Application of petroleum mulches for soil stabilization and sand dune fixation dates back to the early 1900s. The number of methodological research reports on these subjects, however, is very limited. Most of such reports speak approvingly of the mulches for temporary fixation of the moving sands. The disadvantage of these mulches is their impermeability to water and increasing the temperature maxima of the buried sand.
Despite these shortcomings, these materials, especially the semi permeable emulsified types, are unsurpassed in temporary fixation of extensive areas covered with the moving dunes. Environmental impacts of such activities, however, should be contemplated beforehand.