An Analytical Solution for One-Dimensional Water Infiltration and Redistribution in Unsaturated Soil

Soil infiltration and redistribution are important processes in field water cycle, and it is necessary to develop a simple model to describe the processes. In this study, an algebraic solution for one-dimensional water infiltration and redistribution without evaporation in unsaturated soil was developed based on Richards equation. The algebraic solution had three parameters, namely, the saturated water conductivity, the comprehensive shape coefficient of the soil water content distribution, and the soil suction allocation coefficient. To analyze the physical features of these parameters, a relationship between the Green-Ampt model and the algebraic solution was established. The three parameters were estimated based on experimental observations, whereas the soil water content and the water infiltration duration were calculated using the algebraic solution. The calculated soil water content and infiltration duration were compared with the experimental observations, and the results indicated that the algebraic solution accurately described the unsaturated soil water flow processes.

Effect of Heavy Metals on the Growth of Bacteria Isolated from Sewage Sludge Compost Tea

The amount of urban sewage sludge is increasing daily. For this reason, it is necessary to have an environmentally friendly use for this residue. Land applications in olive grove soil, poor quality soil, as a compost or a compost tea could be considered as one of the best options, because it has a high content of organic matter. However, the presence of heavy metals in some sewage sludge could be an environmental problem. In this sense, the aim of this work is to check the tolerance of the culturable microbiota present in sewage sludge compost tea to four heavy metals, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn. Among microbiota isolated, eight strains showed high resistance to Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd, and one microbe (Rhodococcus sp.) showed a special tolerance to every heavy metal. The strains were divided into six genrera: Rhodococcus, Virgibacillus, Leifsoni, Achromobacter, Cupriavidus and Oceanobacillus sp. Finally, Rhodococcus sp. strain 3 was able to remove different amounts of heavy metals from the culture media with intracellular and surface accumulation of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd. The application of this bacterial strain in bioremediation processes is discussed.

Heavy Metal Emission Characteristics of Urban Road Runoff

Pavement runoff sampling points were set up on the main roads of Chengdu city.Six rainfall-runoff events from July to September in 2017 were sampled by synchronous observation of rainfall,runoff and pollution.The concentration changes of copper,lead,zinc,chromium and cadmium in the runoff process were monitored,and the pollution emission regularity and initial scouring effect were studied.The results show that the emission regularity of pavement runoff pollution is closely related to rainfall characteristics and pollutant occurrence,and the concentration of dissolved heavy metals reaches its peak at the initial stage of runoff.The peak time of particulate heavy metal concentration lagged slightly behind that of rainfall intensity.There is a big difference between the strength of initial scouring degree and dissolved heavy metals the stronger the initial scouring degree of total heavy metals,the weaker the dissolved heavy metals.Reducing pavement runoff in the early stage of rainfall is an effective means to control heavy metal pollution.

An Analytical Method for Relationship Between Hydraulic Diffusivity and Soil Sorptivity

A simple method was developed to relate soil sorptivity to hydraulic diffusivity and water absorption experiments were conducted utilizing one-dimensional horizontal soil columns to validate the relationship. In addition, an estimation method for hydraulic diffusivity with disc infiltrometer was developed. The results indicated a favorable fit of the theoretical relation to the experimental data. Also, the experiment with disc infiltrometer for estimating the diffusivity showed that the new method was feasible.

The challenge of soil loss control and vegetation restoration in the karst area of southwestern China

Soil loss, both from surface soil loss and subsurface soil leakage, in the karst regions of southwestern China is a serious environmental problem that threatens sustainability in that region. The surface soil loss has been extensively studied, and many studies have been conducted to investigate the causes, impacts and mechanisms involved, but the study of subsurface soil leakage has received little attention due to the difficulties in studying the natural conditions. There is no consensus on the overall proportions between surface soil loss and subsurface soil leakage. To control soil loss, improve ecological restoration, and help locals out of poverty, the Chinese government carried out a series of ecological restoration projects in the karst regions of southwestern China starting in the 1980s. As a result, the intensity and areal extent of soil loss continues to decrease and the ecological situation is steadily improving. However, because of the fragile ecosystem in the karst regions, the soil loss control is a long-term task, and the soil loss in some karst regions continues to be a problem. Subsequently, we put forward some suggestions for the policy makers relative to conservation of soil loss and vegetation restoration. These suggestions include:(1) government, private organizations and individuals are encouraged to raise funds for soil loss control and vegetation restoration;(2) nature reserves should be established to increase biodiversity;(3) engineering projects such as small reservoirs, ponds, and flow diversion channels should be constructed in marginal karst regions.

Water and nitrogen input optimization for jujube trees under surge root irrigation based on weighted grey correlation model

In order to obtain the optimal input of water and nitrogen(W&N)suitable for the jujube trees in Northern Shaanxi,12 treatments had been set in the demonstration base of micro-irrigation jujube tree of Mizhi County in 2014-2015 through field experiment of jujube trees under surge root irrigation(SRI),in which three soil moisture levels(high moisture level W1:60%-85%θ,middle moisture level W2:50%-75%θ,low moisture level W3:40%-65%θ)and four nitrogen input levels(high nitrogen F75:0.75 kg/plant,middle nitrogen F50:0.50 kg/plant,low nitrogen F25:0.25 kg/plant,no nitrogen F0:0.00 kg/plant)were set.Through analyzing the effects of different W&N inputs on the yield,net income(NI)and W&N utilization efficiency(WUE and NUE)of jujube trees and establishing a weighted grey correlation model,the optimization of W&N input for jujube trees could be achieved under SRI.Results showed that different W&N inputs had significant influences on yield,NI,WUE and NUE.Along with the increase of soil moisture content,the yield and NUE increased,while WUE decreased gradually,and the NI had the tendency to increase first and then decrease.Along with the increase of nitrogen input,the yield,NI and WUE had the tendency to increase first and then decrease while the NUE decreased significantly,and the yield,NI,WUE and NUE could not reach the maximum at the same time.Through the study on the grey correlation model of jujube tree’s comprehensive benefit based on the yield,NI,WUE and NUE,results showed the comprehensive benefit of jujube trees was significantly different when W&N input was different,and the gray correlation degree of W2F25 treatment was the highest in two years,which means that the soil moisture content of 50%-75%θand nitrogen input of 0.25 kg/plant was the optimal W&N input for jujube trees under SRI in Northern Shaanxi area.