Coastal regions often face challenges with the degradation of cementitious foundations that have endured prolonged exposure to corrosive ions and cyclic loading induced by environmental factors, such as typhoons, vehicular traffic vibrations, and the impact of waves. To address these issues, this study focused on incorporating Nano-magnesium oxide (Nano-MgO) into cemented soils to investigate its potential impact on the strength, durability, corrosion resistance, and corresponding microstructural evolution of cemented soils. Initially, unconfined compressive strength tests (UCS) were conducted on Nano-MgO-modified cemented soils subjected to different curing periods in freshwater and seawater environments. The findings revealed that the addition of 3% Nano-MgO effectively increased the compressive strength and corrosion resistance of the cemented soils. Subsequent dynamic cyclic loading tests demonstrated that Nano-modified cemented soils exhibited reduced energy loss (smaller hysteresis loop curve area) under cyclic loading, along with a significant improvement in the damping ratio and dynamic elastic modulus. Furthermore, employing an array of microscopic analyses, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealed that the hydration byproducts of Nano-MgO, specifically Mg(OH)2 and magnesium silicate hydrates, demonstrated effective pore space occupation and enhanced interparticle bonding. This augmentation markedly heightened the corrosion resistance and durability of the cemented soil.

In semi-arid areas, light buildings, highways, and pavements are frequently damaged by the subsurface swelling or shrinkage of expansive soils during both wetting and drying cycles. The goal of this research is to explore the X-ray diffraction of natural clay with bentonite additives in order to determine the amount of expanding minerals in the clay based on changes in the diffractometer profile and diffraction intensity. Mineralogical studies are crucial for determining the geotechnical behavior of these soils. Five semi-arid areas were chosen to explore the key minerals that influence geotechnical behavior. The various geological backgrounds were reflected in differing expansivities, and X-ray diffraction revealed considerable mineralogy differences between the five zones under consideration. Non-sharp peaks rose above background intensities in zones containing smectite clay minerals. Significant expanding minerals produced distinct peaks in the clays. Adding 10, 20, 30, and 40% commercial bentonite changed the peak size and area beneath the peak. Overlapping intensities in clay minerals can affect the intensity of peaks in lower 2 theta ranges. This was discovered to influence the method of quantification and can be improved by the usage of heating or glycolation processes. The diffraction profile for each examined area is supplied, along with an identification of expansion minerals. The methodology is provided for estimating clay minerals in areas with similar geological origins. Qatif clays were discovered to be the most expansive with estimated expanded mineral concentrations ranging from 23.9 to 34.7%. The remaining four clays had mineral concentrations ranging from 4.4 to 20%. Two proposed semi-quantitative methods are investigated. The peak intensity method produced better results than the area under the peak method.

The current study aims to determine the impact of lime and Corex slag on the strength, durability, and compaction properties of coastal soil from Gujarat, India. Twelve mixes of soil with Corex slag (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%) and lime (2% and 4%) were added to determine their suitability as admixtures for stabilizing the subgrade layer. The Atterberg limits, free swelling index (FSI), compaction characteristics, California bearing ratio (CBR), durability, and unconfine compressive strength (UCS) of the stabilized soil with different curing days (0, 7, and 28) using standard Indian procedures were determined for the flexible pavement's subgrade layer. The test results show that Corex slag positively affects the maximum dry density (MDD), optimum moisture content (OMC), and soil plasticity. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated that the strength properties and durability were effectively improved after stabilization. The strength of the stabilized coastal soil significantly improved as a result of the binding gel formation, according to examinations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

This work studied biocomposites based on a blend of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), filled with 30 wt.% of cellulosic components (microcrystalline cellulose or wood flour). The LDPE/EVA ratio varied from 0 to 100%. It was shown that the addition of EVA to LDPE increased the elasticity of biocomposites. The elongation at break for filled biocomposites increased from 9% to 317% for microcrystalline cellulose and from 9% to 120% for wood flour (with an increase in the EVA content in the matrix from 0 to 50%). The biodegradability of biocomposites was assessed both in laboratory conditions and in open landfill conditions. The EVA content in the matrix also affects the rate of the biodegradation of biocomposites, with an increase in the proportion of the copolymer in the polymer matrix corresponding to increased rates of biodegradation. Biodegradation was confirmed gravimetrically by weight loss, an X-ray diffraction analysis, and the change in color of the samples after exposition in soil media. The prepared biocomposites have a high potential for implementation due to the optimal combination of consumer properties.

The PUMA beamline, created for the heritage community and accessible by all fields of science, welcomed its first users in 2019. Its optical layout uses a horizontal focusing mirror to prefocus the light emitted from the wiggler source for the experimental endstation. It provides a 5 mu m x 7 mu m microbeam for XRF, XAS, XRD and XEOL analysis or a wide 20 x 5 mm full field when the beam is defocused, and the KB mirrors are retracted. An extremely stable fixed-exit Si(111) monochromator is used to select the wavelength. Many experiments have been performed at PUMA, particularly in archaeology, paleontology, conservation, art history and in identifying safer conditions of irradiation for precious heritage samples. XRF analysis has been used, for example, to show the effects of the interaction of Palaeolithic ivory with soil; to identify the elemental composition of mineralized textiles and to reveal hidden morphologies of fossils.

Excavations soils from construction sites, when included as Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) can double waste amount and represent up to 80 % of waste composition. Limited recycling strategies are available for the material. In this work, soils with higher kaolinite contents were selected by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to produce high activity pozzolan. Twenty soil samples were collected in an inert CDW landfill, and seven samples (one-third of the total) containing higher kaolinite content were composed as a single sample for thermal and mechanical activation as pozzolan. At the temperature of 600 C, low crystallinity kaolinite was transformed into amorphous material (37 % g/g) achieving the highest pozzolanic activity [consumption of 519 mg Ca(OH)2/g of the sample]. The replacement of Portland cement by calcined soil (6, 10 and 18 %) had no significant rheological impact on the water to solid ratio and optimal dispersant content and affected slightly the heat and setting time of the pastes; therefore, workable, and technically applicable. The Portland cement replacement by calcined soil, despite a fixed water to solid ratio of 0.3 led to an increase in the water to cement ratios and in the porosities of the pastes. Due to the pozzolanic reaction, 6 and 10% -replacement of Portland cement by calcined soil did not impair the tensile strength of the pastes when compared to that of Portland cement paste. A 42-MPa 28 -day age blended Portland with calcined soil might be feasible to produce regarding Brazilian cement industry standard.

The present investigation evaluates the mechanical, thermal, morphological, and crystalline behaviour of green composite reinforced with bamboo fibre under recycling and various environmental conditions. The short bamboo fibre was chemically modified at an optimum condition by treating the fibre for 4 h using sodium hydroxide (2% w/v) to produce a sustainable bamboo fibre (BF)/polylactic acid (PLA) composite through injection moulding. The optimum injection conditions considered to develop BF/PLA composite were a melting temperature of 165 degrees C, injection speed of 60 mm/s, and injection pressure of 90 bars. The fibre length and loading of 4 mm and 20% were considered to fabricate the BF/PLA green composite. The developed BF/PLA composites were exposed to different environmental conditions like water, soil, refrigerator, and room temperature for four weeks. The fabricated BF/PLA green composite specimens were recycled five times by implementing the manual mechanical cutting process. The impact of various environmental conditions and recycling on the mechanical properties was systematically monitored. The morphology of the fractured recycled specimens and specimens exposed to different environmental conditions were also examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed on the recycled BF/PLA specimens to investigate the thermal degradation behaviour of the developed composites. The crystalline behaviour of the BF/PLA composite exposed to different environmental conditions and recycled samples was also analysed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The maximum water absorption and thickness of swelling of the developed composite were observed at 6.49% and 5.56% when compared to the dry BF/PLA specimens. The mechanical behaviour of the BF/PLA green composite was superior in room temperature conditions followed by refrigerating, soil burial, and water immersion conditions. The maximum degradation temperature of non-recycled and after the fifth recycled BF/PLA composite was perceived at 348 degrees C and 329 degrees C. The deterioration in PLA and BF was observed due to the thermo-mechanical recycling. The degree of crystallinity of the unexposed sample was observed as 57.75% with a semi-crystalline nature. The crystallinity of BF/PLA composite was changed to amorphous while exposed to water, soil, refrigerator, and room temperature with a degree of crystallinity of 9.41%, 18.62%, 31.62% and 37.93%. Meanwhile, the fifth recycled BF/PLA composite exhibited a degree of crystallinity of 12.71%.