Utilization of recycled solid waste as ecological reclamation materials based on plant growth experiments and soil quality analysis

During the highway construction,a large number of spoil areas will be generated while a large amount of waste slag and soil could not be rationally utilized.Besides,the vegetation recovery is slow in the spoil areas due to the soil depletion.Aiming at recycling the solid waste,the sieved engineering waste slag with local red clay and corn straw biochar was supplied to solve the problem of insufficient nutrients in engineering waste slag and soil.In addition,planting experiments of alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.)and Amorpha fruticosa L.combined with physical and chemical experiments were carried out to prove the feasibility of the novel improved substrate for the reclamation of spoil areas.The results show that the substrate's improvement effect is mainly affected by the soil to slag ratio and the biochar content.The improvement effect of soil matrix in highway spoil area decreases with the increase of the waste slag content,especially when the soil-slag ratio is less than 3,and the promotion of plants is limited.On the contrary,the improvement effect is proportional to the biochar content(3%-8%).But it is noted that the Cu and Pb in the soil will exceed the clean limit corresponding to the Nemero soil pollution index level when the biochar content is 8%.Therefore,it is recommended that the soil-slag ratio should be≥3,and the biochar content should reach 3%-5%.This research provides experimental basis and technical support for utilizing solid waste resources in the reclamation of highway spoil areas.

Influence of zeta potential on the flocculation of cyanobacteria cells using chitosan modified soil

Using chitosan modified soil to flocculate and sediment algal cells has been considered as a promising strategy to combat cyanobacteria blooms in natural waters. However, the flocculation efficiency often varies with algal cells with different zeta potential（ZP） attributed to different growth phases or water conditions. This article investigated the relationship between ZP of Microcystis aeruginosa and its influence to the flocculation efficiency using chitosan modified soil. Results suggested that the optimal removal efficiency was obtained when the ZP was between- 20.7 and- 6.7 m V with a removal efficiency of more than 80% in 30 min and large floc size of 〉 350 μm. When the algal cells were more negatively charged than- 20.7 m V, the effect of chitosan modified soil was depressed（〈 60%） due to the insufficient charge density of chitosan to neutralize and destabilize the algal suspension. When the algal cells were less negative than- 6.7 m V or even positively charged, a small floc size（〈 120 μm） was formed, which may be difficult to sink under natural water conditions. Therefore, manipulation of ZP provided a viable tool to improve the flocculation efficiency of chitosan modified soil and an important guidance for practical engineering of cyanobacteria bloom control.

Effect of algal flocculation on dissolved organic matters using cationic starch modified soils

Modified soils（MSs） are being increasingly used as geo-engineering materials for the sedimentation removal of cyanobacterial blooms. Cationic starch（CS） has been tested as an effective soil modifier, but little is known about its potential impacts on the treated water.This study investigated dissolved organic matters in the bloom water after algal removal using cationic starch modified soils（CS-MSs）. Results showed that the dissolved organic carbon（DOC） could be decreased by CS-MS flocculation and the use of higher charge density CS yielded a greater DOC reduction. When CS with the charge density of 0.052, 0.102 and0.293 meq/g were used, DOC was decreased from 3.4 to 3.0, 2.3 and 1.7 mg/L, respectively.The excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy and UV254 analysis indicated that CS-MS exhibits an ability to remove some soluble organics, which contributed to the DOC reduction. However, the use of low charge density CS posed a potential risk of DOC increase due to the high CS loading for effective algal removal. When CS with the charge density of 0.044 meq/g was used, DOC was increased from 3.4 to 3.9 mg/L. This study suggested, when CS-MS is used for cyanobacterial bloom removal, the content of dissolved organic matters in the treated water can be controlled by optimizing the charge density of CS. For the settled organic matters, other measures（e.g., capping treatments using oxygen loaded materials） should be jointly applied after algal flocculation.

Short-term biochar effect on soil physicochemical and microbiological properties of a degraded alpine grassland

Soil remediation is an important part of the restoration process of degraded terrestrial ecosystems.Due to its unique properties,biochar is being used widely as an effective soil modifier in agricultural systems,but research is still rare on biochar application in grassland ecosystems,especially in degraded alpine grasslands.In this study,we conducted a plot experiment to investigate the effect of biochar application on soil physicochemical properties and microorganisms at the 0–20 cm soil depth of a degraded alpine grassland in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China.The experiment consisted of four corn straw biochar application levels(0%,0.5%,1%and 2%,with the percentage representing the ratio of biochar weight to the dry weight of soil in the surface 20 cm soil layer).When the biochar addition increased from 0%to 2%,total nitrogen,total organic carbon and available phosphorus in the 0–10 cm soil layer increased by 41%,55%and 45%,respectively,in the second year after biochar addition.Meanwhile,soil electrical conductivity decreased,and soil water content increased.Total microbial,fungal and bacterial biomasses in the 0–10 cm soil layer increased from 9.15 to 12.68,0.91 to 1.34,and 3.85 to 4.55μg g^(-1),respectively.The relative biomasses of saprophytic fungi and methanotrophic bacteria decreased,while the relative biomasses of ectomycorrhizal fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased.These results indicate that biochar has a great potential in improving microbial activity and soil fertility in soil remediation of the degraded alpine grassland.

Parameter evaluation for soil erosion estimation on small watersheds using SWAT model

This research was undertaken for the evaluation of soil erosion using the semi-distributed basin scale SWAT model for four subcatchments of the Dhrabi River Catchment(DRC),which is located in the Pothwar Plateau region.Two subcatchments(catchment-25 and-31)are characterized by gullies while the other two(catchment-27 and-32)are managed with terraced landuse system.The performance of the model was satisfactory with coefficient of determination(R^(2))=0.67 to 0.91 and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(ENS)=0.54 to 0.85 for both surface runoff and sediment yield during the calibration(2009-2010)and validation(2011)periods.The PUSLE factor was found to be the most sensitive parameter during model calibration.It was observed that all of the rainfall-runoff events occurred during the monsoon season(June to September).The estimated annual sediment loss ranged from 2.6 t/hm^(2) to 31.1 t/hm^(2) over the duration of the simulation period for the non-terraced catchments,in response to annual precipitation amounts that were between 194.8 mm to 579.3 mm.In contrast,the predicted annual sediment levels for the terraced catchments ranged from 0.52 t/hm^(2) to 10.10 t/hm^(2) due to similar precipitation amounts.The terraced catchments resulted in 4 to 5 times lower sediment yield as compared to non-terraced catchments.The results suggest that there is a huge potential for terraces to reduce soil erosion in the DRC specifically and Pothwar area generally,which have proven to be an efficient approach to establishing soil and water conservation structures in this region.