Research on the application of a cement and soil aggregate for the ecological restoration of vegetation in artificial soil

Abstract

The construction of high-speed roads has resulted in large amounts of steep and exposed cut slopes, posing more potential hazards in areas with mountains and hills. Vegetation restoration is an effective and environmentally-friendly way to restore exposed slopes using outside soil spray seeding, though it is difficult to establish a vegetation cover. Spraying artificial soil on high and steep slopes is a challenging task as it is difficult to keep the fluid mixture on sloped surfaces. Because of these challenges, this study applied different combinations of cement and soil aggregates in artificial soil, measuring final soil properties after one growing season. Experimental results showed that there were substantial differences in all basic soil parameters and in the soil quality index after different treatments. In particular, adding 5–10% cement content could improve the adhesion of artificial soil without remarkably reducing soil quality; adding 0.09% of soil aggregate was also beneficial to soil nutrient availability. These findings indicate that the combination of cement and soil aggregates could be applied in artificial soils for the ecological restoration of steep slope vegetation. Adding cement to the soil increased the alkaline levels of the soil, so it is important to reduce artificial soil pH in the future. The application of a cement and soil aggregate should be considered in the field for the ecological restoration of slope vegetation, and the impact of this addition on slope stability and vegetation growth should be explored with further research.

Different Land-Use Effects on Soil Aggregates and Aggregate-Associated Organic Carbon in Eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

“…SOC tends to be regarded as one of the key indicators of soil quality [4]. As the concentrated embodiment of soil organic-cementing material, SOC is conducive to promoting the formation of soil macroaggregates and improving soil structure [5]. Contrary to this, soil aggregates can not only physically protect SOC from microbial decomposition, but also adsorb SOC on the surface of clay particles through chemisorption, thus reducing SOC loss [6,7].…”

Study on Ecological Mini-Aggregations Based on Polymer Composite Materials

“…Bhattarai [11] developed three different types of biodegradable erosion control blankets, all of which can reduce soil erosion to varying degrees. The optimization of planting substrates also plays a crucial role in the slope protection performance of ecological aggregation, where the ratio of planting substrate materials can affect the ecological performance of the ecological aggregation [12][13][14]. Faucette [15] added various fertilizers to planting blankets to enhance the plant growth rate of the blankets and found that using compost and a planting blanket can effectively reduce the soil erosion of the slope and enhance its erosion resistance [16].…”

Evaluation of flexural-tensile strength of high-performance soil-cement (HPSC) specimen bodies

“…Soil-cement has also been used to restore degraded areas (Mao et al, 2023). In addition, the use of this technology can reduce the time needed to complete the work, as it reduces the need to transport materials to the site (Da Silva Segantini & Wada, 2011).…”