Reducing the Erodibility of Sandy Soils Engineered by Cyanobacteria Inoculation: A Laboratory Investigation

Asma Rabiei, Seyed Mohammad Ali Zomorodian () and Brendan C. O’Kelly ()
Additional contact information
Asma Rabiei: Department of Water Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7144165186, Iran
Seyed Mohammad Ali Zomorodian: Department of Water Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7144165186, Iran
Brendan C. O’Kelly: Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: Windblown and water-induced erosion cause substantial soil losses worldwide, especially for drylands. Any sustainable management program that increases soil organic matter and improves the stability of the crustal layer could considerably enhance soil productivity and the preservation of erosion-prone land. This paper presents a laboratory investigation of cyanobacteria-inoculated medium sand and fine sand soils studied for severe runoff conditions that were simulated using an erosion function apparatus (EFA). Loosely deposited sand specimens prepared by air-pluviation were inoculated with a single native filamentous-cyanobacterium strain (investigating both Nostoc sp. and Calothrix sp.) and then incubated under high exposure to white light for 32- or 48-day periods. Well-developed bio-crusts were produced on the specimens’ top surface that achieved substantial improvements in erosion resistance, as was demonstrated for a wide range of hydraulic shear stress investigated using EFA experiments. Relative improvements in hydraulic erosion resistance were explained in terms of the nature of the cyanobacteria-developed microstructures (cyanobacteria filament infiltration of pore-void spaces and exopolysaccharide excretion), as were observed by scanning electron microscope examinations. The developed microstructure depended on the cyanobacterium strain employed and the nominal pore-void sizes that are related to the sand gradation and density state. The encouraging findings of this experimental investigation suggest a tailored approach (i.e., employing a suitable native cyanobacterium strain chosen for its compatibility with the soil’s physical properties) could lay the basis for developing a novel technology for soil protection.

Keywords: bio-crust; bio-geotechnics; erosion function apparatus; soil erosion; soil management; soil stabilization; wind erosion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3811/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3811/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:3811-:d:1073974

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().