust applications of two-phase systems'characterization parameters under different scenarios in the porous media. Implications of the findings in this work to the monitoring and control of two-phase systems in porous media are expatiated.