Abstract
The flocculation electro-osmotic consolidation is a common method of soil treatment. However, traditional inorganic flocculants can accumulate in the soil and make soil toxic. In order to overcome this issue, this study adopted different biopolymers with flocculation and degradability to assist electro-osmosis consolidation of soil to find some effective biopolymers instead of conventional inorganic flocculants. Series model tests were conducted on re-mold soil samples mixed with different biopolymers, including guar gum, chitosan, xanthan gum, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, locust bean gum, and sodium alginate. Discharged water, drainage rate, current, soil resistance, electrode potential loss, cumulative energy consumption, water content, and bearing capacity of soils treated with the same amounts of biopolymers were analyzed after the test. The results showed that all six biopolymers enhanced the electro-osmotic effect, while locust bean gum and chitosan had a poorer performance. From the perspective of environment, economy, and soil consolidation, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose was the most suitable choice. Compared with the traditional electro-osmosis, adding sodium carboxymethyl cellulose increased the discharged water by 21.5%, decreased the cumulative energy consumption by 12%, and increased the corresponding bearing capacity by 56.6%.
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This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 51778499).
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Wang, P., Zhang, J., Chen, Z. et al. Improvement of different biopolymers on electroosmotic consolidation of soil. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 20, 9921–9932 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04608-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04608-8