Investigation on the wind erosion resistance of aeolian sand solidified by enzyme mineralization combined with fiber reinforcement

Sandstorms can lead to atmospheric pollution, soil degradation and health damage, which the origin of frequent outbreaks is that traditional methods cannot effectively solve the solidified of aeolian sand. Enzyme induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) combined with basalt fiber reinforcement (BFR) or wool fiber reinforcement (WFR) method can significantly improved the strength and reduced the brittle fracture of sand. Based on the wind tunnel model test, this paper analyzed the effect of wind velocity (v), erosion angle (α), and erosion cycles (N) on the erosion resistance of aeolian sand solidified by EICP with BFR or WFR. According to analyzed the anti-erosion mechanism of aeolian sand, the erosion modulus model was established considered the effects of wind velocity and erosion angle. The results showed that compared with loose aeolian sand, EICP-solidified sand formed a hard layer on the surface, and the mass loss rate (η) increased with increasing of wind velocity, erosion angle and erosion cycles. Under the strongest erosion condition, the η of loose sand, EICP, EICP-BFR and EICP-WFR solidified aeolian sand reached 88.79%, 63.55%, 55.57% and 52.40%, respectively. As the number of erosion cycles increases, the η of EICP-solidified aeolian sand rises from 1.46 to 7.59%, that of EICP-BFR-solidified sand from 0.82 to 6.41%, and that of EICP-WFR-solidified sand from 0.71 to 6.26%. The addition of fiber can effectively promoted the cementation of CaCO₃ crystal, improved the surface strength and wind erosion resistance, and reduced the quality loss of aeolian sand. The experimental results agreed well with the model prediction results, which validated the reliability of erosion modulus model. The research results can provide a guideline for aeolian sand solidified in desert area.