Internal Force Mechanism of Pisha Sandstone as a Soil Amendment to Improve Sandy Soil Structural Stability in Mu Us Sandy Land

Zhe Liu, Lin Zhou, Yang Zhang (), Jichang Han, Yingying Sun, Ruiqing Zhang, Xuxiang Li and Feinan Hu ()
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Zhe Liu: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Lin Zhou: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Yang Zhang: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Jichang Han: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Yingying Sun: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Ruiqing Zhang: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Xuxiang Li: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Feinan Hu: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Compounding Pisha sandstone (PSS) with sandy soil in Mu Us Sandy Land is a viable agronomical measure to effectively reduce soil erosion and improve soil quality due to the complementary characters and structures of the two materials. Aggregate stability is an important indicator to assess sandy soil erosion resistance and quality, which could be largely affected by soil surface electrochemical properties and particle interaction forces. However, the effect of the compound ratio and particle interaction forces on the aggregate stability of compound soils with Pisha sandstone and sandy soil is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, the electrochemical properties, particle interaction forces, and their effects on the aggregate stability of PSS and sandy soil at five volume ratios (0:1, 1:5, 1:2, 1:1, and 1:0) were determined to clarify the internal force mechanism of PSS to increase sandy soil structural stability in a 10-year field experiment. Experiments were measured by a combined method for the determination of surface properties and aggregate water stability. A ten-year field study revealed that the incorporation of Pisha sandstone significantly enhanced the soil organic carbon (SOC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) ( p < 0.05), while the CEC value notably increased from 4.68 to 13.76 cmol·kg −1 ( p < 0.05). The soil surface potential (absolute value) and the electric field intensity gradually decreased with the increase in the Pisha sandstone content. For the compound soil particle interaction force, the addition of Pisha sandstone enhanced the van der Waals attraction force, reduced the net repulsive force between compound soil particles, and promoted the agglomeration of aeolian sandy soil. The overall trend of the aggregate breaking strength of compound soils under different addition ratios of PSS was 1:0 > 1:1 > 0:1 > 1:5 > 1:2. When the Pisha sandstone content in the compound soils was <50%, the aggregate stability was mainly influenced by compound soil particle interaction forces, and the interaction force increase was the key reason for the aggregate breakdown. When the Pisha sandstone content in the compound soils was ≥50%, the aggregate stability was affected by the combined effects of the compound soil particle composition and particle interaction forces. These results indicate that PSS addition ratios and particle interaction force are important factors affecting the structural stability of compound soils, in which the volume ratio of PSS to sandy soil of 1:2 is the appropriate ratio. Our study provides some theoretical references for further understanding of the compound soil structure improvement and sandy soil erosion control in Mu Us Sandy Land.

Keywords: Pisha sandstone; compound soil; electrochemical properties; aggregate structural stability; particle interaction; Mu Us Sandy Land (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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