Abstract:
Traditional hardened revetments, while ensuring flood safety and slope stability, disrupt the ecological connection between water and land, leading to the degradation of riparian zone ecological functions and a decline in biodiversity. To balance slope structural safety with ecological sustainability, ecological revetment technologies have emerged. The core of these technologies lies in the use of ecological base materials that possess both certain mechanical strength and excellent vegetation-growing performance. The mix proportion of these materials directly determines the engineering effectiveness and ecological benefits of the revetment, making it key to achieving ecological restoration goals. This study proposes a novel ecological revetment base material modified with zeolite and attapulgite. Through an orthogonal experimental method, 25 sets of vegetation growth tests under different mix proportions were designed and conducted to systematically investigate the effects of key components such as cement, zeolite, and attapulgite and their contents on the germination rate, plant height, coverage, and leaf area index of ryegrass. The optimal base material mix proportion suitable for slope vegetation restoration was selected. The results indicate that cement significantly inhibits all growth indicators of ryegrass, and its content should be controlled below 5%, with the optimal dosage being 1%. Zeolite promotes plant height within the dosage range of 10–15%, but its effect on germination rate and coverage is not significant. Attapulgite exhibits the most promotive effect at a dosage of 5%, beyond which it becomes inhibitory. Range analysis reveals that the order of influence of each factor on vegetation performance is: cement > attapulgite > zeolite. Comprehensive scoring shows that the optimal mix proportion is 1% cement, 5% zeolite, and 5% attapulgite. This combination significantly enhances plant growth performance while ensuring certain cementitious properties. The research results lay a foundation for further development of new ecological base materials with anti-erosion and pollution control capabilities, providing theoretical basis and data support for the low-carbon and multifunctional design of ecological revetment base materials.