This paper performs molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the role of the monovalent cations K, Na and the divalent cation Ca on the stability and swelling of montmorillonite. The recently developed CLAYFF force field is used to predict the basal spacing as a function of the water content in the interlayer. The simulations reproduced the swelling pattern of these montmorillonites, sugge...

Water content affects mortar properties and the quality of the resultant masonry, however, it is often subjectively determined by the mason by assessing workability. This lack of explicit methodology and data, can lead to lack of mortar consistency and field performance, adversely affecting full uptake of lime mortars into mainstream technology. The aim of this research is to assist develop con...

Subsoil compaction can result in unfavourable soil physical conditions and hinder the root growth of maize. The effects of deep tillage and conventional tillage on soil physical properties and root growth of maize were studied during 2010–2011 at two sites (loam at Hebi and clay at Luohe) in central China. The results showed that soil penetration resistance, bulk density, water content and root...

-Reactions of smectite with phenols were investigated to understand the role of clay minerals in abating transport of these organic pollutants to ground water. Sorption of o-methylphenol, o-chlorophenol, and m-methylphenol by the clay with different exchange cations was accomplished by passing phenol vapors in a slow stream of air or nitrogen through the samples. The resulting products, extract...

Guan S., An N., Liu J.H., Zong N., He Y.T., Shi P.L., Zhang J.J., He N.P. (2018): Warming impacts on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus distribution in soil water-stable aggregates. Plant Soil Environ., 64: 64–69. A five-year (2010–2015) field experiment was conducted to investigate warming impacts on organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) contents and their ratios in b...

13 For solute transport in a deformable clay liner, the importance of consolidation 14 in the presence of sorption and consolidation-induced advection are well known. 15 Here a one-dimensional coupled consolidation and solute transport model for a 16 partially saturated porous medium, including the new features of finite strain and 17 geometric and material nonlinearity, is proposed. A new boun...

Over a million tonnes of cigarette butts (CBs) are produced worldwide annually. These CBs accumulate in the environment due to the poor biodegradability of the cellulose acetate filters and pose a serious environmental risk. This paper presents some of the results from a continuing study on recycling CBs into fired clay bricks. Properties including compressive strength, flexural strength, densi...

The engineering behavior of nonplastic silts is more difficult to characterize than is the behavior of clay or sand. Especially, behavior of silty soils is important in view of the seismicity of several regions of alluvial deposits in the world, such as the United States, China, and Turkey. In several hazards substantial ground deformation, reduced bearing capacity, and liquefaction of silty so...