Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Abstract
The objective of this study was to compare the environmentally friendly mulches for sand dune stabilization in a laboratory study. Based on the literature review, some of the materials used as sand stabilizer in recent years were selected in this study. The trays of sand samples treated with mulch were air-dried for several days after mulching in a factorial experiment with a completely random design. The treatments were mulch types including organic mulch (M1, M2), clay mulch (M3, M4), inorganic mulch (M5), polymeric mulch (M6, M7, M8) and the thickness of mulch (1 or 2 layers). Surface soil shear strength (SSS), penetration resistance (PR) and shear resistances of the selected mulches were measured by shear vane, penetrometer, and Zhang’s shear device, respectively. The results indicated that M5 had the highest PR value and the average value of PR for M5 treatment was 1.16, 1.27, 1.32, 1.28, 1.14, 1.14, and 1.05 times greater than those obtained for M1, M2, M3, M4, M6, M7, and M8 treatments, respectively. The average value of SSS in dry condition for M6, M7, and M8 treatments was, respectively, 1.61, 1.29, and 1.11 times greater than those measured in saturation condition. Also, M6 had the highest adhesion parameter of surface shear resistance (SSR) value. The average value of adhesion for M6 treatment was 13.46, 7.93, 2.41, 2.35, 3.40, 2.85, and 1.37 times greater than those obtained for M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, and M8 treatments, respectively. It is concluded that, in laboratory conditions, mulch 5 (2500 gr calcium and magnesium chloride + 1000 ml water) was a superior mulch for Ahvaz sand dune stabilization because of suitable SSS and PR rate and its ease of spraying on sand surface.
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