Original scientific paper
The Impacts of Nanoclay on Sandy Soil Stability and Atmospheric Dust Control
Marjan Padidar
; Young Researchers and Elite Club, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Ahmad Jalalian
; Department of Soil Science, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Kamran Asgari
; Young Researchers and Elite Club, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Majid Abdouss
; Department of Chemistry, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Payam Najafi
; Department of Water Science, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Naser Honarjoo
; Department of Soil Science, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Jaber Fallahzade
; Young Researchers and Elite Club, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Wind erosion and dust storms are main issues in arid and semi-arid regions. Application of soil stabilizer on unstable land might be an effective and sustainable strategy in arid and semi-arid countries to minimized harmful effects on environment and human health. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of using nanoclay for increasing soil stability, as a result of increasing in size of soil aggregation, and improving soil water holding capacity, as well as improving soil structure in sandy soil. An experiment was conducted with two treatments (0 and 3000 mg/l nanoclay were uniformly spread on the soil surface) in four replications on sandy soil, in Khara desert, nearly 100 km east of Isfahan, Iran. The annual rainfall is about 68/55 mm, mean annual ET0 is 2800 mm/year, and the elevation is 1450 m above sea level. Amount of soil erosion was measured with different wind velocity (31.0, 55.2 and 67.3 km h−1). An aggregation size and water retention of collected soil samples were measured by sieves and pressure plate, respectively. The results showed that the amount of soil erosion in nanoclay-treated soils was significantly different (P>0.05) in comparison with water-treated (control) soils. The volumetric water content at 100 KPa increased in nanoclay-treated soils compared to control treatment. Results also showed that the proportion of 0.25-2 mm aggregate (macroaggregate) significantly increased in nanoclay-treated soils. Based on aforementioned results, it can be concluded that application of nanoclay on soil surface is able to fix the sand and it has ability to cement the particles to each other, increase aggregation and reduce wind erosion. The results suggested that more attention should be directed towards using nanoclay on soil surface of unstable soil areas. That coild be an option for control of the atmospheric dust.
Keywords
wind erosion; wind tunnel; dust storms; nanoclay
Hrčak ID:
179436
URI
Publication date:
7.4.2017.
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