Creation of soil-like constructions

An innovative approach for artificial soil construction is briefly characterized, and its basic principles are given. The major kinds of soil constructions and materials used for their creation are discussed. Quantitative aspects of the formation of layered soil constructions for irrigation farming and greening of urban areas under high anthropogenic loads are examined. Technological design of these constructions is based on modeling energy and mass fluxes in soil systems with the use of HYDRUS-1D software. Technological approaches for the application of biopolymer materials into different soil layers with the aim to increase the soil water capacity, protect the soils from secondary salinization and contamination with water-soluble pollutants, and improve the resistance of these materials toward biological destruction are discussed. The tests of the layered soil constructions in some countries of the Persian Gulf and in Moscow have proved their high efficiency. The productivity of green plantations can be increased by 1.5-2 times owing to the increased efficiency of water consumption and protection of the root zone from soluble salts under conditions of the natural or technogenic salinization (contamination) and deficit of precipitation.