A Study on Effect of Guar Biodegradable Biopolymer on Soil Wind Erosion

The present study investigated the effect of guar biopolymer on soil wind erosion. Assuming that Guar gum can control wind erosion, its ability to reduce soil wind erosion was examined by wind tunnel tests. Examined soil samples were gathered from sandy hills of Segzi plain, located in Isfahan Province. Then were prepared in plates with diameter of 23 cm treated with guar gum suspension so that 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1 and 1.2 gr of the biopolymer were scattered per square meter of sample surface. Wind tunnel tests were performed on samples at speed of 7 m/s to 15 m/s. The test results indicated that the resistant crust formed on soil surface due to spraying Guar suspension can highly increase soil resistance to wind erosion. 1.2 gr/m2 of Guar can reduce erosion up to 98 percent. Soil sieving analysis results pointed out that Guar gum causes enlargement of the soil aggregates and so in reduction of erosion and raise in threshold wind velocity from 7 to 10 m/s. Thus, using Guar gum can be considered as a suitable method for controlling soil wind erosion, after the field experiments.