The effect of natural and chemical stabilizers on soil wind erosion control in the southeast of Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract Soil wind erosion control has a significant importance for humans and the environment, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Iran, especially in Khuzestan province, is greatly affected by soil wind erosion and the phenomenon of fine dust in recent years. One of the best practical methods to control this destructive phenomenon, is to restrain it at the source through the stabilization of soil in the region. In this paper, the effect of four natural and chemical stabilizers, Polyvinyl acetate, Bentonite, Zeolite, and Silica sol has been studied on the soil of southeast of Ahvaz in Khuzestan. Soil samples were gathered from the study area on trays, and stabilizer solutions were sprayed on each tray to prepare them for the wind tunnel test, Vane shear test, and SEM imagery. The tests were performed 7 and 30 days after the sample preparation to assess the effect of time passing on samples, too. The best performance in terms of soil erosion control, shear strength, and time-passing effect, was observed in the samples stabilized with Silica sol and Polyvinyl acetate. By analyzing SEM images, it was observed that Silica sol and Polyvinyl acetate solutions produced bigger soil particles than the other stabilizers.