Population growth has resulted in industrialization, massive construction, and significant mining to supply the population's ever-increasing needs. The study deals with waste material utilization for soil properties enhancement, reducing construction costs and benefiting the environment. Bottom ash, one such effluent released from thermal power plants, was used in percentages 0, 20, 50, 70, and 100% by weight. Laboratory tests were conducted, including the sand replacement method, unconfined compression test, and shear test, to study the enhanced mechanical properties of the soil, adding bottom ash to it. Initially, the property of backfill material is enhanced and further it is used behind the wall along with the geofoam placed strategically to significantly reduce lateral stresses exerted on the retaining wall further optimizing the overall structural efficiency. Geofoam of three different densities, 11 kg/m3 (11EPS), 16 kg/m3 (16EPS), and 34 kg/m3 (34EPS), has been tested to understand how the compressive strength and corresponding modulus values change with the unit weight and strain rate. It was observed that with an elevating density of geofoam, unit weight, compressive strength, shear strength, and shear strength parameters increased, whereas water absorption capacity decreased. The results of this study can be used as a reference for the quality control of geofoam. The effective use of geofoam placed behind a stiff retaining wall in reducing lateral stresses brought on by a combination of backfill material and loading conditions was evaluated using a finite element model. The results obtained through the numerical investigations were validated with the differential element method developed. Results obtained through numerical and calculated models were in good accord with a percentage error of less than 20%. The impact of geofoam density, relative thickness, and friction angle of backfill on the efficiency of geofoam in reducing lateral stresses was then investigated using a parametric analysis. Earth pressure reduction obtained for different backfill types and lower density geofoam (11 EPS) of thickness 10 cm was between 23.27 and 62.72% obtained numerically. The highest earth pressure reduction, i.e., 64.17%, was obtained for 11EPS geofoam of thickness 15 cm laid behind the bottom-ash-backfilled retaining wall. Parametric charts prepared with the obtained results can help determine the required thickness of geofoam for any desired earth pressure reduction efficiency.

In this research, a soil reinforcement approach was explored by introducing a polyvinyl acetate polymer treatment along with sisal fiber material, considering two mean particle sizes (D50 = 0.63 and 2.00 mm). The sand specimens were mixed with varying sisal fiber contents (Fs = 0 to 0.8%) and polyvinyl acetate polymer contents (PVAc = 6%, 9%, and 12%). A series of unconfined compression tests were performed to evaluate the compressive strength of the tested materials. The experimental findings indicate a positive correlation between the concentration of polyvinyl acetate polymer and the unconfined compressive strength within the tested range. The shear strength and of the sand initially increases with rising sisal fiber contents and then decreases with further increments in sisal fiber, peaking at a maximum value when the fiber content reaches a threshold of 0.6%. The findings validate the significance of the strain energy parameter as a reliable indicator for elucidating and forecasting the mechanical characteristics of soil reinforcement. New correlations have been developed to predict variations in unconfined compressive strength and peak strain energy based on the studied parameters (Fs, PVAc, and D50). The agreement between predicted and measured characteristics validates the effectiveness of these established relationships in accurately predicting UCS and strain energy factors.

Geofoam, when substituting soil, reduces lateral static load due to its lightweight and compressible nature. The alignment and the orientation of the geofoam greatly affect the deflection of the wall. This paper investigates the influence of different geofoam orientations on the load-deformation characteristics of the reinforced retaining wall. Static load tests were performed when sand or geomaterial prepared from sand, bottom ash, and plastic strips were used as a backfill material. Different orientations were explored when geofoam of densities 11D, 16D, and 34D where D is the density of geofoam were laid in different directions. A layer of compressible inclusion with a thickness of 10 cm was laid either in the vertical direction alone or in both vertical and horizontal directions. Another option was to use a 10-cm-thick geofoam laid in the vertical direction and geofoam strips of thickness 2, 3, or 5 cm laid in layers. The reinforcement effect was analyzed using bearing capacity ratio, vertical displacement reduction, and wall deflection reduction. Results indicated that higher-density geofoam is more efficient in reducing settlement values and increasing bearing capacity. Lower-density geofoam excelled in wall deflection reduction. The most substantial improvements were observed for 10-cm-thick 16D geofoam laid in the vertical direction, accompanied by 5-cm-thick strips laid in three layers in the horizontal direction. This combination reduced the settlement and wall deflection to 78.23% and 98.81%, respectively.

Pile-supported embankments have been recognized as long-standing solutions for construction in compressible soft soils. Instead of improving the physical and mechanical properties of the soft soil, this method emphasizes efforts to transfer the embankment load to a competent layer below the compressible layer. Mortar column inclusion (inklusi kolom mortar or IKM) is recognized as one of the rigid inclusions in a pile-supported embankment. The IKM combined with a load transfer platform (LTP) has been widely utilized to support embankments. Studies on pile-supported embankments have generally focused on the arching mechanisms and geotextile tensile force evaluations; however, most of these investigations were conducted on soft cohesive soils. The application of pile-supported embankment on peat has rarely been studied comprehensively. This study presents a full-scale trial embankment on peat in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The 8-m-high trial embankment was supported by a series of IKM piles and a geotextile-reinforced LTP layer; instruments were then installed in the embankment, ground, LTP, geotextile, and IKM. These instruments included a series of vibrating wire earth pressure cells, vibrating wire strain gages, fiber optic sensors, vibrating wire piezometers, settlement profilers, settlement plates, and inclinometers. The instruments provided observations on the ground movements, IKM displacements, and stresses in the materials. Comprehensive evaluations from field monitoring allowed study of load transfer via the arching mechanism, deformation pattern, and IKM performance in peat. Finite element analyses (FEAs) were also conducted for comparison and verification. The field monitoring results and FEAs showed good agreement, thereby demonstrating the potential of the proposed ground improvement method for embankment construction on peat.

Due to extensive sand mining, the depletion of traditional backfill materials is a significant concern globally. Unsustainable sand mining practices, driven by construction demand, result in environmental degradation and resource depletion. Alternative materials like coal-fired power plant bottom ash and plastic waste offer cost and eco-friendly advantages for backfilling. Reinforced soil walls, compared to traditional structures, accommodate more settlement and load, providing flexibility, resistance to static and dynamic stresses, and improved aesthetics. To mitigate lateral earth pressure on retaining walls, incorporating compressible inclusions between the backfill and the wall reduces stress, ensuring long-term stability. The current investigation examines the effectiveness of sand or geomaterial prepared from sand (S), bottom ash (10-50% by dry weight), and plastic strips (0.5-1.25% by dry weight) together as backfill, behind the wall to improve the deformation characteristics of the wall and reduce lateral soil pressure. At the interface between the wall and the backfill, geofoam with densities 11D, 16D, and 34D, where D is measured in kg/m3 was used as an absorber to reduce wall lateral movement, settlement, and lateral push acting on the wall. To determine the efficacy of geofoam inclusion, parametric studies were carried out with a range of factors, including geofoam density, backfill characteristics, and surcharge load on the backfill. The model retaining wall was backfilled with either sand or geomaterial under simple strain circumstances. Plaxis 2D numerical modeling was performed for similar conditions and backfill types showed test results from both approaches exhibit excellent agreement. Results from numerical analysis and experimental method gave an optimal mix of the geomaterial (Sand + 50% BA + 1% PS) and geofoam density (34D in case of settlement reduction and 11D in case of lateral movement reduction and earth pressure reduction) that can yield maximum reduction of earth pressure with minimal deformation characteristics was suggested. When 34D geofoam was laid behind the wall backfilled with S, 50% BA, and 1% PS resulted in 172% and 178% improvement in bearing capacities for tests conducted experimentally and numerically. The corresponding settlement reduction values were 73% and 75%. The wall deflection reduction at locations 300 mm (H1) and 500 mm (H2) from the base of wall and earth pressure reduction for 11 D as CI and same backfill were about 82%, 82%, and 43% respectively for both analyses. Conclusively, the provision of geofoam as CI at the interface of the wall and backfill manifests to be a feast alternative for improving the performance of the retaining wall in terms of increasing bearing capacity, reducing settlement, lateral deformation, and earth pressure.

Contact herbicides are widely used if rapid weeds eradication is required despite of a number of inherent disadvantages (transfer to water and soil, damage of non-target plants, promotion of resistant weeds expansion, etc.). Supramolecular chemistry can solve the problems associated with herbicide degradation and spreading, as well as suppress their harmful effects on humans and the environment. Pillar[n]arene derivatives are of special interest among other macrocyclic platforms due to their ability to implement various substrates in the macrocycle cavity. However, most of the works devoted to the interaction of pillararenes with pesticides considers binding of paraquat and its derivatives. In this work, water soluble derivatives of pillar[5]arene containing Ltryptophan residues have been proposed for binding a range of herbicides including paraquat dichloride, pyridate, 3-(methylphosphinico)propionic acid, and glufosinate-ammonium. The ester derivative of pillar[5]arene was found to be able to bind the above species. The betaine derivative showed selective and efficient interaction with pyridate (logKa = 4.02) and paraquat (logKa = 3.17). The effect of the charge of the pillar[5]arene substituent on the toxicity of the macrocyclic platform towards A549 and LEK cell lines was demonstrated. Introduction of carboxylate functions to form betaine fragments compensated for the positive charge of the macrocycle substituent and decreased its toxicity by three orders of magnitude for A549 cell line (167.0 mu M), and by two orders of magnitude for LEK cells (56.0 mu M) compared to ester derivative of pillar[5]arene (3.1 and 3.6 mu M respectively). The results obtained confirmed the prospects of the use of amino acid derivatized pillar[5] arenes in the development of new approaches to the removal of the herbicides from the environment that are demanded both in agriculture and aquaculture.

A nuclear explosion in the rock mass medium can produce strong shock waves, seismic shocks, and other destructive effects, which can cause extreme damage to the underground protection infrastructures. With the increase in nuclear explosion power, underground protection engineering enabled by explosion-proof impact theory and technology ushered in a new challenge. This paper proposes to simulate nuclear explosion tests with on-site chemical explosion tests in the form of multi -hole explosions. First, the mechanism of using multi -hole simultaneous blasting to simulate a nuclear explosion to generate approximate plane waves was analyzed. The plane pressure curve at the vault of the underground protective tunnel under the action of the multi -hole simultaneous blasting was then obtained using the impact test in the rock mass at the site. According to the peak pressure at the vault plane, it was divided into three regions: the stress superposition region, the superposition region after surface re flection, and the approximate plane stress wave zone. A numerical simulation approach was developed using PFC and FLAC to study the peak particle velocity in the surrounding rock of the underground protective cave under the action of multi -hole blasting. The time-history curves of pressure and peak pressure partition obtained by the on-site multi -hole simultaneous blasting test and numerical simulation were compared and analyzed, to verify the correctness and rationality of the formation of an approximate plane wave in the simulated nuclear explosion. This comparison and analysis also provided a theoretical foundation and some research ideas for the ensuing study on the impact of a nuclear explosion. (c) 2024 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY -NC -ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

The H2O concentration and H2O/Ce ratio in olivine-hosted melt inclusions are high in lunar pyroclastic sample 74220 (H2O up to 1410 ppmw; H2O/Ce up to 77) but lower (H2O 10 to 430 ppmw; H2O/Ce 0.3 to 9.4) in all other lunar samples studied before this work. The difference in H2O concentration and in H2O/Ce ratio is absent for other volatile elements (F, S, and Cl) in melt inclusions in 74220 and other lunar samples. Because H2O (or H) is a critical volatile component with significant ramifications on the origin and evolution of the Moon, it is important to understand what causes such a large gap in H2O/Ce ratio between 74220 and other lunar samples. Two explanations have been advanced. One is that volcanic product in sample 74220 has the highest cooling rate and thus best preserved H2O in melt inclusions compared to melt inclusions in other samples. The other explanation is that sample 74220 comes from a localized heterogeneity enriched in some volatiles. To distinguish these two possibilities, here we present new data from two rapidly cooled lunar samples with glassy melt inclusions: olivine-hosted melt inclusions (OHMIs) in 79135 regolith breccia (unknown cooling rate but with glassy MIs similar in texture with those in 74220), and pyroxene-hosted melt inclusions (PHMIs) in 15597 pigeonite basalts (known high cooling rate, second only to 74220 and 15421). In addition, we also investigated new OHMIs in sample 74220. If the gap is due to the difference in cooling rates, samples with cooling rates between those of 74220 and other studied lunar samples should have preserved intermediate H2O concentrations and H2O/Ce ratios. Our results show that melt inclusions in 79135 and 15597 contain high H2O concentrations (up to 969 ppmw in 79135 and up to 793 ppmw in 15597) and high H2O/Ce ratios (up to 21 in 79135 and up to 13 in 15997), bridging the big gap in H2O/Ce ratio among 74220 and other lunar samples. Combined with literature data, we confirm that H2O/Ce ratios of different lunar samples are positively correlated to the cooling rates and independent of the type of mare basalts. We hence reinforce the interpretation that the lunar sample with the highest cooling rate best represents pre-eruptive volatiles in lunar basalts due to the least degassing. Based on Ce concentration in the primitive lunar mantle, we estimate that H2O concentration in the primitive lunar mantle (meaning bulk silicate Moon) is 121 +/- 15 ppmw. Our new data also further constrain F/P, S/Dy and Cl/Ba ratios in lunar basalts and the lunar mantle. Estimated F, P, and S concentrations in the lunar primitive mantle are 4.4 +/- 1.1 ppmw, 22 +/- 8 ppmw, and 67+67 33 ppmw, respectively.

Earth's Moon was thought to be highly depleted in volatiles due to its formation by a giant impact. Over the last decade, however, evidence has been found in apatites, lunar volcanic glass beads, nominally anhydrous minerals and olivine-hosted melt inclusions, to support a relatively wet Moon. In particular, based on H2O/Ce, F/Nd, and S/Dy ratios, recent melt inclusion (MI) work estimated volatile (H2O, F, and S) abundances in lunar rocks to be similar to or slightly lower than the terrestrial depleted mantle. Uncertainties still occur, however, in whether the limited numbers of lunar samples studied are representative of the primitive lunar mantle, and whether the high H2O/Ce ratio for pyroclastic sample 74220 is due to local heterogeneity. In this paper, we report major element, trace element, volatile, and transition metal data in MIs for 5 mare basalt samples (10020, 12040, 15016, 15647 and 74235) and a pyroclastic deposit (74220). With our new lunar MI data, H2O/Ce ratios are still found to vary significantly among different lunar samples, from similar to 50 for 74220, to similar to 9 for 10020, similar to 3 for 74235, 1.7 to 0.9 for 12008, 15016, and 15647, and 0.5 for 12040. H2O/Ce ratios for these samples show positive correlation with their cooling rates, indicating a possible effect of post-eruptive loss of H on their H2O/ Ce variations. It is evident that most other lab and lunar processes, including loss of H2O during homogenization, mantle partial melting, magma evolution, and ingassing during or post eruption are unlikely the causes of high H2O/Ce variations among different lunar samples. By comparing ratios of F/Nd, S/Dy, Zn/Fe, Pb/Ce, Cs/Rb, Rb/Ba, Cl/K, Na/Sr, Ga/Lu, K/Ba, and Li/Yb between 74220 and other lunar samples, the possibility of 74220 originating from a volatile-enriched heterogeneity in the lunar mantle can also be excluded. With all the above considerations, we think that the H2O/Ce ratio for 74220 best represents the pre-degassing lunar basaltic melt and primitive lunar mantle, either because it was formed by a rapid eruption process, or it was sourced from a deeper part of the lunar mantle that experienced less degassing H2O loss during lunar magma ocean crystallization. With an H2O/Ce ratio of similar to 50, the primitive lunar mantle is estimated to contain similar to 84 ppm H2O. Comparing volatile abundances in melt inclusions, glassy embayments, and glass beads in 74220 yields the following volatility trend for volcanic eruptions on the lunar surface: H2O >> Cl >> Zn approximate to Cu approximate to F > S approximate to Ga approximate to Cs > Rb approximate to Pb > Na > K approximate to Li. Using the melt inclusion data obtained thus far, the volatile depletion trend for the Moon from a MI perspective is estimated. Our results show that most of the volatile elements in the lunar mantle are depleted relative to the bulk silicate Earth by a factor of 2 to 20, however, a good correlation between half condensation temperature and the volatile depletion trend is not observed. The relatively flat pattern for the lunar volatile depletion trend requires a lunar formation model that can reconcile the abundances of these volatiles in the lunar mantle. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Volatile abundances in lunar mantle are critical factors to consider for constraining the model of Moon formation. Recently, the earlier understanding of a dry Moon has shifted to a fairly wet Moon due to the detection of measurable amount of H2O in lunar volcanic glass beads, mineral grains, and olivine-hosted melt inclusions. The ongoing debate on a dry or wet Moon requires further studies on lunar melt inclusions to obtain a broader understanding of volatile abundances in the lunar mantle. One important uncertainty for lunar melt inclusion studies, however, is whether the homogenization of melt inclusions would cause volatile loss. In this study, a series of homogenization experiments were conducted on olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the sample 74220 to evaluate the possible loss of volatiles during homogenization of lunar melt inclusions. Our results suggest that significant loss of H2O could occur even during minutes of homogenization, while F, Cl and S in the inclusions remain unaffected. We model the trend of H2O loss in homogenized melt inclusions by a diffusive hydrogen loss model. The model can reconcile the observed experimental data well, with a best-fit H diffusivity in accordance with diffusion data explained by the slow mechanism for hydrogen diffusion in olivine. Surprisingly, no significant effect for the low oxygen fugacity on the Moon is observed on the diffusive loss of hydrogen during homogenization of lunar melt inclusions under reducing conditions. Our experimental and modeling results show that diffusive H loss is negligible for melt inclusions of >25 mu m radius. As our results mitigate the concern of H2O loss during homogenization for crystalline lunar melt inclusions, we found that H2O/Ce ratios in melt inclusions from different lunar samples vary with degree of crystallization. Such a variation is more likely due to H2O loss on the lunar surface, while heterogeneity in their lunar mantle source is also a possibility, A similar size-dependence trend of H2O concentrations was also observed in natural unheated melt inclusions in 742204 By comparing the trend of diffusive H loss in the natural MIs and in our homogenized MIs, the cooling rate for 74220 was estimated to be similar to 1 degrees C/s or slower. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.