Bachelor Thesis

The effect of fluorinated ski wax on the wetting properties of sandy and loamy soils

Lara Ketterer (07/2023-01/2024)

Support: Frederic Leuther, Efstathios Diamantopoulos

Ski sports like cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and biathlon are popular winter sports. Applied ski waxes reduce the friction between snow and ski and therefore increase the ski gliding. Parts of the ski waxes can enter the soil due to snow melting.

• We hypothesize that ski wax increases the soil-water contact angle and consequently the water repellency of soils.

To test this hypothesis the contact angle is measured directly with the sessile drop measurement and indirectly by the Washburn method with the DCAT 11 advice. Two PFAs containing wax products (powder and liquid) are applied to sandy soil in various concentrations. The concentrations are based on their PFAs content and the PFAs concentrations measured directly in Nordic Skiing areas.