Comparative effects of biochars from different feedstocks on the desiccation process of loess

IF 3.7 2区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI:10.1007/s10064-025-04153-x

Yao Geng, Pengju Qin, Yu Lu, Yifei Sun, Jun Zhang, Xiaoqiang Dong

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Abstract

Biochar is widely used for the improvement of soil in farmlands. However, the effect of biochar from different feedstocks on property changes during loess desiccation remains unclear. In this study, four types of biochar, including sludge biochar (SBC), wood biochar (WBC), cow dung biochar (CDBC), and corn straw biochar (CSBC), were mixed with loess from the top layer of the wheat field at concentrations of 0%, 5%, and 10%. Their impacts on loess soil evaporation, cracking, CO₂ emissions and electrical resistivity during desiccation were evaluated and microstructural changes after desiccation were analyzed. The results showed significant improvements in water retention with the addition of biochar, especially with CSBC, which prolonged the drying time. The addition of biochar suppressed cracks formed during loess desiccation, with CSBC having the most significant effect, reducing the crack intensity factor (CIF) by 70.47% and 89.01% for CSBC5 and CSBC10, respectively. The mean CO₂ concentration during desiccation decreased for only three specimens (CSBC5, SBC5 and CDBC10). The CO₂–C fluxes after the addition of biochar were not lower than those of pure loess. The addition of biochar reduced soil resistivity and altered the pore size distribution (PSD) of loess. Biochar from different feedstocks improves water retention and inhibits cracking to varying degrees during loess desiccation, with 5% CSBC proving to be the most effective in optimizing soil properties. The electrical resistivity effectively characterizes the macroscopic and microscopic variations in loess.

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来源期刊

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 工程技术-地球科学综合

CiteScore

7.10

自引率

11.90%

发文量

445

审稿时长

4.1 months

期刊介绍： Engineering geology is defined in the statutes of the IAEG as the science devoted to the investigation, study and solution of engineering and environmental problems which may arise as the result of the interaction between geology and the works or activities of man, as well as of the prediction of and development of measures for the prevention or remediation of geological hazards. Engineering geology embraces: • the applications/implications of the geomorphology, structural geology, and hydrogeological conditions of geological formations; • the characterisation of the mineralogical, physico-geomechanical, chemical and hydraulic properties of all earth materials involved in construction, resource recovery and environmental change; • the assessment of the mechanical and hydrological behaviour of soil and rock masses; • the prediction of changes to the above properties with time; • the determination of the parameters to be considered in the stability analysis of engineering works and earth masses.