Incredible photo is that. How the sand is water proof. Miracle to see sand which is not absorbing water. Scientists should use this sand to make some new breakthroughs. As in the article water scarcity discussion may be carried out. Its a good idea according to me. Topsoil Screeners
duality2009
· 3 months ago
I must be missing something. What is the advantage of waterproof sand encased in polyethylene sheets over just large polyethylene sheets by themselves? In other words, why not just lay down sheets of waterproof plastic under the sand?
The only mention I saw of any other property is this quote:
"One of the advantages of the hydrophobic sand, Schulze said, is that while it allows aerobic activity to move upward from the soil, it prevents underground desert salinity deposits from passing through to plant roots above; salt is corrosive and kills plants."
If the sand allows air to move up through it then the polyethylene sheets must share this property, because the sand is inside the polyethylene sheets -- otherwise no air would get through anyway. So the only thing the sand seems to offer is that it prevents salinity deposits from moving through. If the plastic had that property also it seems that there would be no need for the sand at all. It seems to me (admittedly a layperson) that it would be much more practical to develop plastic that had both required properties and remove the sand, which must be heavy and bulky, from the equation entirely.
Yet they're apparently using and manufacturing tons of this sand, so there's more to this than I understand. I think the article could have given a clearer explanation of exactly what the sand does that makes it a required part of the solution instead of some plastic-based nano-material with similar properties. Cool photo, though.
the HST roll is the world's first triple sealing material with a thickness of only 20mm (less than one inch). It adjusts to the ground and can be delivered in all configurations. Covering up to 7000 square meters of HST roll every day is made possible through simple and effective processing. the roll has high compressive strength of 104 N/sq mm. therefore soil can be dispersed with loaders or tip trucks over the roll after it has been laid. When being used in a large configuration, a special glue and cold welding techniques will be applied to bond the Rolls to each other, ensuring maximum durability. The glue can be applied manually or using special machinery. High Uv resistant. Certified lifespan of minimum 30 years. Weighs 36 kg/sq mt. Is self-waterproof repairing (I think this means the sand can will shift to block holes that get made.)
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So I would summarize this material as indicating that other means could be used now and might be used in future but this waterproof sand and the HST-roll delivery of it has solved most of the engineering needs and has tested and certified and has good cost and features that are enabling large scale implementation.
Sand is important because it is super cheap. Treating the sand uses vvery little material to coat it. Sand is a normal part of ground and this is just treating it and packaging it in the currently most cost effective way and generating useful characteristics with a lot of uses.
the HST-roll method has solved a lot of the engineering challenges which may not be obvious. 3000 tons per day indicates that there is a lot of demand and that large companies are comfortable using this as a standard solution for many purposes.
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Topsoil Screeners
The only mention I saw of any other property is this quote:
"One of the advantages of the hydrophobic sand, Schulze said, is that while it allows aerobic activity to move upward from the soil, it prevents underground desert salinity deposits from passing through to plant roots above; salt is corrosive and kills plants."
If the sand allows air to move up through it then the polyethylene sheets must share this property, because the sand is inside the polyethylene sheets -- otherwise no air would get through anyway. So the only thing the sand seems to offer is that it prevents salinity deposits from moving through. If the plastic had that property also it seems that there would be no need for the sand at all. It seems to me (admittedly a layperson) that it would be much more practical to develop plastic that had both required properties and remove the sand, which must be heavy and bulky, from the equation entirely.
Yet they're apparently using and manufacturing tons of this sand, so there's more to this than I understand. I think the article could have given a clearer explanation of exactly what the sand does that makes it a required part of the solution instead of some plastic-based nano-material with similar properties. Cool photo, though.
the HST roll is the world's first triple sealing material with a thickness of only 20mm (less than one inch). It adjusts to the ground and can be delivered in all configurations. Covering up to 7000 square meters of HST roll every day is made possible through simple and effective processing. the roll has high compressive strength of 104 N/sq mm. therefore soil can be dispersed with loaders or tip trucks over the roll after it has been laid. When being used in a large configuration, a special glue and cold welding techniques will be applied to bond the Rolls to each other, ensuring maximum durability. The glue can be applied manually or using special machinery. High Uv resistant. Certified lifespan of minimum 30 years. Weighs 36 kg/sq mt.
Is self-waterproof repairing (I think this means the sand can will shift to block holes that get made.)
====
So I would summarize this material as indicating that other means could be used now and might be used in future but this waterproof sand and the HST-roll delivery of it has solved most of the engineering needs and has tested and certified and has good cost and features that are enabling large scale implementation.
Sand is important because it is super cheap. Treating the sand uses vvery little material to coat it. Sand is a normal part of ground and this is just treating it and packaging it in the currently most cost effective way and generating useful characteristics with a lot of uses.
the HST-roll method has solved a lot of the engineering challenges which may not be obvious. 3000 tons per day indicates that there is a lot of demand and that large companies are comfortable using this as a standard solution for many purposes.