Dynamics of Biochar-Silty Clay Interaction Using In-House Fabricated Cyclic Loading Apparatus: A Case Study of Coastal Clay and Novel Peach Biochar from the Qingdao Region of China

Abstract

Biochar has been recently investigated as an eco-friendly material in bio-engineered slopes/landfill covers. A majority of recent studies have focused on analyzing water retention behavior while very few have examined dynamic behavior (i.e., cyclic loading due to earthquake, wind, or wave) of biochar amended soil. As far as the authors are aware, there is no study on the dynamic behavior of biochar amended soils. Considering the above mentioned study as a major objective, field excavated soil was collected and mixed with in-house produced biochar from peach endocarps, at three amendment rates (5%, 10%, and 15%). The un-amended bare soil and biochar amended soil were imposed to a cyclic load in a self-designed apparatus and the corresponding stress-strain parameters were measured. Dynamic parameters such as shear modulus and damping ratio were computed and the results were compared between bare and biochar amended soil. Furthermore, the residual cyclic strength of each soil types were correlated with an estimated void ratio to understand the interrelation between dynamic loading responses and biochar amended soils. The major outcomes of this study show that the addition of biochar decreases the void ratio, thereby increasing the shear modulus and residual cyclic strength. However, the modulus and strength values attenuates after 15 cycles due to an increase in pore water pressure. In contrary, at higher amendment rates, Biochar Amended Soils (BAS) forms clay-carbon complex and decreases both shear modulus and residual cyclic strength.

Influence of biochar from animal and plant origin on the compressive strength characteristics of degraded landfill surface soils

“…The reduced tensile strength of SBC was attributed to the weakening of inter-particle bonding that diminished the density and overall cohesiveness of SBC (Busscher et al., 2011; Chan et al., 2007; Zong et al., 2016). Liu et al. (2020) reported that shear modulus and residual cyclic strength values of SBC with 5%, 10% and 15% BC by weight diminished after 15 cycles during cyclic loading owing to high pore-water pressure development.…”

Exploring the combination of biochar‐amended soil and automated irrigation technology for water regulation and preservation in green infrastructure

“…Slow pyrolysis was adopted, where the wastes were incinerated in the absence of oxygen at a temperature of 400°C for 3 h. Crystals of biochar were then crushed into powder. Liu et al (2020) found that the addition of this biochar resulted in a decrease in the void ratio, facilitating an interlocking mechanism between the biochar and soil and thus enhancing the dynamic strength.…”

Investigation on desiccation crack initiation and development of Tianjin Binhai dredger filling soils with fiber- reinforced

“…Using additives such as biochar (Yu et al 2013;Liu et al 2020), microorganism (Preston et al 2001, DeCarlo andCaylor 2019), and fibre (Xu et al 2021) is one of the possible method to increase the strength of soils and resistance to cracking. When fibre added evenly in the soil mass, the tensile strength of fibre can be attached to it when soil is under stressed, thus, enhancing the mechanical properties of the soil mass (Ghiassian et al 2008).…”