Classification of organic substrates’ wettability from contact angle measurements and hydration efficiency tests

Wettability of organic substrates was analyzed using two complementary methods in order to establish a classification based on the risk level for a material to become hydrophobic and the consequences in terms of water capture and retention.
Results obtained from contact angle measurements and hydration efficiency tests were used to define 4 types of materials which have to be considered when used as substrates’ components: type 1: materials always hydrophilic with no risk of hydrophobicity, types 2, 3 and 4: changes from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity with less water retention (i.e., type 2: low and reversible risk, type 3: moderate and partially irreversible risk, type 4: high risk).

International Symposium on Growing Media, Composting and Substrate Analysis – SusGro2015

J.-C. Michel, B.E. Jackson, W.C. Fonteno

wettability, water retention, container capacity, rewetting

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1168.26