Treatment of soil with nanosilica particles derived from rice husk: influence of substrate ageing on soil resistance to detachment

Misagh Parhizkar; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Demetrio Antonio Zema

doi:10.2478/johh-2026-0018

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Treatment of soil with nanosilica particles derived from rice husk: influence of substrate ageing on soil resistance to detachment

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

Volume 74 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)

By: Misagh Parhizkar, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja and Demetrio Antonio Zema

Open Access

|Sep 2026

Abstract

No studies have explored how much ageing of rice husk, used as substrate for nanosilica production, alters apparent particle size distribution in this substrate, and therefore modifies nanosilica-soil interactions. To fill this gap, this study has investigated the effects of nanosilica derived from fresh and aged rice husk on soil physical properties and particle detachment (D_c) in paddy soils through flume experiments on samples collected in Northern Iran. Nanosilica obtained from aged husk showed an increase in mean apparent particle size by 96% compared to the soil amendment derived from fresh residues. Soil treated with fresh husk nanosilica exhibited significantly higher (+106%) water-stable aggregates and lower (–7.4%) bulk density compared to the control, while the differences from aged husk treatments were +86 % and –6.3%, also in this case significant. Flume experiments revealed a significant reduction (–21%) in D_c following application of nanosilica from fresh rice husk, while no effect was found for the soil amendment derived from the aged biomass. Compared to the control, D_c decreased by 8.1% with aged husk and by approximately 21% with fresh husk. D_c can be accurately estimated by hydraulic predictors (shear stress, stream power, and unit stream power) using a shifted power function (R² = 0.80–0.96). These models show that, across treatments, the effective hydraulic threshold parameter generally increases from control to amended soils, indicating enhanced resistance to detachment initiation.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/johh-2026-0018 | Journal eISSN: 1338-4333 (formerly 0042-790X) | Journal ISSN: 0042-790X

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Language: English

Page range: 248 - 260

Submitted on: Apr 8, 2026

Accepted on: May 12, 2026

Published on: Sep 5, 2026

Published by: Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrology

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

Soil erosion,

Soil structural stability,

Agricultural residues,

Biomass transformation,

Soil resilience

Related subjects:

Engineering,

Introductions and overviews,

Engineering, other

© 2026 Misagh Parhizkar, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Demetrio Antonio Zema, published by Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 74 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)