• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.2
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• pp.179-188
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• 2023

The mechanical behaviours of biopolymer-treated soil depend on the formation of soil-biopolymer matrices. In this study, various biopolymers(e.g., xanthan gum (XG), locust bean gum (LBG), sodium alginate (SA), agar gum (AG), gellan gum (GE) and carrageenan kappa gum (KG) are selected to treat three types of natural soil at different concentrations (e.g., 1%, 2% and 3%) and curing time (e.g., 4-365 days), and reveal the reinforcement effect on natural soil by using unconfined compression tests. The results show that biopolymer-treated soil obtains the maximum unconfined compressive strength (UCS) at curing 14-28 days. Although the UCS of biopolymer-treated soil has a 20-30% reduction after curing 1-year compared to the maximum value, it is still significantly larger than untreated soil. In addition, the UCS increment ratio of biopolymer-treated soil decreases with the increase of biopolymer concentration, and there exists the optimum concentration of 1%, 2-3%, 2%, 1% and 2% for XG, SA, LBG, KG and AG, respectively. Meanwhile, the optimum initial moisture content can form uniformly biopolymer-soil matrices to obtain better reinforcement efficiency. Furthermore, the best performance in increasing soil strength is XG following SAand LBG, which are significantly better than AG, KG and GE.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.685-691
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• 1996

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of some soil conditioners, such as polyvinylalcohol(PVA), zeolite and perlite, on the changes of soil physical properties and on tobacco growth in paddy-upland rotated field. Soil conditioners were treated at the rates of 120kg in PVA, 500kg in zeolite and perlite per l0a, respectively. Ratio of soil aggregates formed from the treated plots tended to. be higher than those from the control in the order of PVA > perlite > zeolite. The wet aggregate stability, mean weight diameter, moisture retention and air permeability from the treated plots tended to be higher than those from the control. Amounts of water-stable aggregates of PV A-treated soil increased with higher soil moisture showing a peak at 50% of moisture content. But with respect to particle of size aggregate formed for crop growth and workability in field, it was presumed that 40% of soil moisture content would be most desirable. Visual characters of soil surface throughout the experiment clearly showed that treated soils were maintaining better surface roughness and porosity than control, but difference in water stable aggregates among treated plots tended to be narrowed. The growths of tobacco, espacially its root zone were better in conditioner treated plots than in non-treated plot showing best in PVA-treated soil.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.687-706
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• 2015

Methods commonly used to evaluate the improvement of lime-treated expansive soil include swelling characteristics and unconfined compressive strength. In the field, lime-treated expansive soils are in compacted unsaturated state. Soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) represent a key parameter to interpret and describe the behavior of unsaturated expansive soil. This paper investigates the use of SWCC as a technique to evaluate improvements acquired by expansive soil after lime treatment. Three different lime contents were considered 2%, 4% and 6% by dry weight of clay. Series of tests were performed to determine the SWCC for the different lime content under curing periods of 7 and 28 day. Correlations between key features of the soil water characteristic curves of lime treated expansive soils and basic engineering behavior such as swelling characteristics and unconfined compression strength were established. Test results revealed that initial slope ($S_1$), saturated water content ($w_{sat}$), and air entry value (AEV) play an important role in reflecting improvement in engineering behavior achieved by lime treatment.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.551-554
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• 2012

The present laboratory investigation was conducted to assess the effect of heavy metals on carbon mineralization. Soil was treated with three concentrations (50, 100 and $150{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}$ soil) of two heavy metals (Cd and Zn) in a factorial combination of treatments replicated four times. Determination of carbon mineralization was carried out at 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 56 days after metal treatments.. The amount of $CO_2$-C released from heavy metal treated soils was found to be decreased at an increasing rate during the first 28 days, followed by slow release as incubation progressed. The total amounts of $CO_2$-C released were 448, 382 and $348mg\;kg^{-1}$ soil respectively for soils treated with 50, 100 and $150{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}$ soil of Zn. The corresponding figures for Cd treated soils were 406, 354 and $282mg\;kg^{-1}$ soil implying that dose-dependent reduction in cumulative $CO_2$-C released from soils. The inhibition of carbon mineralization was found to be high in Cd treated soils than that of Zn treated. Therefore, tolerance and adaptation of the microbial community is likely to be related to the concentration and the type of metal. According to the results, carbon mineralization can be considered as possible indicator of soil pollution by means of heavy metals.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.427-437
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• 2019

Waste materials are being produced in huge quantities globally, and the usual practice is to dump them into legal or illegal landfills. Recycled tiles (RT) are being used in soil stabilisation which is considered as sustainable solution to reduce the amount of waste and solve the geotechnical problems. Although the stabilisation of soil using RT improved the soil properties, it could not achieve the standard values required for construction. Thus, this study uses 20% RT together with low cement content (2%) to stabilise soft soil. Series of consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests were conducted on untreated and RT-cement treated samples. Each test was performed at 7, 14, and 28 days curing period and 50, 100, and 200 kPa confining pressures. The results revealed an improvement in the undrained shear strength parameters (cohesion and internal frication angle) of treated specimens compared to the untreated ones. The cohesion and friction angle of the treated samples were increased with the increase in curing time and confining pressure. The peak deviator stress of treated samples increases with the increment of either the effective confining pressures or the curing period. Microstructural and chemical tests were performed on both untreated and RT-cement treated samples, which included field emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The results indicated the formation of cementation compounds such as calcium aluminium hydrate (C-A-H) within the treated samples. Consequently, the newly formed compounds were responsible for the improvement observed in the results of the triaxial tests. This research promotes the utilisation of RT to reduce the amount of cement used in soil stabilisation for cleaner planet and sustainable environment.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.559-564
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• 2011

Soil microbial functions are considered to be effective in assessing the severity of heavy metal pollution. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the effect of heavy metals on nitrogen mineralization by measuring the releasing pattern of inorganic nitrogen ($NH_4^+$-N and $NO_3^-$-N) in a soil treated with heavy metals. A factorial combination of two heavy metals (Zn and Cd) treated with three concentrations (50, 100 and $150{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}$ soils) was used in a laboratory incubation. Nitrogen mineralization was determined at 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 56 days after the treatments replicated four times. Soil sample free from heavy metals was served as the control. The amount of nitrogen mineralization from heavy metal treated soils was found to be decreased at an increasing rate during the first 21 days of incubation. However, as the incubation progressed, nitrogen mineralization was found to be decreased at decreasing rates. Furthermore, during this period, nitrogen mineralization in Cd treated soils was significantly lower ($P{\leq}0.05$) than that of the control. Soils treated with Cd at the concentration of $150{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}$ showed the lowest N mineralization throughout the incubation. Nitrogen mineralization in Zn treated soils ($50{\mu}mol\;g^{-1}$) was found to be higher than the other heavy metal treated soils. On the base of present findings, nitrogen mineralization of soil could be considered as a viable assessment of the degree of heavy metal pollution.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.793-806
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• 2016

The pozzolanic characteristics of a sludge incinerated into ash were determined in this study. Lime is commonly used as a stabilizer for the treatment of soils, whereas sewage sludge ash (SSA) is often applied with lime to improve soft subgrade soil. In this study, a cohesive soil categorized as A-4 (low-plasticity clay) by AASHTO classifications was mixed with SSA/lime with a 3:1 ratio. Nano-$SiO_2$ was also added to the soil. To identify changes in the workability, strength, permeability, and shear strength of the soft subgrade soil, basic soil tests were conducted, and the microstructure of the treated soil was analyzed. The results indicate that SSA/lime mixtures improve the properties of soft subgrade soil and transform the soil from "poor subgrade soil" to "good to excellent subgrade soil" with a CBR > 8. Additionally, the addition of 2% nano-$SiO_2$ increases the unconfined compressive strength of soft subgrade soil treated with SSA/lime mixture by approximately 17 kPa. However, the swelling of the treated soil increased by approximately 0.1% after the addition of nano-$SiO_2$ and lime. Thus, soil swelling should be considered before lime and nano-$SiO_2$ are applied to soft subgrade soil.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.843-853
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• 2014

In the context of artificial groundwater recharge, a reactive soil column at pilot-scale (4.5 m depth and 3 m in diameter) fed by treated wastewater was designed to evaluate soil filtration ability. Here, as a part of this project, the impact of treated wastewater filtration on soil bacterial communities and the soil's biological ability for wastewater treatment as well as the relevance of the use of multi-bioindicators were studied as a function of depth and time. Biomass; bacterial 16S rRNA gene diversity fingerprints; potential nitrifying, denitrifying, and sulfate-reducing activities; and functional gene (amo, nir, nar, and dsr) detection were analyzed to highlight the real and potential microbial activity and diversity within the soil column. These bioindicators show that topsoil (0 to 20 cm depth) was the more active and the more impacted by treated wastewater filtration. Nitrification was the main activity in the pilot. No sulfate-reducing activity or dsr genes were detected during the first 6 months of wastewater application. Denitrification was also absent, but genes of denitrifying bacteria were detected, suggesting that the denitrifying process may occur rapidly if adequate chemical conditions are favored within the soil column. Results also underline that a dry period (20 days without any wastewater supply) significantly impacted soil bacterial diversity, leading to a decrease of enzyme activities and biomass. Finally, our work shows that treated wastewater filtration leads to a modification of the bacterial genetic and functional structures in topsoil.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2007

The toxicities of contaminated soils with 8 consecutive year applications of three levels (12.5, 25.0, and $50.0t\;dry\;matter\;ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$) of four organic sludge [municipal sewage sludge (MSS), industrial sewage sludge (ISS), alcohol fermentation processing sludge (AFPS) and leather processing sludge (LPS)] on earthworm (Eisenia fetida) were examined by using microcosm container in the laboratory. Results were compared with those of pig manure compost (PMC) treated soil. In tests with three treatment levels (12.5, 25.0, and 50.0 t per plot), ISS treated soil showed higher contents of Cu (18.9~26.2 fold), Cr (7.7~34.7 fold), and Ni (14.8~18.8 fold) at 8 years post treatment, than PMC treated soil. LPS treated soil showed higher contents of Cr (35.7~268.0 fold) and Ni (4.5~7.6 fold) than PMC treated soil. There were no great differences in heavy metal contents among MSS, AFPS, and PMC treated soils. In these contaminated soils, earthworm mortalities of MSS and AFPS treated soils at 8 weeks post-exposure were similar to those of PMC treated soil regardless of each treatment level. Toxic effect (26.7~96.7 mortality) on the ISS and LPS treated soils was significantly higher than one of PMC treated soil, with an exception of LPS soil treated with 25.0 t per plot. At 16 weeks post-exposure, earthworm mortalities of AFPS' 12.5 and 25.0 t treated soils were similar to those of PMC treated soil. Toxic effect (53.3~100 mortality) on the 12.5, 25.0, and 50.0 t treated soils of MSS, ISS and LPS, and AFPS' 50.0 t treated soils was significantly higher than those of PMC treated soil. The data suggested that the 12.5, 25.0, and 50.0 t of MSS, ISS and LPS, and AFPS' 50.0 t treated soils were evaluated to have toxicity on earthworm.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.75-89
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• 2001

This study the effects of the application of organic farming materials on the soil Physicochemistry property and plant growth, yield and components of Tomato were compared with conventional culture. The results obtained from the experiment are summarized as follows : 1. The effect of soil chemical properties after application organic farming materials, The amounts of pH and O.M. in N, P, K treated plot were few of change, To the contrary, fermentation compost and microorganisms fermentation compost treated plot were some increase, Amount of $P_2$$O_{5}$, Ca and K increase in comparison with the N, P, K treated plot. 2. Changes of soil microbial after application organic farming materials, The number of bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi in N, P, K treated plot were appeared definite direction. to the contrary, The number of bacteria and actimycetes in fermentation compost and microorganisms fermentation compost treated plot showed the increased tendency, The number of fungi showed the decreased tendency. 3. Effect of organic farming materials application on the growth and yield of tomato was superior in order of microorganisms fermentation compost plot〉 chemical fertilizers plot〉 fermentation compost plot. especially, chicken manure ＋ microorganisms fermentation compost treated plot was the highest. 4. Effect of organic farming materials application on the components of tomato were not different.