Effects of Combined Application of Water Retaining Agents and Organic Materials on Water Holding Characteristics of Yellow Brown Soils in Hilly Areas

[Objective] The aim was to reduce fertilizer and water losses caused by surface runoffs in rainy season and provide scientific references for soil moisture in arid season. [Method] The application proportion of complex water-holding organic materials was determined by multi-factor mixture experiment and the curve changes of soil moisture characters were tested to analyze water-holding capacity and water availability of soils. [Result] The initial moisture content of soil with different mixture proportions improved in varying degrees. For example, when water-retention agents reached 0.4% and 0.6% of soil weight, soil moisture contents were 69.0% and70.5%, respectively, which showed significant differences with the control（S0.0）. Soil dehydration terms in different treatments all extended, prolonging in the range of4.6-14 d. [Conclusion] The applications of water-retention agent and organic material would improve water-holding capacity of hills and low mountains, and initial moisture content and dehydration cycle tend to be volatile upon mixture proportion. Therefore,it is necessary to adjust soil fertility, crop species, and irrigation to meet crop demands on fertilizer and water.

Mechanical properties of anti-seepage grouting materials for heavy metal contaminated soil

Cement-based composite grouting materials were used to construct grouting cutoff wall for heavy metal contaminated soil in non-ferrous metal mining areas. Cement, fly ash, and slag as principal ingredients were mixed with water glass in different ways to produce three composite grouting materials. In order to investigate the effect of water glass mixing ratio, Baume degree, fly ash and slag contents on the mechanical properties of the composite grouting materials, particularly their gel time and compressive strength, the beaker-to-beaker method of gel time test and unconfined compressive strength test were conducted. In addition, the phase composition and microstructure of the composite grouting materials were analyzed by the X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electron microscope（SEM） techniques. The test results show that their gel time increases when water glass mixing ratio and Baume degree increase. The gel time increases dramatically when fly ash is added, but decreases slightly if fly ash is partly replaced by slag. When the mixing ratio of water glass is below 20%, their compressive strength increases with the increases of the ratio; when the ratio is above 20%, it significantly decreases. The compressive strength also tends to increase as Baume degree increases, and improves if fly ash and slag are added.

Aggregate stability and associated C and N in a silty loam soil as affected by organic material inputs

To make recycling utilization of organic materials produced in various agricultural systems, five kinds of organic materials were applied in a field test, including crop straw （CS）, biogas residue （BR）, mushroom residue （MR）, wine residue （WR）, pig manure （PM）, with a mineral fertilizer （CF） and a no-fertilizer （CK） treatment as a control. Our objectives were： i） to quantify the effects of organic materials on soil C and N accumulation; ii） to evaluate the effects of organic materials on soil aggregate stability, along with the total organic carbon （TOC）, and N in different aggregate fractions; and iii） to assess the relationships among the organic material components, soil C and N, and C, N in aggregate fractions. The trial was conducted in Wuqiao County, Hebei Province, China. The organic materials were incorporated at an equal rate of C, and combined with a mineral fertilizer in amounts of 150 kg N ha^-1, 26 kg P ha^-1 and 124 kg K ha-1 respectively during each crop season of a wheat-maize rotation system. The inputted C quantity of each organic material treatment was equivalent to the total amount of C contained in the crop straw harvested in CS treatement in the previous season. TOC, N, water-stable aggregates, and aggregate-associated TOC and N were investigated. The results showed that organic material incorporation increased soil aggregation and stabilization. On average, the soil macroaggregate proportion increased by 14%, the microaggregate proportion increased by 3%, and mean-weight diameter （MWD） increased by 20%. TOC content followed the order of PM〉WR〉MR〉BR〉CS〉CK〉CF; N content followed the order WR〉PM〉MR〉BR〉CS〉CF〉CK. No significant correlation was found between TOC, N, and the quality of organic material. Soil silt and clay particles contained the largest part of TOC, whereas the small macroaggregate fraction was the most sensitive to organic materials. Our results indicate that PM and WR exerted better effects on soil C and N accumulation, followed by MR and BR, suggesting that organic materials from ex situ farmland could promote soil quality more as compared to straw returned in situ.

Weathering and soils formation on different parent materials in Golestan Province,Northern Iran

Geochemical, mineralogical, and micromorphologieal characteristics of soils and their relevant parent rocks including loess, ignimbrite, sandstone and limestone were investigated to identify the soil-parent material uniformity and the weathering degree of soils in Golestan Province, northern Iran. Highly developed Caleixerolls and moderately developed Haploxerepts were formed on loess and limestone, respectively. In contrast, the soils formed on ignimbrite and sandstone were non- developed Entisols. Illite was the dominant clay mineral found in ignimbrite and sandstone in both the A horizon and parent material. In loess derived soils however, smectite was dominant especially in the Bt horizon compared to its parent material indicating partly to its pedogenic formation. In limestone, illite and vermiculite were dominant both in the A and C horizons. Ti/Zr ratio proved that the studied soils were closely related to their underlying parent materials geochemically. Chemical index of alteration （CIA）, micromorphological index of soil development （MISECA）, smectite/illite＋chlorite ratio and magnetic susceptibility were applied to investigate the degree of soil development. Results showed that the most and the least developed soils were those formed on loess deposits and limestone,respectively. Application of the different geochemical and pedogenetic approaches was proved to be useful in identifying the relevance of soils to their underlying parent materials and also their degree of development.

Preliminary Study on Relationship Between Soil Parent Materials and Tea Quality

Six tea plantations with different soil-forming parent materials, the same tea variety and tea age and similar landforms and management were selected to conduct a systematic study on the relationship between soil properties and tea quality. The results showed that the quality of tea grown on the soils derived from granites, arenaceous shales, argillaceous sandstones, was superior; those on the soils derived from limestones,dolomites, Quaternary red clays, were inferior. Further study showed that sandy soils were beneficial to improving amino acid content of tea, and clayey soils made it decrease; high content of bases might decrease the contents of tea polypenols, caffeine, water extracts, but promote the content of amino acids; available phosphorous was significantly positively correlated with water extracts, but significantly negatively correlated with carbine; slowly available potassium was positively correlated with amino acid content. Soil parent materials should be regarded as an important factor in evaluating the adaptability of tea to soils.

Mobility and dynamic erosion process of granular flow:insights from numerical investigation using material point method

In order to understand the dynamics of granular flow on an erodible base soil,in this paper,a series of material point method-based granular column collapse tests were conducted to investigate numerically the mobility and dynamic erosion process of granular flow subjected to the complex settings,i.e.,the aspect ratio,granular mass,friction and dilatancy resistance,gravity and presence of water.A set of power scaling laws were proposed to describe the final deposit characteristics of granular flow by the relations of the normalized run-out distance and the normalized final height of granular flow against the aspect ratio,being greatly affected by the complex geological settings,e.g.,granular mass,the friction and dilatancy resistance of granular soil,and presence of water in granular flow.An index of the coefficient of friction of granular soil was defined as a ratio of the target coefficient of friction over the initial coefficient of friction to quantify the scaling extent of friction change(i.e.,friction strengthening or weakening).There is a characteristic aspect ratio of granular column corresponding to the maximum mobility of granular flow with the minimum index of the apparent coefficient of friction.The index of the repose coefficient of friction of granular flow decreased gradually with the increase in aspect ratio because higher potential energy of granular column at a larger aspect ratio causes a larger kinetic energy of granular soil to weaken the friction of granular soil as a kind of velocity-related friction weakening.An increase in granular mass reduces gradually the indexes of the apparent and repose coefficients of friction of granular soil to enhance the mobility of granular flow.The mobility of granular flow increases gradually with the decrease in friction angle or increase in dilatancy angle of granular soil.However,the increase of gravity accelerates granular flow but showing the same final deposit profile without any dependence on gravity.The mobility of granular flow increases gradually by lowering the indexes of the apparent and repose coefficients of friction of granular flow while changing the surroundings,in turn,the dry soil,submerged soil and saturated soil,implying a gradually increased excessive mobility of granular flow with the friction weakening of granular soil.Presence of water in granular flow may be a potential catalyzer to yield a long run-out granular flow,as revealed in comparison of water-absent and water-present granular flows.In addition,the dynamic erosion and entrainment of based soil induced by granular flow subjected to the complex geological settings,i.e.,the aspect ratio,granular mass,gravity,friction and dilatancy resistance,and presence of water,were comprehensively investigated as well.

Application of Mulching Materials of Rainfall Harvesting System for Improving Soil Water and Corn Growth in Northwest of China

The ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting（RFRH） system is used for dryland crop production in northwest of China.To determine the effects of RFRH using different mulching materials on corn growth and water use efficiency（WUE）,a field experiment was conducted during 2008-2010 at the Heyang Dryland Experimental Station,China.Four treatments were used in the study.Furrows received uncovered mulching in all RFRH treatments whereas ridges were mulched with plastic film（PF）,biodegradable film（BF） or liquid film（LF）.A conventional flat field without mulching was used as the control（CK）.The results indicated that the average soil water storage at depths of 0-200 cm were 8.2 and 7.3%,respectively higher with PF and BF than with CK.However,LF improved soil water storage during the early growth stage of the crop.Compared with CK,the corn yields with PF and BF were increased by 20.4 and 19.4%,respectively,and WUE with each treatment increased by 23.3 and 21.7%,respectively.There were no significant differences in corn yield or WUE with the PF and BF treatments.The net income was the highest with PF,followed by BF,and the 3-yr average net incomes with these treatments were increased by 2 559 and 2 430 CNY ha-1,respectively,compared with CK.BF and PF had similar effects in enhancing the soil water content,crop yield and net income.Therefore,it can be concluded that biodegradable film may be a sustainable ecological alternative to plastic film for use in the RFRH system in northwest of China.

Fly Ash/Paraffin Composite Phase Change Material Used to Treat Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Expansive Soil in Cold Regions

Phase change materials(PCMs)can store large amounts of energy in latent heat and release it during phase changes,which could be used to improve the freeze-thaw performance of soil.The composite phase change material was prepared with paraffin as the PCM and 8%Class C fly ash(CFA)as the supporting material.Laboratory tests were conducted to reveal the influence of phase change paraffin composite Class C fly ash(CFA-PCM)on the thermal properties,volume changes and mechanical properties of expansive soil.The results show that PCM failed to establish a good improvement effect due to leakage.CFA can effectively adsorb phase change materials,and the two have good compatibility.CFA-PCM reduces the volume change and strength attenuation of the soil,and 8 wt.%PCM is the optimal content.CFA-PCM turns the phase change latent heat down of the soil and improves its thermal stability.CFA-PCM makes the impact small of freeze-thaw on soil pore structure damage and improves soil volume change and mechanical properties on a macroscopic scale.In addition,CFA-8 wt.%PCM treated expansive soil has apparent advantages in resisting repeated freeze-thaw cycles,providing a reference for actual engineering design.

Experimental study of polyurethane foam reinforced soil used as a rock-like material

In this study, p o ly u reth an e foam ty p e th e rm o se t polym erizing, d u e to chem ical reaction b e tw e e n itsliquid ingredients, w as teste d as b in d e r afte r solidifying and th e n a rock-like m aterial m ixing w ith asandy silt ty p e soil w as prep ared . The uniaxial com pressive stren g th s （UCSs） o f p o ly u reth an e foamreinforced soil specim ens w ere d e term in ed for different p o ly u reth an e ratios in th e m ixture. A dditionally,a series o f te sts o n slake durability, im pact value, freezing-th aw in g resistance, and ab rasio n resistance ofp o ly u reth an e reinforced soil （PRS） m ix tu re w as co n d u cted . The UCS values over 3 M Pa w ere m easuredfrom th e PRS specim ens. The testin g results show ed th a t tre a te d soil can econom ically b ecom e adesirable rock-like m aterial in term s o f slake d u ra b ility a n d resistances ag ain st freezing-thaw ing, im pacteffect an d abrasion. As a n o th e r ch aracteristic o f th e rock-like m aterial m ade w ith p o ly u reth an e foam,u n it volum e w eig h t w as found to be q uite low er th a n th o se o f n atu ral rock m aterials.

Dynamic Changes of Tobacco-growing Soil Nutrients and Enzymes After Application of Amelioration Materials

[Objectives]This study was conducted to clarify the improvement effects of different soil amelioration materials such as lime,green manure and bio-organic fertilizer on acidic tobacco-planting soil.[Methods]The dynamic changes of soil pH,soil nutrients and enzyme activity were studied by applying lime,lime+green fertilizer,and lime+green fertilizer+biological organic fertilizer.[Results]①After the application of amelioration materials,the soil pH and available phosphorus content of tobacco-growing soil showed a stepwise change of first increasing and then decreasing,and became stable at 60 d after tobacco transplanting;the soil organic matter,alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available potassium content showed a gradual change trend of"high-low-high";and the soil invertase and urease activity showed a gradual change trend of"low-high-low".②To 90 d after tobacco transplanting,the application of amelioration materials increased soil pH by 1.29-1.62 units,and increased organic matter content by 15.21%-20.86%,alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content by 6.83%-18.17%,available phosphorus content by 54.15%-217.85%,rapidly available potassium content by 11.42%-30.86%,soil invertase activity by 70.09%-18.93%,and soil urease activity by 64.07%-130.47%.③The combination of lime+green manure+alkaline microbial organic fertilizer had the best effect on the improvement of acidic tobacco-growing soil,and the effect of lime+green manure+acid microbial organic fertilizer on acidic soil was the second.[Conclusions]When applying lime,green fertilizer and alkaline bio-organic fertilizer should be applied to achieve sustainable improvement of strongly acidic soil.

Determination of trace and rare-earth elements in Chinese soil and clay reference materials by ICP-MS

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) has become a powerful tool for providing reliable analytical results in many laboratories around the word. In this study, the mixture of HF and HNO3 acids in high-temperature and high-pressure closed-vessel digestion technique were used to decompose some Chinese reference materials, and thirty seven elements were determined by ICP-MS. Most of the results for Chinese soil reference materials were found to be in reasonable agreement with the reference values, except Cs, Ta, Li, Ge, Zn, Nd, Tb and Ta whose values need to be revised. Their precisions were typically lower than 5% RSD. However, the Precisions of Chinese clay reference materials, especially for GBW03102 and GBW03102a, were significantly different with reference values, probably reflecting the existence of a coarser-grained fraction(>70 μm) in samples, and the formation of fluorides in Al-rich samples during sample decomposition by using the mixture of HF and HNO3 acids. Moreover, thirty-seven trace elements covering the mass range from Li to U in four Chinese clay reference materials were firstly provided with good precision and accuracy in this study.

Material Properties and Tensile Behaviors of Polypropylene Geogrid and Geonet for Reinforcement of Soil Structures

The properties and tensile behaviors of polypropylene (PP) geogrids and geonets for reinforcement of soil structures are investigated.Mass per unit area of the geogrids and geonets was weighed using an electronic balance and aperture sizes of the geonets were exactly measured using a computer.Laboratory tests were performed using a small tensile machine capable of monitoring tensile force and displacement.Tensile failure behaviors were described,and tensile index properties such as tensile strength,maximum tensile strain,tensile forces corresponding to different strains in the geogrids and gronets were obtained.The characterization of these indexes is discussed.

Distribution and Elimination of Lead Species in Soils Related to GAP of Chinese Medicinal Materials of Ligusticum Chuanxiong Hort

In this paper, the sequential extraction procedure was used for the selection of fractions of lead in seven stages corresponding to lead exchangeable, lead bounded to carbonates, to manganese oxides, to organic matters, to amorphous iron, and lead associated to crystallized iron, and to residuals. The vertical distributions of lead species were carried out in the soils related to good agriculture progress (GAP) of Chinese medical materials of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort in Dujiangyan city and Wenchuan Co...

Soil Carbon Sequestrations in Forest Soils in Relation to Parent Material and Soil Depth in South-Eastern Nigeria

There has been increased interest in soil organic carbon in recent times because of its role in carbon sequestration. Different parent materials affect soil properties and hence will influence how much carbon is sequestered by soil. The study was conducted in June 2019 to investigate soil carbon stock in forest soils with respect to their parent materials in three States in South-eastern Nigeria. Sampling was aided by the location map of the area and free soil survey method was used to locate sampling points. 0ne profile was dug in each location and described using the Food and Agricultural Organization guideline. A total of twelve soil samples were collected and analyzed for selected properties. Results showed that sand content was significantly higher in soils under coastal plain sands (851.96 g·kg−1) and was lowest in soils of Imo clay shale (605.60 g·kg−1). Clay content was higher in soils of Imo clay shale (277.34 g·kg−1) and was lowest in coastal plain sand (118.80 g·kg−1). Silt and clay had moderate variation in coastal plain sand (>15 ≤ 35%) and high variations in Asu River and Imo clay shale (CV > 35%). The soils studied were generally acidic with values ranging (3.52) in soils formed from coastal plain sand, followed by forest soils of Imo clay shale (3.64) and Asu river group (3.85). Soil organic carbon decreased with increase in soil depth in all soil parent materials studied. Mean values ranged from 6.14 g·kg−1 in soil underlain by coastal plain sand to 10.62 g·kg−1) in soils of Imo clay shale. Soil carbon sequestered under the three different parent materials ranged from 1575 - 4676.41 (g·cm−2). Also, soil depth had a notable impact on carbon sequestration with values ranging from 1529.42 - 4374.0541 (g·cm−2) and the thicker the horizon, the more carbon sequestered. Hence, the study concluded that more carbon is sequestered in the subsurface horizons of the soil pedons than in the epipedons.

Fractionation of Added Cadmium in Submerged Soils asAffected by Organic Materials

The effect of three organic materials (rice straw, Chinese milk vetch and pig manure) on the fractionationof cadmium added into two soils (a red soil and a fiuvo-aquic soil) was studied using submerged incubationexperiment. The organic materials increased soil solid organic carbon (SOC), pH value, the concentration ofactive Si in all the treatments and active Fe and Mn in some treatments. Accumulated SOC caused directlythe increase of Cd bound to solid organic matter and consequently the decrease of exchangeable Cd. Higheractive Si and pH, as well as lower Eh, were also responsible for the reduction of exchangeable Cd. Cd boundto Mn oxide was positively correlated with pH values and rose significatly after one-month incubation, butdecreased after three-month incubstion. Cd bound to amorphous Fe oxide increased with the incubationtime, but was not effected significantly by adding organic materials.

Review on the Mechanism and Effect of Organic Materials on Available Pb in Soil

Heavy metal pollution and remediation of soils have drawn much attention. More and more scholars tend to remediate soil heavy metals without affecting the normal agricultural production. By analyzing the mechanism of action of organic materials to remediate Pb pollution in soil,the effect of different organic materials on the passivation of available Pb in soil was summarized,and the prospect was proposed for the future application of organic materials,in order to provide reference for the remediation of Pb and other heavy metals by organic materials.

Remediation of Heavy Metals Polluted Soil Using Metal Insolubilizing Materials

Heavy metal ions, one kind of harmful substance, may exist in the soil irrelevant to artificial development, and soil contamination, due to soil and rock containing these naturally derived heavy metals, has recently become apparent. Thus, in an amendment that came into effect in 2010 of Japan, the scope of countermeasures and regulations for contaminated soil was amended to “contaminated soil derived from artificial development” and “naturally derived contaminated soil”. When naturally derived contaminated soil is encountered during the carrying out of construction work, countermeasures against this type of soil contamination are necessary. In this research, new metal-insolubilizing materials are developed in order to improve the insolubilization treatment which is one method for treating contaminated soil. Specifically, tests are conducted to clarify the insolubilization effect on heavy metals, and the insolubilization mechanism is chemically and mineralogically discussed.

A Comparative Investigation of the Biodegradation Behaviour of Linseed Oil-Based Cross-Linked Composites Filled with Industrial Waste Materials in Two Different Soils

The biodegradation of polymeric biocomposites formed from epoxidized linseed oil and various types of fillers(pine needles,pine bark,grain mill waste,rapeseed cake)and a control sample without filler was studied during 180 days of exposure to two types of forest soil:deciduous and coniferous.The weight loss,morphological,and structural changes of polymer composites were noticed after 180 days of the soil burial test.The greatest weight loss of all tested samples was observed in coniferous forest soil(41.8%–63.2%),while in deciduous forest soil,it ranged between 37.7%and 42.3%.The most significant changes in the intensities of the signals evaluated by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy,as well as morphological changes determined by scanning electron microscopy,were assessed for polymer composite with rapeseed cake and specimen without filler in coniferous forest soil and are in a good agreement with weight loss results.Whereas significantly lower changes in weight loss,morphology,and structure of polymeric film with pine bark were noticed in both soils.It was suggested that fungi of Trichoderma,Penicillium,Talaromyces and Clonostachys genera are the possible soil microorganisms that degrade linseed oil-based cross-linked polymer composites.Moreover,the novel polymer composites have the potential to be an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based mulching films.

THEORETICAL MODEL OF EFFECTIVE STRESS COEFFICIENT FOR ROCK/SOIL-LIKE POROUS MATERIALS

Physical mechanisms and influencing factors on the effective stress coefficient for rock/soil-like porous materials are investigated, based on which equivalent connectivity index is proposed. The equivalent connectivity index, relying on the meso-scale structure of porous material and the property of liquid, denotes the connectivity of pores in Representative Element Area （REA）. If the conductivity of the porous material is anisotropic, the equivalent connectivity index is a second order tensor. Based on the basic theories of continuous mechanics and tensor analysis, relationship between area porosity and volumetric porosity of porous materials is deduced. Then a generalized expression, describing the relation between effective stress coefficient tensor and equivalent connectivity tensor of pores, is proposed, and the expression can be applied to isotropic media and also to anisotropic materials. Furthermore, evolution of porosity and equivalent connectivity index of the pore are studied in the strain space, and the method to determine the corresponding functions in expressions above is proposed using genetic algorithm and genetic programming. Two applications show that the results obtained by the method in this paper perfectly agree with the test data. This paper provides an important theoretical support to the coupled hydro-mechanical research.

Organic Materials Could Improve the Phytoremediation Efficiency of Soil Potentially Hazardous Metal by Sedum alfredii Hance

Soil potentially hazardous metal(PHM)is continually attracting public attention worldwide,due to its highly toxic properties and potentially huge damage to human being through food chain.Phytoremediation is an effective and eco-friendly way in remediation technology.A pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different organic materials(biogas residue(BR),mushroom residue(MR),and bamboo-shoot shell(BS))application on phytoremediation of two PHM-contaminated soils(Fuyang soil as‘heavily-polluted soil’and Wenzhou soil as‘moderately-polluted soil’,respectively)by Sedum alfrecdii Hance.The results indicated:1)for moderately-polluted soil,the 5%BR treatment had the strongest activation to Cu and Zn,for heavily-polluted soil,1%BS treatment had the highest activation effect for Cu,Zn,Pb and Cd.2)the above-ground biomass of Sedum alfredii Hance increased with the addition rate of organic materials.3)for Cd uptake of Sedum alfredii Hance in moderately-polluted soil,only 1%BS treatment had a better accumulation effect,compared to the control,for Zn element,MR treatments were weaker than the control,while other treatments were better than the control,of which 5%BR,1%BS and 5%BS accumulated more Zn element by 39.6%,32.6%and 23.8%,respectively;in heavily-polluted soil,the treatments of 5%BS,1%BR and 5%BR accumulated more Cd than the control by 12.9%,12.8%and 6.2%,respectively,the treatments with organic materials addition promoted Zn accumulation in shoots of Sedum alfredii Hance,and the best treatment was 5%BS.Therefore,an appropriate application rate of BS and BR could improve the remediation efficiency for Zn/Cd contaminated soils by Sedum alfredii Hance.