New laboratory techniques (novel) in making organic-mineral mulch to control wind and water erosion and its use in global scale

In recent decades, wind erosion is increasing across the world as a result of climate change and drought. Therefore, in this study we aim to make mulch with new formulation in order to control wind and water erosion. The materials have been chosen based on their efficiency, availability, and cheapness. Also, cement, gypsum, lime, and blackstrap mixture were selected to make organic-mineral mulch. Moreover, we applied response surface method to design and optimize the conditions of the experiment. In this study, we applied central composite design using 10-50 g of gypsum, 12.5-62.5 g of lime, 2.5-12.5 g of blackstrap, and 2.5-12.5 g of cement. The results showed that as all materials cause an increase in the resistance of soil as they are used more, and ultimately they lead to a decrease in erosion except for gypsum which has opposite reaction in high density. Furthermore, in order to reach the minimum wind erosion, a mixture of cement 6.43 g, blackstrap 9.25 g, gypsum 37.26 g, lime 48.92 g was suggested by design-expert software. Based on this experiment, the lowest minimum amount of water erosion was obtained when 5.86 g of blackstrap, 5.13 g of cement, 31.65 g of gypsum, and 46.83 g of lime were applied in the mixture. Analysis of variance showed that data simulation and comparison with real data are highly accurate. (90% accurate) Therefore, the formulation in this study has enough standards to be utilized to control erosion in many regions in the world.

Automated summary

In this study, a new formulation of mulch was developed using materials like cement, gypsum, lime, and blackstrap mixture to control wind and water erosion. Response surface method was applied to design and optimize the experiment conditions. The results showed that the materials increase soil resistance and decrease erosion, with gypsum showing opposite reaction at high density. A suggested mixture for minimum wind erosion was achieved, while the lowest water erosion amount was obtained with a specific combination of materials. Analysis of variance confirmed the accuracy of the data simulation. The formulation in this study meets standards to control erosion globally.