Abstract
Controlling and preventing soil erosion on slope surfaces is a pressing concern worldwide, and at the same time, there is a growing need to incorporate sustainability into our engineering works. This study evaluates the efficiency of bioengineering techniques in the development of vegetation in soil slopes located near a hydroelectric power plant in Brazil. For this purpose, twelve different bioengineering techniques were evaluated, in isolation and in combination, in the slopes (10 m high) of two experimental units (approximately 70 m long each) located next to the Paraíba do Sul riverbanks, in Brazil. High-resolution images of the slopes’ frontal view were taken in 15-day interval visits in all units for the first 90 days after implantation, followed by monthly visits up to 27 months after the works were finished. The images were treated and analyzed in a computer algorithm that, based on three-color bands (red–green–blue scale), helps to assess the temporal evolution of the vegetative cover index for each technique adopted. The results showed that most of the solutions showed a deficiency in vegetation establishment and were sensitive to climatological conditions, which induced changes in the vegetation phytosanitary aspects. Techniques which provided a satisfactory vegetative cover index throughout the investigated period are pointed out.
Highlights
Soil erosion in slopes is a natural process that involves several processes such as landslides and detachment, dissolution and/or wear of soil particles, followed by their transport and deposition caused by the action of an erosive agent
This study aims to assess the performance of 12 soil bioengineering techniques in erosion prone slopes of the Simplício Hydroelectric Power Plant-FURNAS in Brazil
This study investigated the adoption of flexible organic or synthetic rolls manufactured in greenhouses
Summary
Soil erosion in slopes is a natural process that involves several processes such as landslides and detachment, dissolution and/or wear of soil particles, followed by their transport and deposition caused by the action of an erosive agent (e.g., water, wind, and/or gravity [1]). In a context with an increasing need to account for sustainability in engineering projects, bioengineering systems have clear advantages, because they show lower environmental impact compared to conventional stabilization methods that rely on hard structures such as retaining walls [2,9]. In this context, in Europe and North America, soil bioengineering has been widely used [10]. TThhee bbiiooeennggiinneeeerriinngg tteecchhnniiqquueess aaddoopptteedd,, tthheeiirr aapppplliiccaattiioonn aanndd mmoonniittoorriinngg,, aanndd pprroocceedduurreess ffoorr ddeetteerrmmiinniinngg tthhee vveeggeettaattiivvee ccoovveerr iinnddeexx aarree ddeettaaiilleedd aass ffoolllloowwss
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