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Splash erosion, the first step in water erosion process, occurs because of raindrops collusion with soil aggregates and pushing soil particulates into the air. The objective of this study was to test the usability of water sensitive paper (WSPs) in assessment of splash erosion. Soil losses from three texturally different soils by splash erosion were determined under artificial rainfall conditions as a function of splash distance and direction. The results indicated that the amount of soil removed by splash erosion was significantly affected by soil texture, splash direction and distance, and was the highest in clay soil and the lowest in sandy loamy soil. About half of the splashed soil material moved down slope, 34% in the lateral direction, and 17% moved upslope. A significant positive correlation between the WSPs-D10 diameter and the WSPs-surface coverage rate was obtained, which indicates that the higher the D10 diameter, the higher the surface coverage rate. The results obtained in this study reveal that the WSPs cards could successfully be used and its parameters (WSPs-D10 diameter and WSPs-surface coverage rate) might be considered as a new approach in assessing and evaluating splash erosion.

The paper present the results obtained during hard coal ash reclamation. This model was created by covering the ash surface with layers consisting of ash, organic by-products and mineral fertilizers. The aim of the studies, undertaken 15 years after the experiment set up, was the assessment of the efficacy of ash waste reclamation on the basis of the overall and solubility analyses of metal content, including heavy metals, soluble in 0.1 M HCl. In 2003, on the premises of Dolna Odra Power Station in Nowe Czarnowo (53,20°N; 14,48°E) near Gryfino (53,25°N; 14,48°E) in Poland, a hard coal ash reclamation experiment was conducted. A 40 cm thick surface layer (fertile), termed upperlay, composed of the mixture of various materials was applied to ash substrate. One part was fertilized with mineral fertilizers NPK-60-70-70, the other was left unfertilized. After 15 years, in the autumn of 2018, samples of upperlays (0-40 cm) and underlays (40-60 cm) were collected from plots overgrown with grass. 15 years after the experiment, none of the underlays or upperlays showed an excess of threshold values as specified in the current Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of 2016. The particularly favourable effect was identified with respect to the application of fermented municipal sewage sludge and GWDA compost which were factors resulting in a decrease of the upperlay content of cadmium, zinc, copper and lead in the form available for plants. The characteristics of upperlays with respect to metal content indicates conditions favourable to plant cultivation on the reclaimed area. The recorded results on the change of the overall and bioavailable content of metals in upperlays and underlays justify the continuation of the undertaken reclamation experiment.

The role of ornithogenic factor in the formation of soils and soil cover patterns in continental and maritime Antarctica is considered. The results of long-term soil studies at key sites in coastal oases of East Antarctica (Larsemann Hills, the Haswell Islands) and on the Subantarctic islands (King George Island, Livingston Island, the Argentine Islands) are summarized. The influence of the penguin rookeries on the morphology and physicochemical properties of soils is shown. These rookeries determine the vast spatial zones of biogeochemical influence on the environment around themselves. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of ornithochory, which is maintained by the flying seabirds (skuas, albatrosses, terns, petrels, etc.) and is manifested in redistribution of vegetation, soil material, and meso- and microbiota to the areas that were previously free of vegetation and soil cover (periglacial areas, fresh moraines, rocky outcrops, etc.).

Review of the monograph by A.D. Fokin and S.P. Torshin “Plants in the Life of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems. Nontraditional Approaches and Solutions on the Behavior of Biologically Significant Elements” published in 2020 by Lap Lambert Academic Publishing, ISBN 978-620-2-53005-7. In the monograph by A.D. Fokin and S.P. Torshin, the reader finds an original and not always traditional for soil scientists, consideration and discussion of a number of fundamental problems of the development of a soil profile and modern soil functioning and of the role of plants and microorganisms in these processes. The authors of the monograph make us think about the validity of some generally accepted concepts and hypothesis, especially those concerning transport flows of matter in soils and their modeling. Attention is drawn to the usually underestimated role of the uplifting – ascending fluxes of matter along the conductive systems of plants, and to the localization of living roots and organic residues in soils. The latter factor plays an important role in the development of intrahorizontal differentiation of the soil material and in the root nutrition of plants. The great advantage of the book is the availability of abundant experimental material obtained by unique methods developed by the authors, simple and effective, which have no analogues in the world literature. Application of these methods, allows, in particular, determining the lifetime of the aggregate in soddy-podzolic soils and establishing the trends in the root uptake of radionuclides from the surface and from the inner part of peds. In the end a general conclusion is formulated that in the course of modern soil functioning, the soil-profile redistribution of matter is performed mainly within the limits of the biological cycle of elements. Many of the problems and ideas discussed in the monograph go far beyond the soil science, therefore the book is of great interest for a wide range of specialists in environmental and plant sciences, in agricultural chemistry, forestry and in various branches of geosciences.

Rainfall is one of the most significant natural factors for inducing landslides. The shallow saturated zone formed in slopes during rainfall is an important factor in inducing shallow landslides. In this paper, the characteristics and influencing factors of the saturated zone in soil slopes, and the relationship between the soil surface permeability coefficient and the rainfall intensity are analyzed. In this research, the equation that characterizes the rainfall intensity by the soil saturation is built based on the Mualem-van Genuchten model, which mathematically describes the soil water characteristics of unsaturated soils. Using this model, the target saturation of the slope surface during rainfall can be determined accurately, with an average deviation of − 0.008. Based on the equations, the innovative critical curve model of the rainfall intensity−time required to form the shallow saturated zone is established and calculated. The influence of the soil material, slope angle, rainfall intensity and antecedent rainfall on the critical curve for the shallow saturated zone is analyzed. The results indicate that for slopes of 30°~40°, it is easy for the shallow saturated zone to form, and the previous rainfall after more than 16 days has little impact on the critical curve. Furthermore, an innovative landslide prediction model, based on the critical curve for the shallow saturated zone and I-D modeling, is proposed to provide benchmarks for the prediction-specific characteristics of deep or shallow landslides, which is verified by the case of the Madiwan landslide.

The liquid limits of different types of silts were determined under varying void ratio conditions by carrying out the cone penetrometer and the Casagrande tests. According to the results obtained from this study, the void ratio was determined to have a notable effect on the liquid limit values of soils. In terms of eliminating the void ratio effect based and operator dependent variations of results, the cone penetrometer test was assessed to be advantageous in comparison with the Casagrande test. The liquid limit values of soils were found to have various relations with the void ratio parameter depending on the soil material. Therefore, a general correlation between the liquid limit and void ratio parameters is not suggested for use. Instead, it is recommended to separately evaluate the liquid limit values for the changes in the void ratio values of different soils. Keywords: Atterberg limits; Liquid limit; Soil classification; Soil testing; Void ratio. DOI 10.35180/gse-2020-0039

The authors provide information on the need to develop a reference material (RM) of the southern middle loamy black soil certifiedfor fertility indicators. The information about the stages of RM development is described: selection and preparation of soil material in the field; procedure of averaging soil material. In the determination of the RM metrological characteristics, the heterogeneity and stability characteristics of the RM are evaluated. The authors demonstrated the results of the RM certification for agrochemical indicators. The correctness of these results is confirmed by the results obtained in twenty-three accredited laboratories. The developed RM is registered in the State Register of the Approved Types of Certified Reference Materials under the number GSO 11369-2019-the RMfor composition (of agrochemical indicators) of the southern middle loamy black soil (SACHyuzhP-02). The RM is intended for metrological support of agroecological monitoring of agroindustrial complex laboratories.

Some previous studies have shown a good correlation between the shear wave velocity, Vs, and the cyclic resistance ratio, CRR. Recently, however, a Vs-based liquefaction assessment method has become an alternative and supplementary method to the conventional NSPT-based method. It is known that the CRR is influenced not only by the specimen density, but also by the soil fabric. Unfortunately, there are concerns that different combinations of the effects of the specimen density and the soil fabric may generate different relations between Vs and the CRR even if the tested specimens are of the same soil material. In the current study, a series of Vs measurements and undrained cyclic triaxial tests is performed on Toyoura sand specimens with different soil fabrics for three different specimen densities. The fabric of the specimens is varied by applying initial cyclic loading. The results of the Vs measurements indicate that the Vs of the specimen is affected by the initial cyclic loading histories, and the results of the undrained cyclic triaxial tests show that there is a good correlation between Vs and the CRR. However, the correlation varies depending on the specimen density even when the tested material is Toyoura sand only. In other words, the soil-type specific correlation between Vs and the CRR depends on the specimen density. Therefore, the results indicate that both Vs and the specimen density are necessary parameters for an accurate assessment of the CRR.

The work presents the results of research on erosion and landform changes of a bottom of a dry erosive-accumulation valley in Elizówka in 1958, 1970 and 2016. The changes have been examined with the use of geodetic topographic surveys techniques. The research field was a 480-metres long part of the valley bottom. The topographic surveys in 1958 and 1970 were conducted with longitudinal (parallel to the bottom of the valley) and cross (every 20 metres) sections method. In 2016 the modern measuring devices were used. All the results, together with coordinates of points and historical data were converted into GIS spatial layer. The altitude values formed the input data for interpolation of rasters showing changes of the topography in three periods. Three TIN models were also developed to distinguish erosion and accumulation zones plus the quantity of eroded and accumulated material. The valley on the majority of its length has been raised and has changed from V-shaped into U-shaped. Accumulation of the soil material led to levelling the bottom. Accumulation concentrates along a flow line, while soil washout mainly at the bottom of slopes. The thickest sediment layers were observed in the lowest part. For the whole 1958-2016 period a total of 3470 m3 soil material has been deposited on the area of about 1.62 ha, while in the same time only 130 m3 has been eroded (from 0.22 ha).

Science learning modules on soil material and life sustainability have never been made especially in SMP Negeri 2 Manokwari. This research is a research and development (Research & Development) that aims to find out how to make integrated science modules, the feasibility of integrated science modules, and increase learning outcomes in soil material and the sustainability of life. The research sample was carried out in class IX E SMP Negeri 2 Manokwari with a total of 38 students. The results of the study show that: 1) The method of developing an integrated science module based on guided inquiry on soil material and life sustainability starts with the stages of definition, module planning, module draft design, and development. from the validator of 88% in the very feasible category, science teachers by 90% in the very feasible category, and the results of small-scale trials by 89%. 3) Increasing student learning outcomes with an average pretest score of 35.72 to 71.11 in the posttest and n-gain tests an average of 0.55 in the medium category.

Rock freezing affects the soil complexes under maximal temperature gradients and forms a set of specific cryotrasological features in the solid soil matrix. When preserved these features serve as direct or indirect indicators of the past cryogenic conditions. Transformation of soil material on macro- and microscale belongs to the direct indicators whereas gleying in the well-drained positions, conditioned by the permafrost waterlogging is an indirect indicator. A variety of these features observed in the paleosols to the north of the European and West Siberian Loess belt was used by the authors to reconstruct the cryogenic environments of the late Pleistocene.

This paper presents the rationalization of jigilin soil as pavement layer material in Northern Nigeria, where quality laterite and stone aggregates are either in short supply or unavailable. The regions are covered mostly by sandy soils, extending over the semi-arid zones of West Africa. Haulage of quality materials over long distances increases construction cost, causing delay in materials delivery and leading to greenhouse gas emissions. The potentials of a naturally occurring soil material, locally known as Jigilin, and commonly found in the region, were evaluated for suitability as pavement layers construction. The performance characteristics of the jigilin material under traffic loading was carried out, while the cost of constructing pavement layers with jigilin and lateritic soils were estimated. Results show that jigilin soil satisfies the density criterion and specifications for pavement subbase and base courses. In addition, the cost of producing a kilometer long and 7.3 m width of pavement using jigilin and lateritic materials were N56,910,000.00 and N63,042,000.00, respectively, resulting in cost saving of 9.727% when jigilin is used as the material for the pavement layers. Jigilin soil is, hence technically and financially feasible, and therefore, recommended for use as pavement layer material in Northern Nigeria. Keywords: Pavement material, Jigilin soil, Pavement layers, Traffic loading, Cost analysis

Results of a detailed analysis of pedosediments—sediments composed of transported material of soil humus horizons—are discussed. Five main morphological features of pedosediments attesting to the origin of the transported soil material are identified; their allocation to certain types of pedosediments is shown. A map of pedosediments for a small catchment in Tula oblast has been developed on the basis of their morphological analysis. Three types of pedosediments are specified by their morphological features and location: (1) leveling, filling depressions; (2) covering, extending on the slopes of the ravine; and (3) protruding above the surface of the slope represented by “napash”—agrogenic earthwork at the edges of fields. The covering pedosediments formed on the slopes are shown to be predominant both by area (60%) and by the volume of accumulated material (45%). The leveling pedosediments at the bottom of the ravine occupy 25% of the area and retain about 35% of all sediments of the small catchment. Only 2% of the total material of pedosediments in the catchment belongs to protruding pedosediments. The formation and localization of these pedosediments are controlled by the formation of napashes. In general, the material of pedosediments redistributed within the small catchment constituted about 12% of the total mass of humus horizons of the soils-donors. Pedosediments play a significant role in the soil cover and occupy about 10% of the total catchment area.

The purpose. To analyze modern requirements to soil material for creation of standard samples of soil with the known content of microelements-metals, to establish features of procedure of manufacturing samples and to offer possible ways of their realization. Methods. Theoretical and comparative-analytical methods are used for substantiation of methodical approaches to preparation and certification of material of standard samples of soil structure, laboratory — for working out procedure of preparation of soil material for creation of standard samples of soil as to content of microelements-metals, methods of mathematical statistics — for processing experimental data. Results. Methodical approaches are analyzed to metrologically correct procedure of manufacturing soil material with the known content of microelements-metals (spiked samples). Owing to impossibility to provide the accepted accuracy and reliability of results of measurements of the content of mobile connections of microelements in soils with their background content, necessity of application of the method of additives with obligatory maintenance of commutability of material is proved. Conclusions. By development and realization of procedure of manufacturing standard samples certified on mass fraction of microelements, it is necessary to consider extremely high heterogeneity of soil material, usually low mass fraction of microelements-metals and other features which can complicate establishment of certified values of their mass fractions. Metrologically correct procedure of preparation of soil material should consider and minimize reasons of occurrence of errors of results of measurements so that standard samples to the greatest degree meet special-purpose designation.

Batch cleaning processes, using washing racks, were studied in two distinct phases; the distribution of flow within the rack to the formation of jets at the nozzles and the interaction of the jetted fluid with the surface. A pipe network approach was used to model the flow in the rack and the interaction of the fluid with the surface was studied using a specifically designed test rig. A stationary coherent jet was set up to impinge horizontally on to a vertical wall. White soft paraffin (WSP) was used as the soil material, an excipient commonly used in pharmaceutical processing. Three variables (flow rate, WSP thickness and water temperature) were controlled and chosen to match the conditions on an exemplar wash rack. Water with no added surfactant was used for all experiments. Flow rates were in the range 1–4 l min−1 which corresponded to Re = 5960–23840 for the 4 mm diameter jet used. The limits of WSP thickness and water temperature were set between 0.19 to 1.9 mm and 20 to 60 °C, respectively. Clean areas produced by each jet were measured using image processing and using this data the cleaning performance of each system was compared against each other. An energy framework was adopted to allow cleaning to be assessed in terms of efficiency which provides a framework for optimisation of the process.

Thermal changes affect the engineering behavior of surrounding soils at energy geostructures. For that reason, there is a need for durable soils which are not affected from high temperatures or thermal cycles. Such kind of soil mixtures can be developed by adding temperature resistant materials such as perlite to the sand-bentonite mixtures. In this study, 10% and 20% perlite additives were added to 10% and 20% sand-bentonite mixtures, in order to develop the durable soil mixture under high temperatures. Direct shear and hydraulic conductivity tests were performed under room temperature and high temperature. The results of the experiments showed that the perlite additive reduced the unit weight of the sand-bentonite mixtures and had a positive effect on the shear strength of 20B-80S mixtures both under room and high temperature. The perlite addition increased the angle of internal friction of sand-bentonite mixtures under room and high temperature especially for 20B-80S mixtures. The hydraulic conductivity (k) values of both mixtures increased with increasing temperature. As a results of thermal cycles, it was seen that the samples cannot turn back to their initial k values.

This paper provides a record and analysis of a site in east-midland England, at which organic and soil material are found between two Middle Pleistocene tills. This is the first discovery of its kind in the area, and demonstrates unequivocally that the region was glaciated on two separate occasions, something that has long been inferred and articulated, but not actually demonstrated. The landforms, sediments and soils are studied with respect to their geomorphological, lithological, pedological, palaeobotanical and structural properties. The organic and soil material along with soil structures indicate, sequentially, a periglacial climate, a long period of warm temperate weathering and a cool temperate climate. Evaluation of this evidence in terms of existing published work identifies a number of problems with existing models and suggests that the most likely model for the glacial history of this part of midland England is an early Middle Pleistocene glaciation which is represented only by trace erratics, a Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 age glaciation which moved across the area from the NW and deposited a chalk-free till, and an MIS 8 age glaciation that transported and deposited an upper chalky till from the NE.

The discrete element modeling of rock and soil mass usually relies on tedious parameter adjustment and mechanical property testing operations to obtain appropriate mechanical parameters of the element. In this paper, based on the linear elastic contact theory, a discrete element model of rock samples was established based on discrete element software MatDEM with high-performance numerical analysis, and the actual mechanical properties of the model samples were predicted using a machine learning method, XGBoost algorithm. A certain amount of sample data sets was generated, and through numerical experiments, training, validation and test operation of the rock mechanical properties (compressive strength, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and tensile strength), the numerical model quantitative relationship between the actual and input mechanical properties was explored, showing the following results: (1) Based on the characteristics of the model 12000 rock samples and correlation analysis, the tag data shows that the input mechanical properties are positively correlated with the actual mechanical properties;(2) With the increase of the number of samples in the sample training data set, the training average error becomes smaller and smaller, and the error distribution becomes more and more stable.(3) The training results converge to the set threshold, and the prediction errors of mechanical parameters are all less than 4%, and the error distribution is stable, which proves that the machine learning method can quickly and accurately establish the rock model with specific mechanical properties., IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 861 (3), ISSN:1755-1315, ISSN:1755-1307

The advancement of technology opens up new opportunities to soil micromorphology. Although a description using an optical microscope of the fabric and the various constituents of soils will be always necessary to investigate soil evolution, the uncovered thin section leaves soil material on which analyses can be performed. Since the 1970s, it was possible to observe thin sections at high resolution with the scanning electron microscope in its backscattered electron mode (see “10.1007/978-3-030-67806-7_1#Sec7”). It was also possible to generate chemical images with electron microprobes. But these conventional techniques, as well as new ones, greatly improve the study of matter interactions in soils, not only by enhancing the spatial resolution with incredible precision but also by providing chemical and mineralogical images, which substantially increased the accuracy of micromorphological diagnostics. By coupling morphological and chemical approaches, including stable isotope imaging in soil material, the future of soil micromorphology will undoubtedly offer new opportunities to solve specific problems, especially in the field of organomineral interactions in soils. It is wise to say that soil micromorphology, with its analytical and holistic approaches, will make it possible to build the necessary solid foundations needed for investigations that are increasingly oriented towards nanoscale objects: it will remind us that the trees should not hide the forest.

Dong, C.H.; Zhang, M.; Yang, H.M., and Xu, X.B., 2020. Evaluation of slope safety using the pignistic probability-based analysis method. In: Guido Aldana, P.A. and Kantamaneni, K. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Coastal Management, and Marine Science Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 104, pp. 302–307. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.On the basis of the slope stability analysis using the pignistic probability-based analysis method, considering the characteristics of dynamic change of parameters under the actual working conditions, an indoor model was built. The pignistic probability-based analysis method was suitable for the uncertainty working conditions caused by the fact that soil material parameters changed with water level and other conditions in the reservoir bank slope stability analysis, and the analysis results were consistent with the monitoring results. This study can provide a reference for other laboratory model tests of slope and a new solution for large slope stability analysis.

The method used to sample the runoff collected from soil erosion plots can be a significant source of error. In this study, we performed a laboratory experiment to evaluate the efficiency of the runoff sampling method most commonly used in Brazil. It is based on the manual homogenization and sampling of the collected runoff. Using soil material with 583 g kg–1 of sand and 89 g kg–1 of clay, the manual sampling method was tested for its ability to produce representative samples of artificial suspensions with a concentration of 2, 10 and 50 g L–1 of total solids. An underestimation of 30 % or more of the concentration of total solids was observed, with a variation of the same magnitude (CV between 20 and 45 %). We then developed a prototype sample splitter to replace the manual sampling method and tested it using the same artificial suspensions. The splitter was efficient in producing samples representative of the artificial suspensions, even without altering the particle size distribution of the total solids. Both absolute percentage errors (|< 5 %|) and the variation between five replicates (CV < 3 %) were small. The problems with the manual method are due to the inefficient homogenization that facilitates the differential sedimentation of particles of different sizes. If these problems are also found in other areas, then the prototype that we developed is a reasonable alternative.

Ferrol, N.; Lanfranco, L. (Eds.) 2020 Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi. Methods and Protocols. Vol 2146. pp. 257. ISBN 978 1 0716-0602-5, Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) approaches enable the detection and identification of microbial taxa into samples coming from root or soil material DNA extraction. The low taxonomic diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi makes this technique a cheap and adequate method for fingerprinting their communities. Here, I describe the TRFLP database approach, a version of the technique in which the AM fungal taxa present in the sample pool is identified for, later, match their presence in the different samples contained in the experiment. A final AM fungal operational taxonomic unit x sample presence–absence matrix is obtained, which allows the subsequent multivariate statistical analysis of the experimental results., The author was supported by Spanish government under the Plan Nacional de I+D+I (project CGL2015-69118-C2-2-PCOEXMED-II) and University of Jae´n (Spain) under the Plan 6-UJA postdoctoral fellowship.

First phase closure of the flotation tailings storage facility 'Pekina Glavica' at the mine 'Suplja stijena', Sula - Montenegro has been shown in this paper. The mine has opted for the multiphase development of the flotation tailings storage facility, so by activating the third phase, the conditions for first phase tailings storage facility closure has been met. Dry closure method has been selected by applying multilayers of materials with different characteristics, which is in accordance with the recommendations of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). Earth materials extracted from the floor of the third tailings storage facility, overburden from the open pit mine and coarse tailings from the preconcentration process were mainly used. Five layers of a total thickness of 1,6 m were planned, but total thickness exceeded 4 m, because of the excess soil material from the floor. This closure method met the requirements of urban planners and environmentalists, and local residents were satisfied with closure and biotechnical rehabilitation. The closure has become financially sustainable for the company because of the rational use of available resources.

Objective: Aim of the present study is to investigate the levels of endotoxins on product samples from potatoes, onions, and seeds, representing a relevant part of the agro-food industry in the Netherlands, to gather valuable insights in possibilities for exposure control measures early in the process of industrial processing of these products. Methods: Endotoxin levels on 330 products samples from companies representing the potato, onion, and seed (processing) industry (four potato-packaging companies, five potato-processing companies, five onion-packaging companies, and four seed-processing companies) were assessed using the Limulus Amboecyte Lysate (LAL) assay. As variation in growth conditions (type of soil, growth type) and product characteristics (surface roughness, dustiness, size, species) are assumed to influence the level of endotoxin on products, different types, and growth conditions were considered when collecting the samples. Additionally, waste material, rotten products, felt material (used for drying), and process water were collected. Results: A large variation in the endotoxin levels was found on samples of potatoes, onions, and seeds (overall geometric standard deviation 17), in the range between 0.7 EU g-1 to 16 400 000 EU g-1. The highest geometric mean endotoxin levels were found in plant material (319 600 EU g-1), followed by soil material (49 100 EU g-1) and the outer side of products (9300 EU g-1), indicating that removal of plant and soil material early in the process would be an effective exposure control strategy. The high levels of endotoxins found in the limited number of samples from rotten onions indicate that these rotten onions should also be removed early in the process. Mean endotoxin levels found in waste material (only available for seed processing) is similar to the level found in soil material, although the range is much larger. On uncleaned seeds, higher endotoxin levels were found than on cleaned seeds, indicating that cleaning processes are important control measures and also that the waste material should be handled with care. Conclusions: Although endotoxin levels in batches of to-be-processed potatoes, onions, and seeds vary quite dramatically, it could be concluded that rotten products, plant material, and waste material contain particularly high endotoxin levels. This information was used to propose control measures to reduce exposure to endotoxins of workers during the production process.

Socioeconomic transformation together with climate change in recent decades significantly affected the geography of agricultural erosion in European Russia. Calculations of erosion rate and soil loss from slopes using logical-mathematical erosion models within different landscape zones and administrative regions revealed spatial-temporal regularities in the dynamics of these parameters and made it possible to assess the role of changes in the main natural and anthropogenic factors of erosion. A universal significant reduction in the mass of soil material washed from tilled slopes is revealed on the background of multidirectional changes in erosion rate.

Background Three groups of factors related to topography, geology and hydrology have influence on the triggering of shallow landslides in soil material. In this paper a single representative factor (T-factor) for the topography is proposed, which can be used to define threshold values for the possibility of shallow soil slides. This study was carried out in the Dayi area, Guizhou Province, China. During a heavy rainfall event on June 6, 2011, 230 shallow soilslides were triggered. In some slopes, no shallow landslides were triggered even though some of the topographical factors point to unstable high probability. Results We isolated and analyzed the influence of the topography on the triggering of shallow landslides in catchments with almost identical hydrological and geological conditions and propose a new T-factor as a topographical indicator which is a combination of the slope angle, the upslope contributing area, the cross-section, and the free-face of a (potential) shallow landslide. Higher T-factor values are related to higher probabilities of shallow landsliding. The probability assessment with the topographical factor T was successfully validated in other areas of the USA and Japan. Conclusions Without information on the geological and rainfall conditions, a quick and primary prediction of shallow landsliding using the topographical factor T is proposed. Additionally a new R-factor is proposed as a rainfall indicator, which is a combination of the 1 hour rainfall and cumulative rainfall before the landslide event and the annual rainfall. Higher R-factor values are generally related to higher probabilities of shallow landsliding. The primary probability factor P, which is the combination of T and R, gives a final indication of the probability of shallow landsliding.

Introduction: Due to the fact that the model experiment can simulate the flow process and movement law of fluid during the seepage experiment, seepage model experiment was widely applied to study the hydraulic characteristics of rock-soil mass and transportation of ground water and pollutants. While due to the opacity of the model medium in traditional seepage experiment, the flow process, diffusion law and occurrence state of fluid can not be observed intuitively during the experiment. Method: A new technique of seepage model experiment based on transparent rock-soil material (TRSM) was introduced in this paper, combined with optical observation method, digital imaging process technology and tracer technique, so as to realize the visual observation of seepage process. Results: The advantages and disadvantages compared with the traditional experiment were analyzed and the theoretical foundation for carrying out the seepage experiment based on TRSM was established.

We built a mathematical model of the filtration consolidation of the body of an earth dam with engineering inclusions and erosion zone in a two-dimensional setting. It considers the presence of a damaged conduit in the body of a dam. We also took into account the impact of anthropogenic factors: temperature and the concentration of salts, subsidence of the upper boundary and the displacement of internal points in the region of dam over time. The existence of erosion zone (as a result of damage to the conduit) is considered. Taking into account the erosion zone exerts a significant effect on the overall picture of filtration processes occurring in the body of a dam. Erosion zone has the largest impact on the distribution of excess heads and their gradients. We developed a software application to automate the calculation of numerical solution of a boundary problem using the method of radial basis functions that make it possible to conduct numerical experiments by changing the input parameters and the form, as well as represent results of these experiments in the form of charts and numerical data according to each temporal layer. The software application was developed in the integrated programming environment Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 in the language C#. The impact of the existence of a conduit, erosion zone, temperature and the concentration of salts in the body of a dam was explored at different temporal layers. The distribution of all the desired functions and their impact can be displayed graphically. A series of numerical experiments were performed and their analysis conducted. It is shown as a result that the existence of damage in a conduit in the body of a dam leads to the formation of erosion zone. This, in turn, leads to the gradual filtration destruction of soil material of the dam and its possible complete destruction. The results obtained might help to prevent and to evaluate the consequences of possible accidents without conducting field experiments, and, consequently, to save resources and time.

This study aims to investigate the possibility of using biopolymer (environmental friendly material) to enhance the mechanical behaviors of collapsible soil. Two types of biopolymers were (xanthan gum and guar gum) used in this study due to their stable behaviors under severe conditions and their availability with reasonable prices. The experimental program focused on three major soil properties, i.e. compaction characterizations, collapsible potential and shear parameters. These three properties are essential in process of soil improvement. Different biopolymer concentrations were used in this study and the experimental program was performed at two curing periods (soon after mixing the soil with the biopolymer and after one week curing time). Shear parameters were measured for the treated specimens under both soaked and unsoaked conditions, while a collapsible potential test was performed under different mixing conditions (wet mix and dry mix). A numerical model was built to predict the behavior of the treated collapsible soil after and before water immersing. The results indicated that the ability of both xanthan gum and guar gum can be used as improvement materials for collapsible soil treatment. The collapsible potential has been reduced from 9% to 1% after mixing the soil with 2% biopolymer concentration in the wet case. After one week curing, the cohesion has been increased from 8.5 kPa to 105 kPa by increasing the xanthan gum concentration from zero to 2%, leading to an overall improvement in soil shear strength. It also proves that the guar gum is superior to the xanthan gum. The shear strength of soil can be increased by about 30% when using the guar gum in comparison with the xanthan gum at the same conditions; however, the collapsible potential of soil material will be reduced by about 20%.

The article describes various methods of assessment of load-bearing capacity (reliability) of a pile as a main element of pile foundation. It is shown that deterministic, probabilistic and possibilistic methods have a number of advantages and limitations. An actual task is to develop new approaches to assessment of foundations load-bearing capacity. The combined method providing the optimal assessment according to the given examples is developed in the article. Some features of the proposed methods are in the probability and possibility theories application to account uncertainty or incompleteness of initial data in quantifying the reliability of a pile. Presented in the article methods for a quantitative assessment of single piles reliability can be used for more complex computational models, including multielement pile foundations and more complex models of soil foundations. These methods have not been applied to piles reliability research so far and the article pre-sented is a pioneering one and has no analogues known to the authors.

One of the current issues of temperature warning that is greatly discussed is Urban Heat Island (UHI). It is a phenomenon that can affect people’s level of comfort in doing outdoor activities with respect to the rising air temperature. There are many factors that affect the occurrence of UHI. One of them is the increasing use of hard landscape materials. This research was conducted to find out how big the influence of the use of hard material of the landscape on the decrease of outdoor environment temperature. The sample selection was taken on the research site, namely Malioboro Street, Yogyakarta, through the simulation of temperature evaluation using the Envi-Met software. The landscape materials studied include brick road (red stone) / red brick, sandy soil, asphalt road, dark concrete pavement, concrete pavement gray, and dark granite pavement. Then, each object of the study was tested and compared to determine the most optimal landscape component in the thermal environment degradation. From the results of the simulation test conducted through Envi-Met software, the change of thermal condition in each material can be identified. The difference in the changes that occurred between the materials tested was not quite significant. The hard landscape material that absorbs heat the least, and thus causing the largest thermal temperatures is the brick material, while the environment with the lowest thermal conditions use sandy soil material. Keywords: Landscape elements, Thermal environment, Temperature

In this work we use chemical fingerprints as characteristics ratios of specific crustal elements Ca/Al, Fe/Al, K/Al, Mg/Al, Mn/Al, Ca/Fe, and Mg/Fe to investigate the long-range transport of volcanic aerosols from Iceland. Volcanic dust enters the atmosphere during suspension processes from Icelandic deserts, but mainly from the dust hot spots in remote areas in Iceland, and it is transmitted to the central Balkan area (Belgrade). For this purpose, backward trajectories from Belgrade (φ = 44°48′; λ = 20°28′) in 2012 and 2013, simultaneous with atmospheric aerosols measurements, were calculated by using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. We found that about 17% of air masses passed over Icelandic territory and arrived to Balkan area. In almost all of these episodes ratios of some investigated elements in suburban aerosols of Balkan area corresponded to the ratios of elements investigated in surface soil of the Rangárvellir area – South Iceland in the vicinity of volcanoes. We identified several episodes, such as August 6–8, 2012; June 2–6, 2013; June 26–28, 2013; and September 18–20, 2013; with the characteristic ratios of the highest number of investigated elements in atmospheric aerosol of central Balkan corresponding to ratios from Icelandic soil material. This study provides evidence that Icelandic dust can travel long distances showing the importance of High Latitude Dust sources., This study was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia (Projects: ON172001, ON176013, and III43007). The preparation of this manuscript was in part funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannis) Grant No. 152248-051 and COST STSM Reference Number: COST-STSM-ES1306-34336 (Grant holder DĐ).

This study investigated the effect of geogrid reinforcement on the mechanical property of an unsuitable road soil with respect to appropriate placement in the pavement structure and implication on the cost of the development of the road. Sample was collected from the stockpile of an unsuitable soil material at a bridge site and subjected to identification, geotechnical strength (CBR) and chemical stabilization tests. CBR strength evaluation test was further performed on the soil sample when reinforced with the use of a geosynthetic, triaxial geogrid (Tx 160). A flexible pavement structure was designed for low, medium and heavy traffic level using three design methods with the improved soil subgrade. The corresponding relative cost advantages were also determined using the pavement thickness reduction factor. The results established the geogrid reinforcement is a better alternative to chemical stabilization of an unsuitable AASHTO A-4 soil. The design results denoted a significant pavement thickness reduction factor as a result of geogrid reinforcement within 13% - 67% savings in pavement thickness for all the pavement design methods employed. The use of geogrids should, therefore, be encouraged as an economic form of improving subgrade soils for pavement works. Keywords : geogrid, flexible pavement, chemical stabilization

It has been recognized that pore water pressure (PWP) changes in response to precipitation play a critical role in rainfall-triggered landslides. Tank models as a kind of undetermined model are widely applied for estimating groundwater levels in slopes. Most of these applications treat the tank models as a theoretical model. Therefore, in this study, physical tank experiments are reported, indicating an evaluation of three typical conceptual tank models (i.e., simple tank model, surface runoff tank model, and lateral water flow supply tank model). To reduce the slope structure controlling affection, the study takes homogenous soil material as the simulation of the slope mass. The experimental results demonstrated how the groundwater tables producing pore water pressure were affected by infiltration time lags, surface runoff, and lateral flow.

Meadow-chernozemic soils (Turbic Chernozems Molliglossic) in the western Trans-Baikal Region are dissected by large cryogenic cracks penetrating to the depth of 100–120 cm and filled with humified material. The depth of humus pockets is 50–80 cm, and their width in the upper part is 50–90 cm. The lower boundary of most of the humus pockets lies at the depth of 60–70 cm. The development of cryogenic cracks proceeded due to their penetration into the frozen ground, which is evidenced by their sharply narrowing lower part. The fraction of physical clay (

Different hypotheses about the genesis of gilgai microtopography and corresponding soil complexes with clayey swelling soils are considered in this review. Their diversity is stipulated by specificities of the objects themselves and by the history of studies of the composition, properties, regimes, and landscape conditions of the areas with Vertisols in different countries. Most of the hypotheses about the genesis of Vertisols with the gilgai microtopography suggest that strong swelling–shrinking processes take place in these soils in the course of moistening–drying cycles; the origin of shear stress in the soils, its spatial patterns, and the particular ways of translocation of the soil material are discussed. At the early stage of Vertisol studies, a hypothesis about the leading role of the process of “self-swallowing” of the soils as a result of filling of open cracks with the material from the upper soil horizons was popular. However, numerous facts suggest that the intensity of this process is relatively low, so that it cannot play the major role in the gilgai formation and cyclic changes in the thickness and properties of the soil horizons in Vertisols. Another important mechanism is the uneven moistening and drying of the whole soil volume resulting in the irregular distribution of inner tensions in the soil with the development of shear stress and plastic deformation of the soil mass. The hypotheses suggested in the recent decades are based on the models of soil mechanics. A number of hypotheses consider possible alternation and duration of evolutionary stages of the development of Vertisols with the gilgai microtopography.

In this paper, the phytoremediation potential of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cv Tamjanika in regard to lithium (Li) was investigated using chemical and statistical analysis, as well as the calculation of bioaccumulation and enrichment factors. Plant and soil material was collected from the Bor region. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that plants of the grapevine cv Tamjanika acted as exluders of Li which may candidate this plant species as a suitable choice for phytostabilization purposes. Its application in phytoextraction could not be estimated due to the fact that detected Li concentrations in the aboveground parts could not be considered as a real bioaccumulation. However, based on Li contents in unwashed aboveground parts (especially in leaves) it was possible to detect that particular part of Li load which came from the atmosphere, i.e. from the industrial facilities of the Copper Mining and Smelting Complex Bor which may point to their biomonitoring potential.

The main problems of sweet corn cultivation in Ultisol medium are sour reactions, Al saturation and height P fixation, as well as low availability macro, micro nutrients especially Mo and Si. The provision of empty oil palm biochar is able to increase the growth and yield of sweet corn crops because the Biochar TKKS contains macro and micro nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca and Mg and also as a useful soil material to improve physical, chemical and biological properties of soil to increase pH, C-Organic, Ca, K, Mn, P, and mycorrhiza application be able to increase the availability of P so the fixation of P can be suppressed. The purpose of this research to learn the main influences of the Biochar TKKS, the main influence of mycorrhiza and the interaction of the growth and yield of sweet corn in the Ultisol medium. The experiment was conducted in the Experimental farm of the Agriculture Faculty, the University of Riau from May to August 2019. Research of experiments in the form of 4×3 factorial using Complete Random Design. The Biochar TKKS consists of four levels (0, 25, 3.75, 50 g polibag -1 ) as the first factor, mycorrhiza consists of three levels (0, 10, 15 g plant -1 ) as the second, each repeated three times. The results of the study show that giving of the biochar TKKS dose 3.75 g polibag -1 and mycorrhiza dose 15 g plant -1 in the Ultisol medium increased on plant height, straw weight, cob length and number of rows of each cob compared to no treatment.

Marine kaolin can be found easily at the coastal regions in Malaysia. During infrastructure works, huge quantities were excavated and is treated as unsuitable soil material (USM). This study offers a value-added solution to convert marine kaolin into supplementary cementitious material (SCM) through thermal activation. 10% replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement is incorporated together with Effective Microorganism (EM) into the mortar mix. The usage of EM between 5% and 25% with interval of 5% were manipulated to enhance the properties of the mortar mix. The intention of incorporating both marine kaolin and EM as mortar mix was to observe the significant effects on heat transfer. As a result, the surface temperature of the mortar mix was reduced up to 8% and the thermal conductivity shows appropriate insulating materials.

Mining of sulfidic ore generates acidic waste which often leads to the generation of acid rock drainage (ARD) having an adverse impact on aquatic flora and fauna. Engineered multilayer cover is one of the commonly used methods to prevent oxygen from being transported to mine waste. The sealing layer has a key function in the cover, thanks to its high water retention capacity and a low hydraulic conductivity, which enable the layer to remain near water saturation, effectively hindering oxygen diffusion. When adequate material is not available improvement of local soil material with a sealing agent is principally the only option to produce sealing layer material. Apart from bentonite clay, Green Liquor Dregs (GLD), a waste from the pulp and paper industry, have the ability to reduce the oxygen diffusion when mixed to granular soil, improving the water retention capacity of the blend. Experience from the development of Till/GLD-blends for the construction of sealing layers is compiled to address issue related to soil amelioration using waste with focus on material variation and quality control. The presentation focuses on the opportunities and challenges for the establishment of a circular system based on reutilization of a waste, herein GLD for improvement of soil’s geotechnical property.

The role of soil could be decisive for the neutralization of the acid solution and immobilization of the metallic contaminants produced by mining industry. We studied micromorphological indicators of the interaction between the acid solution and soil material in the profile of Fluvisol at the Bacanuchi river (Sonora River Basin, Mexico) terrace affected by the catastrophic mine spill and in analyzing sample from a soil column treated with an acid liquid imitating the spill. Original unaffected soil is sandy with poorly developed pedogenetic features, however, frequent primary and secondary micritic and sparitic carbonates define high pH values. In the soil influenced by acid solutions under natural and laboratory conditions, carbonates were absent whereas neoformed gypsum crystals with radial intergrowth were observed together with accumulation of fine material enriched in ferruginous pigment. Micromorphometric quantification of the iron-rich fine material has shown its increase after interaction with the acid solution. We conclude that the interaction consisted of the neutralization reaction between the more reactive phases of the soil and the acid solution during which carbonates were consumed and gypsum was neoformed. Fine iron oxides precipitated after neutralization of acidity, the pH increased and the color changed. It is highly probable that other metallic contaminants co-precipitated with the ferruginous components.

Many mathematical models developed to predict the stress-strain curve of soil. Most of them are complicated because of the complexity nature of soil material. Moreover, soil behavior is apparently unpredictable due to the fact that every type of soil has its own inherent properties that cannot be represented by a single model. Hence, the objectives of this paper is to review the mathematical models available in the literature and to assess the applicability, limitation and the basic requirement in order to apply the models. Also, this paper will look on the basic principles of the models and the basic characteristic that should have on the models for the best prediction capability. This paper will review the basic models such as th elastic models (Hooke's law and hyperbolic models), simple elastic plastic models (Drucker-Prager, Mohr Coulomb, DiMaggio-Sandler, PLAXIS Soft Soil and Lade and Duncan), Critical State Soil Models (Modified Cam Clay, elasto-viscoplastic, Structured Cam Clay, Anisotropic Cam Clay) and Bounding surface models (Dafalias and MIT-E3). Some weaknesses will also be highlighted to shed some light for further improvements.Many mathematical models developed to predict the stress-strain curve of soil. Most of them are complicated because of the complexity nature of soil material. Moreover, soil behavior is apparently unpredictable due to the fact that every type of soil has its own inherent properties that cannot be represented by a single model. Hence, the objectives of this paper is to review the mathematical models available in the literature and to assess the applicability, limitation and the basic requirement in order to apply the models. Also, this paper will look on the basic principles of the models and the basic characteristic that should have on the models for the best prediction capability. This paper will review the basic models such as th elastic models (Hooke's law and hyperbolic models), simple elastic plastic models (Drucker-Prager, Mohr Coulomb, DiMaggio-Sandler, PLAXIS Soft Soil and Lade and Duncan), Critical State Soil Models (Modified Cam Clay, elasto-viscoplastic, Structured Cam Clay, Anisotropic Cam Cla...