Advances on bioremediation of off-contaminated soil in cold region

Petroleum pollution in the soil is a common problem in the world. The pollution may not only cause resource waste, but also may result in environment destruction, biology subsistence crisis and human health damage gradually. Biological techniques can be used to remove and transfer petroleum contaminants in the soil. Bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil, which is cost-effective,safe and friendly to environment, is promising. Low temperatures and lack of available nutrients often limit the rate of microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated soils in cold region. Some scholars carried out bioremediation technology research on oily soil in cold area. Scientists attempted many measures to increase the temperature of the field. A multidisciplinary team of engineers, microbiologists and electricians has designed and installed a thermally （TIS） enhanced biopile in oil-contaminated soil in Prudhoe Bay, AK. Covered with a black plastic sheet, the pile can also improve temperature condition. Nutrient is another important factor affecting bioremediation. Because of the different constituents in the soil, the proportion of elements is different. To optimize nutrient amendments for the remediation of a long-term hydrocarbon-contaminated site at the Old Casey Station in Antarctica, results showed that the effects of nitrogen （and phosphorus） on microbial are evident. If the method of fertilizing inorganic nutrients is improper, salinity of the soil may be increased and the osmotic potential may be impacted. J.L.Walworth et al.     

Advances on bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil in cold region

Petroleum pollution in the soil is a common problem in the world. The pollution may not only cause resource waste, but also may result in environment destruction,biology subsistence crisis and human health damage gradually. Biological techniques can be us…     

Study on Kailyard soil amendment by adding compost of sludge

Mixture of municipal sewage sludge and organic garbage, which was alternatively treated by aerobic and anaerobic composting technologies for 60 days. The characteristics of the compost are as follows： the total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphors （TP） and total potassium （TK） are 1.40%, 0.101% and 1908.32 mg/kg on dry weight basis, the contents of Cu, Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb and Zn are 131.23, 21.49, 1.31, 35.49, 72.50 and 616.76 mg/kg on dry weight basis. A basin-scale experiment was carded out by planting watercress with kailyard soil fertilizing with the compost, the results showed that the municipal sewage sludge and organic garbage compost could promote the production of watercress to different degrees, the crop biomass increased from 74.46% to 312.00% with the amount of compost fertilizing on the kaliyard soil while the amount of compost fertilizing on the kaliyard soil below 150 g per 3.75 kg kaliyard soil and decreased from 312.00% to 102.29% while the amount of compost fertilizing on it over 150 g per 3.75 kg kaliyard soil, so the optimal addition of compost in the watercress and soil was 150 g compost per 3.75 kg kailyard soil. Furthermore,     

Study on soil–cement grout interface shear strength of soil nailing by direct shear box testing method

An important design parameter in cement-grouted soil nailed structures is the shear strength at the interface between the grouted nail and the surrounding soil. Both field and laboratory pull-out tests are normally used to investigate this interface shear strength. However, these tests have some limitations. In this study, direct shear box tests are adopted to investigate the interface shear strength behaviour between a completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil and a cement grout plate. Tests were carried out in a large direct shear test apparatus over a range of constant normal stress, soil moisture content, and soil–cement grout interface surface waviness. The laboratory test procedures are briefly described and the main test results are presented, followed by a discussion of the shear behaviour of the soil–cement grout interface. The interface shear behaviour is compared with the shear strength behaviour of the same soil tested under comparable conditions. It is shown that the shear stress–displacement behaviour of the soil–cement grout interface is similar to that of the soil alone. The test results indicate that the interface shear strength of the CDG and cement grout material depends on the normal stress level, the soil moisture content, and the interface surface waviness.     

The effect of cemented soil strength on the frictional capacity of precast concrete pile–cemented soil interface

Acta Geotechnica - The pre-bored grouted planted (PGP) pile is a composite pile consisting of a precast concrete pile and the cemented soil around the pile. Thus, the PGP pile shaft capacity is...     

Probabilistic analyses of three-dimensional circular footing resting on two-layer c–ϕ soil system considering soil spatial variability

Acta Geotechnica - The prime objective of this paper is to study the effect of soil spatial variability on the three-dimensional probabilistic bearing capacity of a circular footing resting on the...     

Effect of incubating plant cuticles in soil on their sorptive capabilities

Sorption and desorption are the major processes influencing the fate of hydrophobic organic compounds （HOCs） in soils. Among the natural sorbents in the environment, soil organic matter （SOM） plays a significant role in the overall sorption of many organic compounds. Recently, several reports have emphasized the role of aliphatic-rich sorbents in the binding of HOCs. The main source of aliphatic compounds for SOM is biopolymers derived from above- and below-ground plant cuticular matter. The plant cuticle is a thin layer of predominantly lipid material that covers all primary aerial surfaces of vascular plants. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of decomposition and transformation of plant cuticles on their sorption behavior with triazine herbicides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs）. Sorption-desorption behavior was studied during 12 months of incubation of cuticles isolated from tomato fruits and pummelo leaves in sandy soil. Sorption and desorption experiments and spectroscopic and chemical analyses were performed using the samples after 0, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months of incubation. The decomposition of the cuticles （46-49% after 12 months） did not affect the organic carbon-normalized Freundlich distribution coefficient （KFOC） for the PAHs. In addition, throughout the incubation period, the two PAHs exhibited linear and reversible sorption isotherms with both cuticles. However, the isotherms of the triazines were significantly affected by the decomposition of the cuticles from pummelo leaves, whereas only minor changes were recorded for the tomato cuticle samples. For the microcosm with cuticles from the pummelo leaves, the KFOC values of the triazines increased with increasing decomposition.     

Equilibrium sorption of phenanthrene and naphthalene on soil particulate organic matter

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the important phase for sorption of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) by soils and sediments. A linear partition model was invoked for mechanistically and quantitatively describing the sorption equilibria as partitioning…     

Experimental study on the electrical resistivity of soil–cement admixtures

Recently in China, soil–cement is widely used to improve the soft ground in the highway construction engineering. Literature studies are mainly investigating the mechanical properties of the soil–cement, while its properties of the electrical resistivity are not well addressed. In this paper, the properties of the electrical resistivity of the reconstituted soil-cement and the in situ soil–cement columns are investigated. The test results show that the electrical resistivity of the soil–cement increases with the increase in the cement-mixing ratio and curing time, whereas it decreases with the increase in the water content, degree of saturation and water–cement ratio. A simple equation is proposed to predict the electrical resistivity of soil–cement under the condition of the specified curing time and water–cement ratio. It is found that the electrical resistivity has a good relationship with the unconfined compression strength and blow count of SPT. It is expected that the electrical resistivity method can be widely used for checking/controlling the quality of soil–cement in practice.     

Collapse of granular–cohesive soil mixtures on a horizontal plane

Acta Geotechnica - The collapse test with granular or cohesive materials known as ‘slump test’ is a simple, small-scale experiment. It can be used to study the rheology of soil masses...     

Effects of aspects on soil environment and plant growth on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau北大核心CSCD

The different aspects lead to great differences in the processes of water,heat,and energy balance,which further affect the soil environment and the growth of alpine plants. Based on an experimental study with eight aspects（abbreviated as octagonal platform）of Huashixia frozen soil observation base on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,the influence of aspects on soil environments and alpine vegetation growth was studied. The results showed that：（1）After 6 years,the soil temperature of each slope near the surface（10 cm and 30 cm depth）from high to low was as follows：south > southeast > southwest > west > east > northwest > northeast > north,that is,the relatively sunny slope（east,southeast,south and southwest）was higher than the relatively shady slope（west,northwest,north and northeast）. However,there was no significant difference in soil water con⁃ tent between the sunny slope and the shady slope at the depth of 0~30 cm. （2）The growth trend of aboveground vegetation（including plant height,coverage and aboveground biomass）on sunny slope was better than that on shady slope. The growth trend of underground vegetation（including root depth and underground biomass）on sunny slope was worse than that on shady slope. （3）In the depth of 0~10 cm,the content of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen on sunny slope was higher than that on shady slope. However,the content of total phosphorus on sunny slope was lower than that on shady slope. There was no significant difference in total potassium and available nutrients among different slopes（P>0. 05）. In general,the effect of temperature on vegetation growth and nutrient distribution is significant in alpine regions,and these findings provides an important reference for vegetation restoration and energy balance research in different aspects. © 2023 The Author(s).     

Numerical simulation of air–soil two-phase flow based on turbulence modeling

Soil flow and induced air blasts are of great harm to humanity, and historically they have caused a lot of damage to infrastructure. However, these phenomena cannot be described by traditional analog modeling methods that limit their use in disaster prevention efforts. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an applied technique commonly used in a range of fields including the chemical industry, and aircraft and automobile manufacturing, but little is reported on the use of this method to simulate flowing soil in geotechnical engineering applications. The CFD method can effectively make up for the deficiency of normal calculation methods in the analysis of soil flow and air blasts. This paper uses the FLUENT (version 6.3) CFD calculation software to simulate the processes of soil flow and induced air blast changes during soil flow with an Eulerian air–soil two-phase model included in a standard k-ε turbulence model. Velocity vectors of air blasts at different times during soil flow are obtained, and the characteristics of turbulent flow can be found based on the velocity vectors. The numerical simulation techniques adopted in this paper captured precise configurations of soil flow. The results show that the CFD method is especially suitable for simulating the process of soil flow; hazard assessments can be implemented, and the performance of structures involved with disaster prevention can be improved based on the numerical simulation of changing air blasts.     

Predictions of the effects of Qinghai-Tibet highway rebuilding project on soil erosion

In order to enhance the road capacity and guarantee the commodity transportation to Tibet, the Ministry of Communications conducted renovation and rebuilding of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. It is of great importance to conserve the water and soil well durin…     

Experimental study on soil pollution analysis around tailings using ground penetrating radar

Pollution caused by tailings has become a serious environmental problem in China. An attempt was made to establish the ground penetrating radar （GPR） as a quick and non-destructive method for soil pollution analysis. Some physical models were established of contaminated soils from the tailing area. A series of indoor GPR experiments were conducted with 1 GHz antenna. The interface of contaminated area and uncontaminated area is characterized as a saltation zone in the radar image. The results of experiments show a clear correlation between the GPR data and the pollution intensity of soil. Based on all experimental data, the relation of velocity of electromagnetic wave propagation and pollution intensity was induced by using artificial neural network （ANN）. The results obtained indicate that GPR can provide high-resolution estimates of soil pollution variations around tailings as a function of depth as well as space and time.     

Influence of plant on the extractability of estrogen in the rhizospheric soil

Livestock wastes applied to agricultural land are potential sources of steroidal hormones （estradiol （E2）, estrone （E1）, and estriol （E3）） that can adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem as endocrine disruptors. But the effects of plants on the fate of estrogen in the environment are not clearly known. In the present report, the behavior of E1, E2 and E3 added to the rhizospheric soil in various concentrations and its effect on plant growth were examined by estrogen batch sorption test, plant pot test and estrogen extraction test. Trifolium repens was grown on the soil spiked with E2 or a mixture of E1, E2 and E3. Pots without plant were prepared as controls. All pots were watered in 50 ml dose almost every day, and the rhizosheric soil and plant body were collected 7, 19, 26, 33 days after planting. The soil was sequentially extracted with Milli-Q water, and methanol / 1M acetic acid solvent followed by methanol wash at the solid to liquid ratio of 1 ： 4 （g/mL）. Extracts were analyzed for El, E2 and E3 using a Shimadzu GCMS-QP5050. Plant dry weight （4 hours, 105 ℃） was measured as an indicator of plant growth. In batch sorption tests, E1 and E2 concentrations in the liquid phase significantly decreased within 24 hours after the addition of estrogen. The sum of methanol / 1M acetic acid extractable E 1 and E2 in the soil decreased to half of the initial added amount within 7 days. Reduction in total estrogenic activity of the soil extracts （estimated as 0.01CE1＋CE2＋0.1CE3 where CE1, CE2 and CE3 are respective El, E2 and E3 concentrations per unit soil weight） continued for 1 month due to slow oxidation of E2 to E1. Desorption of E2 from soil during the pot experiment was higher than expected from the sorption experiment.     

Influences of alpine ecosystem degradation on soil temperature in the freezing-thawing process on Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

The alpine ecosystem is very sensitive to environmental change due to global and local disturbances. The alpine ecosystem degradation, characterized by reducing vegetation coverage or biomass, has been occurring in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which alters local energy balance, and water and biochemical cycles. However, detailed characterization of the ecosystem degradation effect is lack in literature. In this study, the impact of alpine ecosystem degradation on soil temperature for seasonal frozen soil and permafrost are examined. The vegetation coverage is used to indicate the degree of ecosystems degradation. Daily soil temperature is monitored at different depths for different vegetation coverage, for both permafrost and seasonal frozen soils. Results show that under the insulating effort of the vegetation, the freezing and thawing process become quicker and steeper, and the start of the freezing and thawing process moves up due to the insulating effort of the vegetation. The influence of vegetation coverage on the freezing process is more evident than the thawing process; with the decrease of vegetation coverage, the integral of frozen depth increases for seasonal frozen soil, but is vice versa for permafrost.     

Nonlinear analysis of footings on granular bed–stone column improved soft soil

In this paper, a model for the analysis of footings having finite flexural rigidity resting on a granular bed on top of stone columns improved saturated soft (clayey) soil has been proposed. Soft soil has been modeled as a Kelvin–Voigt body to represent its time dependent behavior. Pasternak shear layer has been used to represent the granular layer and the stone columns have been idealized by means of nonlinear Winkler springs. Nonlinear behavior of granular fill, soft soil and stone columns has been invoked by means of hyperbolic constitutive relationships. Governing differential equations for the soil–foundation system have been obtained and finite difference method has been adopted for solving these, using the Gauss-elimination iterative scheme. Detailed parametric study for a combined footing has been carried out to study the influence of parameters, like magnitude of applied load, flexural rigidity of footing, diameter of stone column, spacing of stone column, ultimate bearing capacity of granular fill, poor foundation soil and stone column, relative stiffness of stone columns and degree of consolidation, on flexural response of the footing.