Predictive model for water retention curve of water-absorbing polymer amended soil
- 1 September 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Thomas Telford Ltd. in Géotechnique Letters
- Vol. 11 (3), 164-170
- https://doi.org/10.1680/jgele.21.00015
Abstract
Water absorbing polymer (WAP) amendment is emerging as a sustainable soil management technique in various geoenvironmental projects for controlling the subsurface water flow in the vadose zone. The addition of WAP can alter the pore structure and improve water retention characteristics of the soil. The existing water retention characteristic curve (WRCC) models for polymer amended soils are complex and require a number of empirical parameters, which cannot be easily obtained through simple laboratory experimentation. The present study proposed a simple predictive WRCC model for WAP amended soils based on the understanding that WAP particles absorb and retain water within their polymer structure and therefore influence the void ratio. The proposed model captures the change in the void ratio of the amended soil through a modified phase relationship for predicting WRCC. The performance of the model was validated for four different textured soils with varying WAP concentrations. The comparison between measured and predicted WRCC indicates that the proposed model can capture the changes in the void ratio as well as the WRCC with adequate accuracy.Keywords
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- The effect of super absorbent polymers on soil and water conservation on the terraces of the loess plateauEcological Engineering, 2017
- A new and simple water retention model for root-permeated soilsGéotechnique Letters, 2016
- The application of water-absorbing geocomposites to support plant growth on slopesGeosynthetics International, 2015
- Influence of super absorbent polymer on soil water retention, seed germination and plant survivals for rocky slopes eco-engineeringEcological Engineering, 2014
- Effect of hydrogel particle additives on water-accessible pore structure of sandy soils: A custom pressure plate apparatus and capillary bundle modelPhysical Review E, 2013
- Water availability in different soils in relation to hydrogel applicationGeoderma, 2012
- Water Retention Curves of Biofilm‐Affected Soils using Xanthan as an AnalogueSoil Science Society of America Journal, 2012
- The effect of hydrogel additives on the water retention curve of sandy soil from forest nursery in JulinekJournal of Water and Land Development, 2009
- Modelling the variation of degree of saturation in a deformable unsaturated soilGéotechnique, 2003
- Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated SoilsPublished by Wiley ,1993