ROCK-CELLULOSE COMPOSITES IN SOIL VENTILATION DUCTS FOR COMPACTED SOILS

Soil Ventilation Ducts (SVDs), produced from a rock–cellulose composite was prepared by mixing short-fibre cellulose with granite gravels, compressed into cylindrical briquettes. The SVDs were tested in compacted soil (compaction > 2.1 MPa) to assess their effect on water infiltration dynamics. The results confirmed the efficiency of SVD in enhancing soil water infiltration both under natural rainfall conditions and in controlled experiments increasing the volumetric water content from 35% to nearly 70%, while no change was observed in the control. Additionally, results from a controlled experiment demonstrate that the application of SVD substantially enhanced water infiltration. Registered absorption time of 4.7 litres of water on surface area of 615.75 cm² was 1440 min for the control (without SVD), 14.5 min at 15 cm SVD length, 2.5 min at 30 cm SVD length, and 2 min at 45 cm SVD length, indicating a strong positive relationship between SVD length and infiltration efficiency.