Abstract
Biochar is widely used as a soil amendment in green roofs because it can increase the soil’s water-holding capacity, inhibit cracking, and provide nutrients for vegetation. The interaction mechanism between biochar and expansive soil is a significant factor in the performance of green roofs. However, research mainly focused on the hydrological scale (i.e. runoff regulation and rainwater storage), and there is a lack of research on the hydrological properties (i.e. hysteresis of soil–water characteristic curves, changes in soil pore size and pore distribution, formation and development of cracks and swelling–shrinking characteristics) of biochar-amended expansive soils under dynamic water environment. This test was conducted out on soil columns with expansive soil and 5% (by mass) biochar-amended under 5 drying–wetting cycles. The results showed that within the range of water content suitable for plant growth (i.e. between the anaerobic point and wilting point), the hysteresis area of soil–water characteristic curves of the amended soil is smaller than the bare soil at each drying–wetting cycle. The addition of biochar changes the pore size distribution of the soil, reduces the pore size and swelling–shrinking characteristics of the expansive soil, and inhibits the development of cracks. Therefore, the addition of biochar significantly attenuates the hysteresis characteristics of the soil–water characteristic curves of expansive soils, which may improve the stability of the hydraulic performance of green roofs. The results contribute to the understanding of the physicochemical and water properties of biochar-amended expansive soil and provide theoretical support for the application of biochar to green roofs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anangsha A, Gadi VK, Bordoloi S, Kothapalli SK, Sreedeep S, Guoxiong M, Garg A (2019) A new autonomous program customized for computing surface cracks in an unsaturated soil in a 1-D column. J Test Eval 47(5):20180609. https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE20180609
Barni E, Freppaz M, Siniscalco C (2007) Interactions between vegetation, roots, and soil stability in restored high-altitude Ski runs in the Alps. Arct Antarct Alp Res 39(1):25–33. https://doi.org/10.1657/1523-0430(2007)39[25:IBVRAS]2.0.CO;2
Batista EMCC, Shultz J, Matos TTS, Fornari MR, Ferreira TM, Szpoganicz B, de Freitas RA, Mangrich AS (2018) Effect of surface and porosity of biochar on water holding capacity aiming indirectly at preservation of the Amazon biome. Sci Rep 8(1):10677. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28794-z
Beck DA, Johnson GR, Spolek GA (2011) Amending greenroof soil with biochar to affect runoff water quantity and quality. Environ Pollut 159(8–9):2111–2118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2011.01.022
Berndtsson J (2010) Green roof performance towards management of runoff water quantity and quality: a review. Ecol Eng 36(4):351–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2009.12.014
Bordoloi S, Ni J, Ng CWW (2020) Soil desiccation cracking and its characterization in vegetated soil: a perspective review. Sci Total Environ 729:138760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138760
Chen R, Ng CWW (2013) Impact of wetting–drying cycles on hydro-mechanical behavior of an unsaturated compacted clay. Appl Clay Sci 86:38–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2013.09.018
Chen YF, Yu FH, Dong M (2002) Scale-dependent spatial heterogeneity of vegetation in Mu Us sandy land, a semi-arid area of China. Plant Ecol 162(1):135–142. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020318509972
Chertkov VY, Ravina I (2004) Networks originating from the multiple cracking of different scales in rocks and swelling soils. Int J Fract 128(1):263–270. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:FRAC.0000040989.82613.36
Durhman AK, Rowe DB, Rugh CL (2007) Effect of substrate depth on initial growth, coverage, and survival of 25 succulent green roof plant taxa. HortScience 42(3):588–595. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.42.3.588
Fredlund DG (2006) Unsaturated soil mechanics in engineering practice. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 132(3):286–321. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2006)132:3(286)
Gan L, Garg A, Wang H, Mei G, Liu J (2021) Influence of biochar amendment on stormwater management in green roofs: experiment with numerical investigation. Acta Geophys 69(6):2417–2426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-021-00685-4
Gao Y, Li Z, Sun D, Yu H (2021) A simple method for predicting the hydraulic properties of unsaturated soils with different void ratios. Soil Tillage Res 209:104913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104913
Garg A, Huang H, Kushvaha V, Madhushri P, Kamchoom V, Wani I, Koshy N, Zhu H-H (2020) Mechanism of biochar soil pore–gas–water interaction: gas properties of biochar-amended sandy soil at different degrees of compaction using KNN modeling. Acta Geophys 68(1):207–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-019-00387-y
Gopal P, Bordoloi S, Ratnam R, Lin P, Cai W, Buragohain P, Garg A, Sreedeep S (2019) Investigation of infiltration rate for soil–biochar composites of water hyacinth. Acta Geophys 67(1):231–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-018-0237-8
Huang S, Garg A, Mei G, Huang D, Chandra RB, Sadasiv SG (2020) Experimental study on the hydrological performance of green roofs in the application of novel biochar. Hydrol Process 34(23):4512–4525. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13881
Hussain R, Bordoloi S, Gupta P, Garg A, Ravi K, Sreedeep S, Sahoo L (2020) Effect of biochar type on infiltration, water retention and desiccation crack potential of a silty sand. Biochar 2(4):465–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-020-00064-0
Jing X, Zhang S, Zhang J, Wang Y, Wang Y (2017) Assessing efficiency and economic viability of rainwater harvesting systems for meeting non-potable water demands in four climatic zones of China. Resour Conserv Recycl 126:74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.027
Johannessen BG, Hamouz V, Gragne AS, Muthanna TM (2019) The transferability of SWMM model parameters between green roofs with similar build-up. J Hydrol 569:816–828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.01.004
Kayadelen C (2008) The consolidation characteristics of an unsaturated compacted soil. Environ Geol 54(2):325–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0819-2
Liu J, Garg A, Wang H, Huang S, Mei G (2022a) Moisture management in biochar-amended green roofs planted with Ophiopogon japonicus under different irrigation schemes: an integrated experimental and modeling approach. Acta Geophys 70(1):373–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-022-00725-7
Liu J, Garg A, Wang J, Gan L, Wang H, Huang S, Ma M, Mei G (2022b) Evapotranspiration characteristics in extensive green roofs during dry periods: the influences of vegetation treatment, substrate characteristics, and water retention layer. Arab J Geosci 15(19):1562. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10820-0
Louati F, Trabelsi H, Jamei M, Taibi S (2021) Impact of wetting–drying cycles and cracks on the permeability of compacted clayey soil. Eur J Environ Civ Eng 25(4):696–721. https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2018.1541144
McMahon TA, Peel MC, Lowe L, Srikanthan R, McVicar TR (2013) Estimating actual, potential, reference crop and pan evaporation using standard meteorological data: a pragmatic synthesis. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 17(4):1331–1363. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1331-2013
Omondi MO, Xia X, Nahayo A, Liu X, Korai PK, Pan G (2016) Quantification of biochar effects on soil hydrological properties using meta-analysis of literature data. Geoderma 274:28–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2016.03.029
Park A, Friesen P, Serrud AAS (2010) Comparative water fluxes through leaf litter of tropical plantation trees and the invasive grass Saccharum spontaneum in the Republic of Panama. J Hydrol 383(3–4):167–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.12.033
Romero E, Villar MV, Lloret A (2005) Thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of two heavily overconsolidated clays. Eng Geol 81(3):255–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2005.06.011
Shi B, Jiang H, Liu Z, Fang HY (2002) Engineering geological characteristics of expansive soils in China. Eng Geol 67(1–2):63–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(02)00145-X
Singh M, Tan S, Sharma SD (2002) Effects of adjuvants on wetting and water infiltration of soils. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 68(5):692–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001280309
Sun DA, Cui HB, Matsuoka H, Sheng DC (2007) A three-dimensional elastoplastic model for unsaturated compacted soils with hydraulic hysteresis. Soils Found 47(2):253–264. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.47.253
Tan K, Wang J (2023) Substrate modified with biochar improves the hydrothermal properties of green roofs. Environ Res 216:114405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.114405
Tang C-S, Shi B, Liu C, Suo W-B, Gao L (2011) Experimental characterization of shrinkage and desiccation cracking in thin clay layer. Appl Clay Sci 52(1–2):69–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2011.01.032
Wang H, Garg A, Huang S, Mei G (2020a) Mechanism of compacted biochar-amended expansive clay subjected to drying–wetting cycles: simultaneous investigation of hydraulic and mechanical properties. Acta Geophys 68(3):737–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-020-00423-2
Wang H, Garg A, Zhang X, Xiao Y, Mei G (2020b) Utilization of coconut shell residual in green roof: hydraulic and thermal properties of expansive soil amended with biochar and fibre including theoretical model. Acta Geophys 68(6):1803–1819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-020-00492-3
Wang H, Zhang K, Gan L, Liu J, Mei G (2021) Expansive soil-biochar-root-water-bacteria interaction: investigation on crack development, water management and plant growth in green infrastructure. Int J Damage Mech 30(4):595–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056789520974416
Werdin J, Fletcher TD, Rayner JP, Williams NSG, Farrell C (2020) Biochar made from low density wood has greater plant available water than biochar made from high density wood. Sci Total Environ 705:135856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135856
Yang XY, Guo F (2013) Analysis of seepage field and stability of clinosol slope under rainfall infiltration. Appl Mech Mater 353–356:307–311. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.353-356.307
Zhou D, Li P, Lin X, McKinley A, Kuang Y, Liu W, Lin W-F, Sun X, Duan X (2021) Layered double hydroxide-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction: identification and tailoring of active sites, and superaerophobic nanoarray electrode assembly. Chem Soc Rev 50(15):8790–8817. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CS00186H
Zou W, Han Z, Zhao G, Fan K, Vanapalli SK, Wang X (2022) Effects of cyclic freezing and thawing on the shear behaviors of an expansive soil under a wide range of stress levels. Environ Earth Sci 81(3):77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10190-6
Acknowledgements
This study was financially supported by the Guangxi science and technology base and talent special (2021GXNSFBA196091) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51878185, 52178321, 52108309). The authors sincerely appreciate the reviewers’ insightful and valuable comments and teammates who make considerable efforts in various way.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
ML Methodology, Software, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing original draft, Visualization. AG Conceptualization, Resources. SH review and editing. MJ (Corresponding author) Supervision, editing. GM Project administration, Funding acquisition. JL Conceptualization, editing. HW Conceptualization.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.
Ethical approval
We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. We confirm that we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing, we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property. We understand that the corresponding author is the sole contact for the editorial process (including Editorial Manager and direct communications with the office). He is responsible for communicating with the authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs.
Additional information
Edited by Dr. Michael Nones (CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF).
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Li, M., Garg, A., Huang, S. et al. Hydrological properties of biochar-amended expansive soil under dynamic water environment and biochar-amended soil’s application in green roofs. Acta Geophys. 72, 1055–1065 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-023-01061-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-023-01061-0