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Sustainability
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Protection and Utilization of Black Soil for Sustainable Highway Engineering
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Protection and Utilization of Black Soil for Sustainable Highway Engineering

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2025) | Viewed by 2571

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chuang Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
Interests: geosynthetics; slope stability in cold regions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jinzhi Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: wetlands restoration; climate change; cycling of elements
Dr. Zhongshi Pei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Transportation Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Interests: solid waste resource utilization of asphalt pavement; environmentally friendly road materials
Dr. Miao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Heilongjiang Province Hydraulic Research Institute, Harbin, China
Interests: black soil; cold area engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Black soil is known as the “giant panda in arable land”, and the Northeast Plain of China is one of the only three major black soil areas in the world. This Special Issue promotes green transportation design, construction, and maintenance. The scope of this Special Issue focuses on developing the technical requirements of resource conservation and environmental protection, black soil resource utilization, and road ecological integration technologies in the construction of black soil highways. Topics include, but are not limited to: 1) the policy of utilizing black soil resources and ecological carbon fixation technology for highway clearing

  1. harmless crossing technology for agricultural and forestry expressways
  2. design and construction technology for low embankment expressways in black soil areas based on resource conservation concepts
  3. comprehensive utilization technology of corn straw and straw fiber in road engineering
  4. quality engineering construction of green expressways in black soil.

This Special Issue addresses the risks to human well-being posed by the misuse of land and degradation of black soil resources, proposing innovative solutions for the maintenance of black soil ecosystems and the sustainable utilization of black soil resources. It aims to lay a theoretical foundation and technical support for achieving the green transportation development goals of “green development, conservation and intensification, low-carbon and environmental protection” and to promote the sustainable utilization of natural resources.

Dr. Chuang Lin
Dr. Jinzhi Wang
Dr. Zhongshi Pei
Dr. Miao Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • black soil
  • highway engineering
  • sustainable development
  • carbon peak and neutrality
  • resource conservation
  • and environmental protection

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4713 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Embankment Temperature Regulation Efficiency of V-Shaped Bidirectional Heat Conduction Thermosyphon in Permafrost Regions
by Feike Duan, Bo Tian, Sen Hu and Lei Quan
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 6048; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136048 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 312
Abstract
The complex climate in permafrost regions poses severe challenges to infrastructure, and freeze-thaw cycles accelerate the deformation and damage of road embankments. Conventional thermosyphon technology, though effective in lowering permafrost temperatures, has a limited range of effect, making it hard to meet the [...] Read more.
The complex climate in permafrost regions poses severe challenges to infrastructure, and freeze-thaw cycles accelerate the deformation and damage of road embankments. Conventional thermosyphon technology, though effective in lowering permafrost temperatures, has a limited range of effect, making it hard to meet the demand for large-scale temperature regulation. This paper proposes a V-shaped transverse thermosyphon design with bidirectional heat conduction. It connects at the embankment centerline and transversely penetrates the entire cross-section to expand the temperature regulation range. Using a hydro-thermal coupling model, the temperature regulation effects of vertical, inclined, and V-shaped thermosyphons were calculated. Results show that the V-shaped design outperforms the other two in temperature control across different embankment areas. Transverse temperature analysis indicates uniform cooling around the embankment center, while depth temperature analysis reveals more stable temperature control with lower and less fluctuating temperatures at greater depths. Long-term temperature analysis demonstrates superior annual temperature regulation, providing consistent cooling. This research offers a scientific basis for embankment temperature regulation design in permafrost regions and is crucial for ensuring long-term embankment stability and safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protection and Utilization of Black Soil for Sustainable Highway Engineering)
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20 pages, 6877 KiB  
Article
Analyses of Variation Trends of Winter Cold Snaps in Subarctic and Arctic Alaska
by Xiaofeng Chang, Zhaohui Yang, Yimeng Zhu, Kaiwen Zhang and Changlei Dai
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2438; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062438 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 636
Abstract
Arctic Alaska is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the nation, severely impacting infrastructure built on permafrost. As winters warm, the effectiveness of thermosyphons used to stabilize foundations diminishes, increasing the risk of infrastructure failure. Because thermosyphons operate with the [...] Read more.
Arctic Alaska is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the nation, severely impacting infrastructure built on permafrost. As winters warm, the effectiveness of thermosyphons used to stabilize foundations diminishes, increasing the risk of infrastructure failure. Because thermosyphons operate with the highest efficiency during winter cold snaps, studying the variation trends and patterns of winter cold snaps in Alaska is particularly important. To address this issue, this study analyzes the historical temperature data of four selected locations in Subarctic and Arctic Alaska, including Bethel, Fairbanks, Nome, and Utqiagvik. The winter cold snap is defined as a period when the average daily temperature drops below a specific site’s mean winter air temperature. The frequency, duration, and intensity of the winter cold snaps are computed to reveal their trends. The results indicate that the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) shows a warming trend, accompanied by sudden warming after 1975 for all study sites. The long-term average monthly air temperature also indicates that the most significant warming occurs in the winter months from December to March. While the frequencies of winter cold snaps remain relatively unchanged, the mean intensity and duration of cold snaps show a declining trend. Most importantly, the most intense cold snap during which the thermosyphons are the most effective is becoming much milder over time for all study sites. This study focuses specifically on the impact of changes in winter cold spells on thermosyphon effectiveness while acknowledging the complexity of other influencing factors, such as temperature differences, design features, coolant properties, and additional climatic parameters (e.g., wind speed, precipitation, and humidity). The data for this study were obtained from the NOAA NCEI website. The findings of this study can serve as a valuable reference for the retrofit or design of foundations and for decision making in selecting appropriate foundation stabilizing measures to ensure the long-term stability and resilience of infrastructure in permafrost regions. Moreover, the insights gained from this research on freeze–thaw dynamics, which are also relevant to black soils, align with the journal’s focus on sustainable soil utilization and infrastructure resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protection and Utilization of Black Soil for Sustainable Highway Engineering)
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18 pages, 3917 KiB  
Article
Analytical Study on Water and Heat Coupling Process of Black Soil Roadbed Slope in Seasonal Frozen Soil Region
by Anshuang Su, Mingwei Hai, Miao Wang, Qi Zhang, Bin Zhou, Zhuo Zhao, Chuan Lu, Yanxiu Guo, Fukun Wang, Yuxuan Liu, Yuhang Ji, Bohang Chen and Xinyu Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(19), 8427; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198427 - 27 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1026
Abstract
The hydrothermal properties of black soils in seasonal frozen regions are more complex during the freezing process. In the context of the freezing and thawing cycles of black soil within seasonal freeze–thaw regions, there is a limited application of mathematical models to characterize [...] Read more.
The hydrothermal properties of black soils in seasonal frozen regions are more complex during the freezing process. In the context of the freezing and thawing cycles of black soil within seasonal freeze–thaw regions, there is a limited application of mathematical models to characterize the interplay between water and thermal dynamics. Therefore, existing models for analyzing water and heat in black soil in seasonal frozen regions may not be applicable or accurate. The application of existing models to the water and heat problems of black soil in seasonal frozen regions is important and innovative. This study is grounded in Darcy’s law pertaining to unsaturated soil water flow and is informed by principles of mass conservation, energy conservation, and conduction theory. The research begins with the establishment of definitions for relative saturation and the solid–liquid ratio through mathematical transformations. Subsequently, a theoretical model is developed to represent the water–heat coupling in black soil, utilizing relative saturation and temperature as field functions. The model’s validity is confirmed through its integration with experimental data from a black soil freezing and thawing model test. Furthermore, the analysis delves into the distribution of the temperature field, water field, and ice content that arise from the phase change processes occurring during the freezing and thawing of black soil roadbed slopes. There is a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of disasters associated with black soil roadbed slopes in seasonal frozen areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protection and Utilization of Black Soil for Sustainable Highway Engineering)
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