Evaluation of the corrosivity of the soil through its chemical composition.

The study of the soil as a corrosive environment has become necessary, since material deterioration caused by physico-chemical interactions between the material and the environment has been displayed. In this work, the corrosivity of the soil in the Southeastern region of Brazil has been studied. In this region, 16 samples have been collected at varied points located at the vicinity of a slurry pipeline. For a better understanding of the soil corrosivity, the following analyses were conducted in solutions prepared with the soil samples: chromatographic analyses for ion determination; plasma emission for metal determination and pH measurements. It was concluded that the number of elements present in the soil composition is important for the determination of the corrosivity action of this environment. The assessment of the soil corrosivity is important to select efficient methods to protect buried structures and avoid soil contamination induced by pipeline failures.