Effect of using polymeric materials in ecological sand‐fixing of Kerqin Sandy Land of China

Abstract

For the first time, the main characteristics of the polymeric materials are considered for understanding their possible application in ecological sand-fixing. In this investigation, two emulsions, named as E2, a poly(vinyl acetate) emulsion, and E7, a vinyl acetateethylene copolymer emulsion, have been selected for a series of tests related to the practical requirements for ecological sand-fixing. Besides the sand-fixing properties and the thermal aging and freeze-thaw stabilities of the emulsions, their effects in increasing the growth of both microbes and plants in sandy lands have been evaluated by field experiments in Kerqin Sandy Land of China, and the relationship between the performance and structure of the two emulsions has also been described. The experimental results show that both emulsions could significantly improve the compressive strength of treated sand and could withstand the changes in temperature of the Kerqin Sandy Land. However, different effects were exhibited in promoting the growth of microbes, in facilitating the accumulation of organic fertilizer and soluble salt, and in increasing the crop yield. All of the differences are attributed to their different molecular chain structures. These findings suggest that the structure of a polymeric emulsion should be the first consideration for the materials used in ecological sand-fixing, and ecological sand-fixing is a successful method for the stabilization of sandy land and the restoration of desertified land in semiarid regions.

Experimental Study on Unconfined Compressive Strength of Organic Polymer Reinforced Sand

“…Resin organic polymer with a macromolecule has been also widely used as soil stabilizer to improve the sandy soil [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Yang et al [16] studied the effects of aging tests on a novel chemical sand-fixing agent, namely, polyaspartic acid resin.…”

Laboratory Tests on Effectiveness of Environment-Friendly Organic Polymer on Physical Properties of Sand

“…Its chemical formula could be expressed by formula (6). A chemical reaction occurred when it came into contact with water.…”

“…In recent years, more and more researchers have begun to study the use of soil curing agent in soil reinforcement [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Mohsin and Attia [9] used polyacrylamide to reinforce sand by gel permeation chromatography and viscometer.…”

The Effect of Polymer-Fiber Stabilization on the Unconfined Compressive Strength and Shear Strength of Sand

“…Recently, the chemical polymer materials have been used in sand reinforcement [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Liu et al [12] evaluated effect of sand fixed with a new organic polymer sand-fixing agent.…”

“…Mahmoud and Attia [14] introduced the inverse emulsion polymerization for the synthesis of high molecular weight polyacrylamide and its application as sand stabilizer. Gong et al [15] studied Kerqin sandy land of China reinforced using polymeric materials. The polymer can fill up the voids of sand and adsorbs ions on the surface of sand particle.…”