Porosity distribution by computed tomography and its importance to characterize soil clod samples

• 2D detailed analysis of porosity distribution was carried out.
• 2D images permitted to evaluate the size of macropores inside clod samples.
• Samples with volumes varying from 50 to 100 cm3 were studied with millimetric resolution.
• The investigation allowed a new insight about the variability of soil clod structure.

Gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) was employed to study the soil quality of clod samples used to investigate porosity (ϕ). Samples with volumes varying from 50 to 100 cm3 were collected from the soil surface. 2D CT images were obtained with millimetric resolution. Porosity distribution analyses were carried out to infer the soil clod structure. Results obtained provided a new insight on the variability of internal clod structure due to the large amount of data analyzed, information that is not provided by traditional methods used in physics applied to soil.