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Freeze-Thaw Cycles of Rock and Soil in the Sustainable Ecological Environment and Engineering Safety

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 662

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Transportation Institute, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Interests: frozen soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering in cold regions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles significantly impact both ecological stability and engineering safety, especially in cold and high-altitude regions. Under climate change, intensified F-T cycles exacerbate soil erosion, rock weathering, infrastructure degradation, and ecosystem vulnerability. For instance, F-T cycles alter soil structure and induce salt frost in saline soils, threatening road durability and slope stability. Simultaneously, they regulate the physiological responses of desert mosses and soil greenhouse gas emissions, influencing carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Understanding these dual impacts is critical for achieving sustainability goals and balancing ecological resilience with engineering reliability.

This Special Issue aims to explore the mechanisms, mitigation strategies, and sustainable solutions for F-T cycle impacts on ecosystems and engineered systems. Topics may span material science, geotechnical engineering, and ecosystem dynamics. Contributions should advance knowledge on climate-adaptive materials, low-carbon technologies, and ecosystem-based engineering practices. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. Long-term ecological impacts of F-T cycles on soil structure and biogeochemical cycles;
  2. Climate-driven spatiotemporal variations in F-T processes and ecological feedback;
  3. F-T cycles and carbon–nitrogen dynamics in cold-region ecosystems;
  4. Land-use change and F-T cycles: Impacts on regional ecological security;
  5. Mechanisms of F-T-induced deterioration in rock/soil and eco-friendly reinforcement technologies;
  6. Coupling effects of F-T cycles and salt erosion on infrastructure materials.

Prof. Dr. Xiangtian Xu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • freeze–thaw cycles
  • sustainable ecological environment
  • engineering safety
  • rock/soil deterioration
  • climate adaptation
  • soil–water–salt dynamics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 9292 KiB  
Article
Research on the Anti-Erosion Capacity of Aeolian Sand Solidified with Enzyme Mineralization and Fiber Reinforcement Under Ultraviolet Erosion and Freeze–Thaw Erosion
by Jia Liu, Qinchen Zhu, Gang Li, Jing Qu and Jinli Zhang
Sustainability 2025, 17(11), 5053; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115053 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 513
Abstract
Aeolian sand is susceptible to wind and water erosion, which seriously restricts the ecological restoration and sustainable development in desert areas. Traditional solidification methods have characteristics of high cost, easy pollution, and unstable solidification. Enzyme-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) is an emerging method [...] Read more.
Aeolian sand is susceptible to wind and water erosion, which seriously restricts the ecological restoration and sustainable development in desert areas. Traditional solidification methods have characteristics of high cost, easy pollution, and unstable solidification. Enzyme-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) is an emerging method that has advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and durability, and, especially when coupled with fiber reinforcement (FR), it can significantly prevent brittle fracture. In this paper, ultraviolet (UV) erosion and freeze–thaw (FT) erosion tests were conducted to investigate the anti-erosion capacity of aeolian sand solidified by EICP and basalt fiber reinforcement (BFR) or wool fiber reinforcement (WFR). According to the analysis of the variation laws of sample appearance, quality losses, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) during the UV and FT erosion process, the erosion mechanism was revealed, and the UCS models considering the damage effects were established. The research results indicated that the UCS of aeolian sand solidified by MICP and FR was significantly improved under UV and FT erosion. The strength loss rates of aeolian sand solidified by EICP, EICP–BFR, and EICP–WFR reached 45.4%, 46.6%, and 51.6%, respectively, under 90 h UV erosion. When the FT cycles reached 8, the strength loss rate of aeolian sand solidified by EICP, EICP–BFR, and EICP–WFR attained 41.0%, 49.2%, and 55.8%, respectively. The determination coefficients of the UCS models were all greater than 0.876, indicating that the experimental results were in good agreement with the predicted results, verifying the reliability of the established models. The research results can offer reference values for windproof and sand fixation in desert areas. Full article
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