Fabric changes induced by super-absorbent polymer on cementelime stabilized excavated clayey soil

This paper studies the microstructure variation induced by super-absorbent polymer(SAP)to understand the mechanism of macroscopic strength improvement of stabilized soil.The fabric changes of cement elime stabilized soil were analyzed with respect to the variation of SAP content,water content,lime content and curing time,using mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)tests.It can be observed that the delimitation pore diameter between inter-and intra-aggregate pores was 0.2 mm for the studied soil,determined through the intrusion/extrusion cycles.Experimental results showed that fabric in both inter-and intra-aggregate pores varied significantly with SAP content,lime content,water content and curing time.Two main changes in fabric due to SAP are identified as:(1)an increase in intra-aggregate pores(<0.2 mm)due to the closer soilecementelime cluster space at higher SAP content;and(2)a decrease in inter-aggregate pores represented by a reduction in small-pores(0.2e2 mm)due to the lower pore volume of soil mixture after water absorption by SAP,and a slight increase in large-pores(>2 mm)due to the shrinkage of SAP particle during the freezeedry process of MIP test.Accordingly,the strength gain due to SAP for cementelime stabilized soil was mainly due to a denser fabric with less interaggregate pores.The cementitious products gradually developed over time,leading to an increase in intra-aggregate pores with an increasing proportion of micro-pores(0.006e0.2 mm).Meanwhile,the inter-aggregate pores were filled by cementitious products,resulting in a decrease in total void ratio.Hence,the strength development over time is attributable to the enhancement of cementation bonding and the refinement of fabric due to the increasing cementitious compounds.

PREPARATION AND SWELLING PROPERTIES OF SUPER-ABSORBENT POLYMER

A super-absorbent polymer is prepared by graft polymerizing acrylamide (AM) onto potato starch using eerie ammonium nitrate (CAN) and N, N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (bisAM) as an initiator and cross-linking agent respectively, and then subjecting the potato starch- poly(acrylamide) (PAM) graft copolymer (SPAM) to alkaline saponification. The water absorbency (WA) of the sample is nearly 5000 g H2O/g for dry sample in 24 h at room temperature and is far larger than that of reported in the literature([1]). The variables affecting the WA were investigated and optimiz;ed, they were: concentrations of potato starch, AM, CAN and bisAM were 26.3 g/L, 1.14 mol/L, 10.3 mmol/L and 0.53 mmol/L, respectively. The amount of sodium hydroxide was 15 g and the temperatures of graft copolymerization and saponification reactions were 60 degrees C and 95 degrees C. The time of graft copolymerization and saponification reactions was 2 h, respectively.

Effects of different concentrations of super-absorbent polymers on soil structure and hydro-physical properties following continuous wetting and drying cycles

Super-absorbent polymers(SAPs)are widely used chemical water-saving materials,which play an active role in the accumulation of soil water and the improvement of soil structure.Little is known about their performance with repeated usage or about factors influencing their efficiency under alternate wetting and drying cycles.In this study,various concentrations of SAP(0,0.1,0.2 and 0.3%)in soil following three continuous wetting and drying cycles(T1,T2 and T3),were studied to determine effects on soil structure stability and hydro-physical properties.The results indicated that the SAP improved soil water supply capacity under conditions of mild drought(T2)and sufficient irrigation(T3)at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3%,but a reduction was observed under severe drought conditions(T1),which was negatively correlated with the SAP concentration.The physical adsorption of the SAP by soil and the chemical connection between the SAP and soil mineral colloids as Si-O-Si bonds,-OH bonds and different crystalline silica were the important factors that directly lead to the reduction of water retention capacities of the SAP with alternating wet and dry conditions.Compared with the control,the soil liquid phase ratios of the SAP treatments were increased by8.8-202.7%in the T1 and T2 cycles,which would have led to a decrease in the soil air phase ratios.After repeated wetting and drying cycles,the SAP treatments increased the amount of>0.25 mm soil aggregates and the contents of water-stable macro-aggregate(R_(0.25)),and decreased the amount of<0.053 mm soil aggregates,especially with higher concentrations of the SAP.Increases in mean weight diameter(MWD)and geometric mean diameter(GMD),and declines in fractal dimension(D)and unstable aggregates index(E_(LT))were all observed with the SAP treatments,which indicated an improvement in soil stability and structure.It was concluded that the distribution and stability of soil aggregates and soil water supply capacity was closely related to SAP concentration,soil moisture condition and the interaction between the SAP and soil particles.

Packaging Bags of Peanuts with Function of Prevention of Aflatoxin B_1

Packaging bags composited with barrier film and moisture absorbent nonwoven fabrics were prepared in order to design a kind of functional bag which could prevent the contamination of aflatoxin B1of peanuts. The internal relative humidity( RH) of packaging bags with peanuts was monitored. The influences of the superabsorbent fiber( SAF) and jute fiber were investigated and the mechanism was analyzed.