Mechanistic evaluation of mitigation of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination by soil medium

Present in situ chemical treatment technologies for mitigation of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination are in the developmental stage or being tested. To devise efficient strategies for restricting the movement of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) molecules in the contaminated soil, it is proposed to utilize the sorption–interaction relationships between the petroleum contaminants and the soil substrate. The basic questions addressed in this paper are as follows (i) What are the prominent chemical constituents of the various petroleum fractions that interact with the soil substrate? (ii) What are the functional groups of a soil that interact with the contaminants? (iii) What are the bonding mechanisms possible between the soil functional groups and the PHC contaminants? (iv) What are the consequent changes brought about the soil physical properties on interaction with PHC's? (v) What are the factors influencing the interactions between PHC molecules and clay particles of the soil substrate? (vi) What is the possibility of improving the soil's attenuation ability for PHC's? The development of answers to the basic questions reveal that petroleum hydrocarbons comprise a mixture of nonpolar alkanes and aromatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons, that have limited solubility in water. The bonding mechanism between the nonpolar PHC's and the clay surface is by way of van der Waals attraction. The adsorption of the nonpolar hydrocarbons by the clay surface occurs only when their (i.e., the hydrocarbon molecules) solubility in water is exceeded and the hydrocarbons exist in the micellar form. Dilute solutions of hydrocarbons in water, i.e., concentrations of hydrocarbons at or below the solubility limit, have no effect on the hydraulic conductivity of clay soils. Permeation with pure hydrocarbons invariably influences the clay hydraulic conductivity. To improve the attenuation ability of soils towards PHC's, it is proposed to coat the soil surface with "ultra" heavy organic polymers. Adsorption of organic polymers by the clay surface may change the surface properties of the soil from highly hydrophilic (having affinity for water molecules) to organophilic (having affinity for organic molecules). The organic polymers attached to the clay surface are expected to attenuate the PHC molecules by van der Waals attraction, by hydrogen bonding, and also by adsorption into interlayer space in the case of soils containing swelling clays.

Stiffness Coefficients of Layered Soil Systems

One of the most important dynamic properties required in the design of machine foundations is the stiffness or spring constant of the supporting soil. For a layered soil system, the stiffness obtained from an idealization of soils underneath as springs in series gives the same value of stiffness regardless of the location and extent of individual soil layers with respect to the base of the foundation. This paper aims to develop the importance of the relative positioning of soil layers and their thickness beneath the foundation. A simple and approximate procedure called the weighted average method has been proposed to obtain the equivalent stiffness of a layered soil system knowing the individual values of the layers, their relative position with respect to foundation base, and their thicknesses. The theoretically estimated values from the weighted average method are compared with those obtained by conducting field vibration tests using a square footing over different two- and three-layered systems and are found to be very good. The tests were conducted over a range of static and dynamic loads using three different materials. The results are also compared with the existing methods available in the literature.

Generalized State Parameter for Partly Saturated Soils

Studies on compressibility and shear strength aspects are the concern of many investigators concerned with partly saturated soils. In soil engineering connected with partly saturated soils, there are no approaches connecting soil states and stress conditions. The present investigation is essentially a step in this direction. A generalized state parameter, identified with regard to material states is shown to be related to the compressibility and shear strength. The involved parameters are simple and normally determined in routine investigations. The advantage of this approach is that changes in soil states due to external stress conditions and the associated changes in strength can be examined particularly when different types of soils are involved.

Analytical solutions for protective filters based on soil-retention and permeability criteria with respect to the phenomenon of soil boiling

For the successful performance of a granular filter medium, existing design guidelines, which are based on the particle size distribution (PSD) characteristics of the base soil and filter medium, require two contradictory conditions to be satisfied, viz., soil retention and permeability. In spite of the wider applicability of these guidelines, it is well recognized that (i) they are applicable to a particular range of soils tested in the laboratory, (ii) the design procedures do not include performance-based selection criteria, and (iii) there are no means to establish the sensitivity of the important variables influencing performance. In the present work, analytical solutions are developed to obtain a factor of safety with respect to soil-retention and permeability criteria for a base soil - filter medium system subjected to a soil boiling condition. The proposed analytical solutions take into consideration relevant geotechnical properties such as void ratio, permeability, dry unit weight, effective friction angle, shape and size of soil particles, seepage discharge, and existing hydraulic gradient. The solution is validated through example applications and experimental results, and it is established that it can be used successfully in the selection as well as design of granular filters and can be applied to all types of base soils.

Lead Retention by Soils at Field Moisture Contents

The majority of studies pertaining to lead retention by clays and soils have examined the mechanisms, kinetics, and adsorption isotherms using the batch experiment technique that employs solid: water extracts of 1:10 and 1:20. Field soil deposits generally have much lower gravimetric water content ranging between 9 and 45%. Given the wide disparity in the solids: water ratio employed in the batch experiment technique and that prevailing in field deposits, this paper examines the lead retention characteristics of soils at field moisture contents (6%, 13%, and 25%) using artificially lead-contaminated soil specimens. A residually derived (i.e., formed by in-situ weathering of parent rock) red soil was used to prepare the artificially contaminated soil specimens. The impact of variations in clay content on lead retention was examined by diluting the residual soil with various amounts (0 to 60%) of river sand. Soil specimens remolded at 6 and 13% moisture contents produced very stiff to hard soils on compaction, while specimens remolded at 25% moisture content existed in the slurry state. The soil specimens were contaminated with low (30mg/kg) to high (2500mg/kg) concentrations of lead ions by remolding them with 160ppm to 10,000ppm ionic lead solutions. Lead retention by soils at field moisture contents was determined by extracting the lead from the soil using a water leach test. Experimental results showed that the bulk (71 to 99%) of the added lead was retained by the soil in insoluble form at the field moisture content. Correlations between the amount of lead retained and soil/solution parameters indicated that the amounts of Pb retained at field moisture content is a function of the initial Pb addition, total sand content, effective clay porosity, and soil pH.

Postliquefaction Undrained Shear Behavior of Sand-Silt Mixtures at Constant Void Ratio

A detailed study on the postliquefaction undrained shear behavior of sand-silt mixtures at constant void ratios is presented in this article. The influence of different parameters such as density, amplitude of cyclic shear stress, and drainage conditions on the postliquefaction undrained response of sand-silt mixtures has been investigated, in addition to the effect of fines content. The results showed that the limiting silt content plays a vital role in the strength of the soil under both cyclic and monotonic shear loading. Both the liquefaction resistance and postliquefaction shear strength of the soils are found to decrease with an increase in the fines content until the limiting silt content is reached. However, further increase in the silt content beyond the limiting silt content increases the liquefaction resistance as well as the postliquefaction shear strength of the soils. It is also observed that these variations on the liquefaction and postliquefaction resistance of soils are closely related to the variations in relative density. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Appraisal of observational method for consolidation analysis

Two of the aims of laboratory one-dimensional consolidation tests are prediction of the end of primary settlement, and determination of the coefficient of consolidation of soils required for the time rate of consolidation analysis from time-compression data. Of the many methods documented in the literature to achieve these aims, Asaoka's method is a simple and useful tool, and yet the most neglected one since its inception in the geotechnical engineering literature more than three decades ago. This paper appraises Asaoka's method, originally proposed for the field prediction of ultimate settlement, from the perspective of laboratory consolidation analysis along with recent developments. It is shown through experimental illustrations that Asaoka's method is simpler than the conventional and popular methods, and makes a satisfactory prediction of both the end of primary compression and the coefficient of consolidation from laboratory one-dimensional consolidation test data.

Why is the influence of soil macrofauna on soil structure only considered by soil ecologists?

These last twenty years have seen the development of an abundant literature on the influence of soil macrofauna on soil structure. Amongst these organisms, earthworms, termites and ants are considered to play a key role in regulating the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of soils. Due to these influential impacts, soil ecologists consider these soil macro-invertebrates as `soil engineers' and their diversity and abundance are nowadays considered as relevant bioindicators of soil quality by many scientists and policy makers. Despite this abundant literature, the soil engineering concept remains a `preach to the choir' and bioturbation only perceived as important for soil ecologists. We discussed in this article the main mechanisms by which soil engineers impact soil structure and proposed to classify soil engineers with respect to their capacity to produce biostructures and modify them. We underlined the lack of studies considering biostructure dynamics and presented recent techniques in this purpose. We discussed why soil engineering concept is mainly considered by soil ecologists and call for a better collaboration between soil ecologists and soil physicists. Finally, we summarized main challenges and questions that need to be answered to integrate soil engineers activities in soil structure studies. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morphological and functional characterisation of the burrow systems of six earthworm species (Lumbricidae)

Earthworm burrow systems are generally described based on postulated behaviours associated with the three ecological types. In this study, we used X-ray tomography to obtain 3D information on the burrowing behaviour of six very common anecic (Aporrectodea nocturna and Lumbricus terrestris) and endogeic (Aporrectodea rosea, Allolobophora chlorotica, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Aporrectodea icterica) earthworm species, introduced into repacked soil cores for 6 weeks. A simple water infiltration test, the Beerkan method, was also used to assess some functional properties of these burrow systems. Endogeic worms make larger burrow systems, which are more highly branched, less continuous and of smaller diameter, than those of anecic worms. Among the anecic species, L. terrestris burrow systems are shorter (9.2 vs 21.2 m) with a higher number (14.5 vs 23.5) of less branched burrows (12.2 vs 20.2 branches m(-1)), which are also wider (7.78 vs 5.16 mm) than those of A. nocturna. In comparison, the burrow systems made by endogeic species appeared similar to each other. However, A. rosea burrows were short and narrow, whereas A. icterica had a longer burrow system (15.7 m), more intense bioturbation intensity (refilled macropores or soil lateral compaction around them) and thus a greater number of burrows. Regarding water infiltration, anecic burrow systems were far more efficient due to open burrows linking the top and bottom of the cores. For endogeic species, we observed a linear relationship between burrow length and the water infiltration rate (R (2) = 0.49, p < 0.01). Overall, the three main characteristics significantly influencing water infiltration were burrow length, burrow number and bioturbation volume. This last characteristic highlighted the effect of burrow refilling by casts.

Design of a manual press for the production of compacted stabilized soil blocks

In this paper, we discuss the design of a manually operated soil compaction machine that is being used to manufacture stabilized soil blocks (SSB). A case study of manufacturing more than three million blocks in a housing project using manually operated machines is illustrated. The paper is focussed on the design, development, and evaluation of a manually operated soil compaction machine for the production of SSB. It also details the machine design philosophy, compaction characteristics of soils, employment generation potential of small-scale stabilized soil block productions systems, and embodied energy. Static compaction of partially saturated soils was performed to generate force-displacement curves in a confined compaction process were generated. Based on the soil compaction data engineering design aspects of a toggle press are illustrated. The results of time and motion study on block production operations using manual machines are discussed. Critical path network diagrams were used for small-scale SSB production systems. Such production systems generate employment at a very low capital cost.

Experimental Study on the Responses of Bucket Foundations in Calcareous Sand under Vertical Dynamic Loading

Abstract: Experiments to determine the vertical static bearing capacity are carried out first in laboratory which is taken as a reference for choosing the amplitudes of vertical dynamic loading. Then a series of experiments are carried out to study the influences of factors, such as the scales of bucket, the amplitude and frequency of loading, the density of soils etc.. According to the experimental results, the responses of bucket foundations in calcareous sand under vertical dynamic loadings are analyzed. It is shown that there exists a limited effected zone under vertical dynamic loading. The scale of this zone is about one times of the bucket’s height. In this zone, the density of soil layer, the deformation and the pore pressure change obviously.

The Effects of Grain Size Distribution and Structure on Mechanical Behavior of Silt

Abstract: In order to investigate the effects of the grain size distribution and the micro-structure of soils on the mechani- cal characteristics, some static triaxial compression tests were carried out, and then the relationship of stress-strain and the strength behavior of silty sand were compared among undisturbed samples with different grain size distribution, undis- turbed and remolded samples with the same grain size distribution, and reconstituted samples (or called mixed samples) with different grain size distribution. The effects of grain size distribution and structure on the mechanic behavior of silty sands were mainly analyzed. It is shown that the obvious differences of the mechanical characteristics between undis- turbed soils and remolded soils are caused by the differences of soil structures. Although the grain size distribution are different between two soil samples, their mechanical characteristics may be close to each other, or may have obvious differences because of the effects of micro-structure.

Response of the Bucket Foundation in Calcareous Sand under Horizontal Dynamic Load

Abstract: Experiments to determine the horizontal static bearing capacity are carried out first. The static bearing capacity is a reference for choosing the amplitudes of dynamic load. Then a series of experiments under dynamic horizontal load are carried out in laboratory to study the influences of factors, such as the scales of bucket, the amplitude and frequency of load, the density of soils etc.. The responses of bucket foundations in calcareous sand under horizontal dynamic load are analyzed according to the experimental results. The displacements of bucket and sand layer are analyzed.