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Center for Natural Resources and Sustainability DKU

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Country: Uzbekistan

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  • Biochar as an amendment material for improvement of expansive soil properties in Central Asia

    Year: 2025

    Collections: Scientific Publications

    Topics: Agriculture

    Authors: Ankit Garg, Sai Krishna Akash Ramineni, Neelima Satyam, Askar Zhussupbekov

    Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

    Source: https://cajscr.com/

    Soil salinity in Central Asia negatively impacts soil structure, leading to degradation and reduced water infiltration. This not only hampers agricultural productivity but also makes the land less suitable for construction due to its high susceptibility to deformation. Environmentally friendly materials like biochar, a carbon-rich substance, show promise in reducing the deformation of saline soils. However, the mechanisms behind its effectiveness are not yet fully understood. This study aims to analyse saline clays’ dispersion and sedimentation behaviour under varying pore water salinity levels (0 % to 10%). A biochar content of 5 % was selected as it is found to be optimum for plant growth and erosion resistance. It was found from the study that the biochar increases the aggregation of soil particles and enhances flocculation, improving soil dispersion characteristics. Biochar facilitates soil particle aggregation by increasing the cation exchange capacity. At higher pore water salinity levels (5% and 10%), the sedimentation behaviour of biochar-treated soil particles deviates from expectations, showing slower sedimentation rates and lower sedimentation heights. This is because the sodium ions are adsorbed by biochar, reducing salt’s effect on dispersion and sedimentation. The results demonstrate that biochar effectively enhances the stability of saline soils and, hence, has a potential use for ground improvement in the Central Asian region.


    Manual and Guideline of Water Assessment in Central Asia

    Year: 2025

    Collections: Manuals

    Topics: Water, IWRM

    Authors: Kogutenko Larissa, Safiya Asalbekova, Michael Walther

    Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

    Source: Journal of MOLARE Research Centre (MRC)

    Why water monitoring and assessment are important?

    Water quality assessment is one of the crucial scientific and practical analyses to identify the possibility of water consumption for different human needs and nature/ecosystem conservation for future generations. Water quality can be measured and monitored in rivers, springs, creeks, swamps, estuaries, wetlands and lakes what is called aquatic systems. Quality parameters, such as biological, chemical and physical indicators identify the combination of values that influence the composition of water. Monitoring and comparison of different water habitats (macro invertebrates) in biological monitoring provides an information of water quality and allows to make a quick assessment.


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