Mechanism of compacted biochar-amended expansive clay subjected to drying–wetting cycles: simultaneous investigation of hydraulic and mechanical properties

Biochar has been extensively studied in the aspect of amendment of compacted sandy/clayed soils, whereas its application as amendment in expansive soil is rare. Hydraulic and mechanical properties of biochar-amended expansive soil especially impacts of drying–wetting cycles have been rarely investigated. Aiming at construction of sponge city, straw biochar-amended expansive soil and the control soil (i.e., without biochar) are subjected to drying–wetting cycles in this study. During drying–wetting cycles, energy-dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses were conducted to investigate microchemical composition including. Pore size distribution and microstructure were measured using nitrogen gas-adsorption technique and scanning electron microscope, respectively. Further, changes in soil water retention curve, void ratio, crack intensity factor (CIF, i.e., ratio of cracked section area to the total soil area) and shear strength were also determined. It is found that there is no difference in water retention capacity between various soils for near-saturated samples. Under high suction, however, more water could be retained within mesopores of biochar-amended soil. FTIR analysis indicates that biochar-amended expansive soil shows stronger chemical bonding, irrespective of them being subjected to drying–wetting cycles. The weak alkalinity of straw biochar results from its main chemical composition (i.e., calcium carbonate). It is noteworthy that straw biochar improves soil water retention capacity, which further restrains desiccation cracks. Cohesion of biochar–soil composite is also improved due to chemical bonding. Aiming at green roofs, straw biochar could be promising option for expansive soil amendment technically and economically.