Application of mid-infrared spectroscopy for rapid characterization of key soil properties for engineering land use

Methods for rapid and accurate soil tests are needed for the index properties of material attributes commonly applied in civil engineering. We tested the application of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for the rapid characterization of selected key stability-related soil properties. Two sample sets, representing different soils from across Lake Victoria basin in Kenya, were used for the study: A model calibration set (n=135) was obtained following a conditioned Latin hypercube sampling, and a validation set (n=120) was obtained from independent sites using a spatially stratified random sampling strategy. Air-dried ground (55%, 4.2; PI>30%, 2.7; LS>12%, 2.4; exchangeable sodium (eNa)>2 cmol (+) kg1, 2.3; exchangeable sodium percent (ESP)>10%, 1.8; W>8.3%, 1.6, and Activity number (A)>1.25 units, 1.5. MIR can provide the rapid assessment of several soil properties that yield stability indices in material testing for engineering land use. Further studies should test the ability of MIR PLS for establishing broader calibrations across more diverse soil types and the direct correlation of MIR to material functional attributes

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2015.09.018

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