Mitigation of Dust Emissions of Silty Sand Induced by Wind Erosion Using Natural Soybean Biomaterial

Abstract

Fugitive dust induced by wind erosion has been a serious environmental problem in many countries. In this research, a plant-derived urease enzyme named soybean, as a cheap and easily available enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP), is employed to stabilize loose soil-inducing fugitive dust. The tested silty sand soil was retrieved from one of the dust centers of Khuzestan-Iran with a low plasticity index. The treated experiments were prepared by two different methods of mixing and pouring the extract solution with and on the soil with both maximum and minimum densities. After a certain period of time, at which the calcium carbonate precipitation process was completed, unconfined compressive strength tests were conducted to monitor increase in the soil shear strength, treated with EICP. Then, water erosion test was conducted to evaluate resistance of the treated soil against water penetration and soil erosion due to water runoff. Later, trays containing bare and treated soils, obtained from different EICP applications, were sited in a wind tunnel to test their erosion performances. The results indicated that soybean enzyme which is much easier to prepare than the jack bean enzyme, previously suggested by other researchers, can control dust emissions induced by wind erosion.