Protection of Irrigation Canals at Desert Areas from Sand Dunes Hazards Using Ecotechniques

International Journal of Civil Engineering

© 2015 by SSRG - IJCE Journal

Volume 2 Issue 1

Year of Publication : 2015

Authors : Mohamed K. Ay-Eldeen, Abdalazim M. Negm, Masaaki Suzuki

10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V2I1P105

How to Cite?

Mohamed K. Ay-Eldeen, Abdalazim M. Negm, Masaaki Suzuki, "Protection of Irrigation Canals at Desert Areas from Sand Dunes Hazards Using Ecotechniques," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 2,  no. 1, pp. 32-38, 2015. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V2I1P105

Abstract:

Wind transports billions of tons sand form sand dunes annually. Significant amount of this sand moves toward the irrigation canals and settles in. Accumulation of fine sand is causing serious hydraulics and biological problems such as rising of bed level which in turn change the hydraulic characteristics of the canal (discharge, velocity, water depth, … etc). The accumulated fine sand is a suitable media for growth of aquatic weeds and algae which reduce the canal cross sections as well as deteriorate the water quality downstream the infected area. A variety of different chemicals are available on the market for sand dune stabilization. Most of these chemicals are expensive, toxic, and contaminated. The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential use of biopolymers as a dust damping ecotechnique to protect irrigation canals in desert hot-arid areas where rainfall is very limited or no rainfall and water damping fails. The first part of the experimental program focused on the investigation of the effect of applying of biopolymer to sandy soil on the shear strength of the soil and how this is affected by time and concentration. While, in the second part, a wind box was built to investigate the effect of wind erosion on treated sand samples with different biopolymer concentrations. The results proved biopolymer can be used effectively in stabilizing sand dunes and hence has a potential use a protection ecotechnique for irrigation canals constructed in desert from the hazards of sand dunes. The study recommends a combined use of the biopolymer and the trees as well known windbreak.

Keywords:

Soil erosion, Biopolymer, Shear strength, Sand dunes, Wind box.

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