A study of a method for displacing soil solution by centrifuging with an immiscible liquid

Soil solution can be effectively displaced by centrifuging at 170,000 m s^-2 for 30 min with tetrachloroethylene. The solution collects at the top of the dense, organic liquid and can be separated from it by pouring through phase-separating paper. Suspended material is removed by passing through a membrane filter after which the solution may be analyzed. Tetrachloroethylene was preferred because of its lower toxicity than carbon tetrachloride. The technique is well suited to the study of the movement of water-soluble pollutants through soil and was used to study phosphate movement below the discharge from a septic tank.