During his PhD studies, Hafeez Ur Rehman has researched the development of rapid methods for estimating soil engineering properties because knowledge of the soil's technical properties is important in relation to shear strength, bearing capacity and tillage operations in soil.

In order to estimate the soil properties, Hafeez Ur Rehman has researched the use of visible near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) and hydroscopic water content measured by a so-called "Vapor sorption analyzer." The latter is a technique in which a sample is subjected to different conditions of humidity and temperature and the response of the sample is measured gravimetrically.

“It is easy to measure both Vis-NIRS and hygroscopic water content. With Vis ? NIRS and hygroscopic water content, I accurately estimated the Atterberg boundaries and cation exchange capacity based on a uniform dataset, thus outperforming the pedotransfer functions. The hygroscopic water content predicted the Atterberg boundaries and cation exchange capacity better than Vis ? NIRS and pedotransfer functions because soil engineering properties are primarily controlled by clay mineralogy and surface area,” Hafeez Ur Rehman says.

Hafeez Ur Rehman's research and findings provides a rapid alternative for estimation of soil-engineering properties for large-scale studies.

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