Evaporative Cracking Characteristics of the Embankment Soil Affected by the Saline Concentration

Embankment soil affected by saline can not only cause roadbed settlement, frosting, and road cracks but also cause corrosion and cracking of roadbed pipelines, which seriously affects the stability of the road. Water evaporation and dry cracking of the saline soil mainly cause soil swelling, poor water stability, and corrosive characteristics of the embankment soil. In this study, the evaporative cracking characteristics of soil with different saline concentrations were investigated. The results showed that the moisture content decreased linearly with the drying time in the early evaporation process, subsequently decreased slow down in the mid-term evaporation, and finally become got and remain a residual moisture content, which are 46.39%, 44.05%, 42.70%, and 40.27% with the increase of the saline concentration. The evaporation process with different saline concentrations in the soil can be divided into three stages: uniform evaporation stage, slow down evaporation stage, and equilibrium evaporation stage, which was consistent with the moisture content change. With the development of the drying time, the cracks gradually appeared on the soil surface, gradually deepened in the soil, and expanded the crack network. The development of cracks can be divided into three stages: the cracking preparation stage, the crack development stage, and the crack stable stage. The cracking began at high evaporation rate under high saline concentration, and the fractal dimension remained stable under similar saline concentration. The fractal dimension was gradually increased with the decrease of the moisture content and the increase of the saline concentration, respectively. The soil began to crack with larger moisture under high saline concentration. The drying cracks in the nature were consistent with the configuration of the cracks formed in the experimental results.

Oscillatory Reversible Osmotic Growth of Sessile Saline Droplets on a Floating Polydimethylsiloxane Membrane

We report a cyclic growth/retraction phenomena observed for saline droplets placed on a cured poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membrane with a thickness of 7.8 ± 0.1 µm floating on a pure water surface. Osmotic mass transport across the micro-scaled floating PDMS membrane provided the growth of the sessile saline droplets followed by evaporation of the droplets. NaCl crystals were observed in the vicinity of the triple line at the evaporation stage. The observed growth/retraction cycle was reversible. A model of the osmotic mass transfer across the cured PDMS membrane is suggested and verified. The first stage of the osmotic growth of saline droplets is well-approximated by the universal linear relationship, whose slope is independent of the initial radius of the droplet. The suggested physical model qualitatively explains the time evolution of the droplet size. The reported process demonstrates a potential for use in industrial desalination.

Effect of Sulfate Crystallization on Sandstone in the Yungang Grottoes

Subjected to various weathering in nature over long time, sandstone has been deteriorated in the Yungang Grottoes. The repeated dissolution and crystallization of soluble salts are important factors that cause the deterioration of the grotto sandstone. In order to study the action mechanism of sulfate crystallization in the Yungang Grottoes sandstone, deterioration tests were carried out by the “soaking-evaporation” cycle of saturated magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and saturated sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) solutions in laboratory. The test results show that the participation of sulfate greatly accelerated the weathering speed of sandstone. The ultrasonic velocity of the specimens circulated in both Na2SO4 and MgSO4 solutions show a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, and changes more obviously in Na2SO4 solution. In the evaporation stage of the circulation, the peeling mass of the specimens circulated in Na2SO4 solution is significantly greater than that in MgSO4 solution. From the evaporation tests on saturated Na2SO4 and MgSO4 solutions and observation with optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, it is found that a dense crystal layer was formed on the surface during the evaporation of saturated MgSO4 solution, and it gradually seals the internal solution, slowing down the further evaporation. During the solution evaporation, Na2SO4 crystallizes into powdery crystals in a flocculent and soft state, and there are pores between the crystal grains. The change in the ultrasonic velocity of specimens in the "soaking-evaporation" cycle tests can be explained by the evaporation test results.

Evaporation of Sessile Droplets of Polyelectrolyte/Surfactant Mixtures on Silicon Wafers

The wetting and evaporation behavior of droplets of aqueous solutions of mixtures of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) solution, PDADMAC, with two different anionic surfactants, sodium laureth sulfate, SLES, and sodium N-lauroyl N-methyl taurate, SLMT, were studied in terms of the changes of the contact angle θ and contact length L of sessile droplets of the mixtures on silicon wafers at a temperature of 25 °C and different relative humidities in the range of 30–90%. The advancing contact angle θa was found to depend on the surfactant concentration, independent of the relative humidity, with the mixtures containing SLES presenting improved wetting behaviors. Furthermore, a constant droplet contact angle was not observed during evaporation due to pinning of the droplet at the coffee-ring that was formed. The kinetics for the first evaporation stage of the mixture were independent of the relative humidity, with the evaporation behavior being well described in terms of the universal law for evaporation.

Desiccation Cracking Behavior of Polyurethane and Polyacrylamide Admixed Clayey Soils

There has been a growing interest in polymer applied for soil reinforcement in recent years. However, there little attention has been paid to the effects of polymer on soil cracking behavior, and cracks significantly change soil strength and hydraulic properties and alter reinforcement effectiveness. This study investigated the desiccation cracking behavior of polyurethane (PU) and polyacrylamide (PAM) admixed clayey soils with different polymer concentrations by performing desiccation cracking tests. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation was also carried out to obtain the internal structure of these soils. The results show that PU and PAM addition both prolonged the initial evaporation stage, accelerated later evaporation processes, and the effects were related to polymer concentration. Final cracks morphology analyses show that PAM addition slightly reduced the cracking and crushing degree and kept the soil relatively intact, while PU addition slightly enhanced the cracking and crushing degree of soil. In addition, PU and PAM addition both increased the width and length of cracks. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses show that the effects of polymer on soil evaporation and cracking could be concluded as: (1) storing water in voids, (2) influencing water immigration channel, (3) providing space for soil shrinkage, and (4) enhancing the connection between aggregates, which did not fully come into play because of the existence of hydrogel form. These achievements provide a certain basis for the research of desiccation cracking behavior of polymer treated soil and make significant sense for the safe and effective running of related projects.

Preliminary design of optimized heat integrated two-stage vacuum evaporation for processing digestate from biogas plant

This work presents a preliminary design of a two-stage vacuum evaporation process converting a diluted liquid digestate into concentrated liquid fertilizers. Di-gestate is produced in a 1 MW biogas plant during the anaerobic digestion of poultry manure and corn silage. Laboratory experiments showed that in the first evaporation stage, about three-quarters of input digestate can be stripped to a diluted ammonia solution, while the concentrate can be used as phospho-rus-potassium PK-fertilizer. After neutralization with H2SO4, the ammonium sulphate solution is concentrated in the second evaporation stage. Feasible operating temperatures that allow heat integration between the two stages were determined in a laboratory environment at 40 ?C for the first stage and 60 ?C for the second. A preliminary process flow sheet was simulated in Aspen Plus to obtain data for heat integration and optimization of industrial-scale processes. The process was completely integrated by using the waste hot utility available at the site, while the external utilities demand was virtually zero. Optimizing the flow rate of the added sulphuric acid improved overall economic performance. The optimization and heat integration of the two-stage vacuum evaporation process within a biogas plant resulted in a circular and economically viable waste management technology.

The Sensitivity of Temperature to Tachyhydrite Formation: Evidence from Evaporation Experiments of Simulated Brines Based on Compositions of Fluid Inclusions in Halite

An average of concentrations of Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, and Cl– in fluid inclusions, from the Khorat Plateau evaporite primary halite, was employed. The evaporation–crystallization sequence and paths were obtained under various temperature conditions for the quinary system, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+//Cl–-H2O. The results showed (1) a halite, sylvite, and carnallite stage at 25°C; (2) a halite, sylvite, carnallite, and bischofite stage at 35°C; and (3) a halite, sylvite, carnallite, bischofite, and tachyhydrite stage at 50°C. These results indicated that (1) a hot state is favorable for tachyhydrite formation, (2) tachyhydrite occurs in the late evaporation stage, and (3) the stability field of tachyhydrite increases with increasing temperature. The crystallization paths were plotted by the application of Jänecke phase diagram at 25°C, 35°C, and 50°C involving the system Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+//Cl–-H2O. The crystallization sequence predicted on the Jänecke phase diagram showed a good agreement with the experimental crystallization sequences and paths. Tachyhydrite precipitate more easily from a high Ca concentration solution during the late evaporation stage with increasing temperature under the same relative humidity condition. The evaporite mineral succession in the Khorat Plateau, Sergipe, and Congo basins agrees well with the mineral precipitation sequences predicted from their own fluid inclusions in halite. This is confirmed by the simulation of the Jänecke phase diagram at 50°C involving the system Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+//Cl–-H2O. The precipitation of tachyhydrite was sensitive to the temperature, and that the thermal resource may originate from a temperature profile in the solar pond. This study presented a simulated approach that can help in understanding similar cases that studies the sensitivity of temperature to salt formation.