nanocomposites based on vinyl ester resin (derakane 470-300) and nano clay (cloisite 30b) were prepared. the effect of clay content of 1, 3 and 5% (by weight) on the morphology, mechanical properties and water absorption of vinyl ester resin nanocomposites were studied. the nanocomposites were characterized  using  small-angle x-ray  scattering  (saxs),  feld  emission  scanning electron micros...

BACKGROUND Pesticide degradation and adsorption in soils are key processes determining whether pesticide use will have any impact on environmental quality. Pesticide degradation in soil generally results in a reduction in toxicity, but some pesticides have breakdown products that are more toxic than the parent compound. Adsorption to soil particles ensures that herbicide is retained in the plac...

A biased Monte Carlo method for the insertion of water in dense clay–water systems is presented. The use of this algorithm results in a considerable increase of the success rate of insertion attempts. It allows us to compute water adsorption isotherms up to high water densities, where the conventional Monte Carlo scheme fails. The isotherms were calculated by a combination of molecular dynamics...

ABSTRACT- The present research was conducted to study K forms and fixation in soils of southern Iran (Hormozgan Province) with aridic and aridic-ustic regimes and to address the relations between soil mineralogy and potassium forms. Thirteen surface soil samples (0-25 cm) were collected from different regions and analyzed in laboratory. Illite and feldspar and mica are the major clay and soil m...

Mineral dust supplied to remote ocean regions stimulates phytoplankton growth through delivery of micronutrients, notably iron (Fe). Although attention is usually paid to Fe (hydr)oxides as major sources of available Fe, Fe-bearing clay minerals are typically the dominant phase in mineral dust. The mineralogy and chemistry of clay minerals in dust particles, however, are largely unknown. We con...

introduction: maintaining soil moisture content at about field capacity and reducing water loss in near root zone plays a key role for developing soil and water management programs. clay pot or porous pipe is a traditional sub-irrigation method and is ideal for many farms in the world’s dry land with small and medium sized farms and gardens and is still used limitedly in dry lands of india, ira...

Effects of cropping practices on soil properties viz. particle size distribution, pH, bulk density (BD), field capacity (FC, -33 kPa), permanent wilting point (PWP, -1500 kPa), available water capacity (AWC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) were assessed. The pedotransfer functions (PTFs) were developed for saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), water retention at FC and PWP of soils for different...