Combined effects of polymer SH and ryegrass on the water-holding characteristics of loess

doi:10.1007/s40333-024-0089-9

Journal of Arid Land

2024, Vol. 16

Issue (12): 1686-1700 DOI: 10.1007/s40333-024-0089-9

Research article

Combined effects of polymer SH and ryegrass on the water-holding characteristics of loess

YING Chunye¹, LI Chenglong², LI Lanxing³^,^*(

), ZHOU Chang⁴

¹School of Geological Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
²Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute of Shengli Oilfield, SINOPEC, Dongying 257000, China
³Army Engineering University of PLA, Xuzhou 221000, China
⁴School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

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Abstract

The Chinese Loess Plateau has long been plagued by severe soil erosion and water scarcity. In this study, we proposed a technique involving the combined use of polymer SH and ryegrass and evaluated its effectiveness in modifying the water-holding characteristics of loess on the Chinese Loess Plateau (Chinese loess). We analysed the volumetric water content and water potential of untreated loess, treated loess with single polymer SH, treated loess with single ryegrass, and treated loess with both polymer SH and ryegrass using the loess samples collected from the Chinese Loess Plateau in July 2023. Moreover, fractal theory was used to analyse the fractal characteristics of the soil structure, and wet disintegration tests were conducted to assess the structural stability of both untreated and treated loess samples. The results showed that the loess samples treated with both polymer SH and ryegrass presented much higher volumetric water content and water potential than the untreated loess samples and those treated only with ryegrass or polymer SH. Moreover, the planting density of ryegrass affected the combined technique, since a relatively low planting density (20 g/m²) was conducive to enhancing the water-holding capacity of Chinese loess. The fractal dimension was directly correlated with both volumetric water content and water potential of Chinese loess. Specifically, since loess treated with both polymer SH and ryegrass was more saturated with moisture, its water potential increased, thus improving its water-holding capacity and fractal dimension. The combined technique better resisted disintegration than ryegrass alone but had slightly less resistance than polymer SH alone. This study provides insight into soil reinforcement and soil water management using polymetric materials and vegetation on the Chinese Loess Plateau.

Key words： loess ryegrass polymer SH water-holding characteristics fractal theory Chinese Loess Plateau

Received: 29 July 2024 Published: 31 December 2024

Corresponding Authors: *LI Lanxing (E-mail: lilanxing0531@cug.edu.cn)

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Cite this article:

YING Chunye, LI Chenglong, LI Lanxing, ZHOU Chang. Combined effects of polymer SH and ryegrass on the water-holding characteristics of loess. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(12): 1686-1700.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-024-0089-9 OR http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2024/V16/I12/1686

Fig. 1 Location of the sampling site on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Table 1 Physical properties of loess samples

Table 2 Information about the untreated and treated loess samples

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of the soil volumetric water content and soil water potential monitoring devices in this study

Fig. 3 Schematic diagram (a) and photograph (b) of the apparatus in the disintegration test

Fig. 4 Variations in the volumetric water content of loess samples from the six groups (A, B, C, D, E, and F) with varying curing durations

Fig. 5 Variations in the water potential of loess samples from the six groups (A, B, C, D, E, and F) with varing curing durations. (a), curing durations of 1-22 d; (b), curing durations of 1-10 d.

Fig. 6 Relationships between volumetric water content and water potential of loess samples subjected to different treatments. (a), Groups A-C; (b), Groups D-F. θ_w, soil volumetric water content; ρ_d, soil dry density; G_s, specific gravity; E_w, soil water potential.

Table 3 Parameter calculation of fractal characteristics for loess samples under different treatments

Fig. 7 Results of the disintegration tests on six groups (A, B, C, D, E, and F) of loess samples. (a), testing durations of 0-1000 s; (b), testing durations of 0-180 s.


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