Modeling instantaneous interfacial voltage drop in electroosmosis

• Modelling instantaneous electrode–soil interfacial voltage drops in electroosmosis. • A bespoke method is developed to measure instantaneous interfacial voltage drops. • Current density, electrode material, and water content govern the interfacial drops. • This model provides equations to optimize energy efficiency. Electroosmosis can be used in dewatering practice. Dewatering results are closely related to electric current transmission efficacy in soil. Electrode-soil interfaces are widely recognized as locations where electric power adversely loses , causing interfacial voltage drops. The interfacial voltage drops consist of an instantaneous drop and a time-dependent drop. This study presents an analytical model for the instantaneous interfacial voltage drop based on the principles of electrode reactions in electrochemical and physicochemical environments. Experiments were conducted to measure the instantaneous voltage drops and to verify the proposed model. The proposed model suggests that the current density transmitted through the electrodes governs the interfacial voltage drop, followed by the electrode material, initial soil water content, area of contact between the electrode and the soil, and the electrode surface conditions. Furthermore, the study investigates the power utilization efficiency of the three key parameters, i.e., voltage gradient, electrodes spacing, and area ratio of electrodes to soil. Finally, this study provides an optimization approach to achieve energy efficiency for electroosmosis.