The rise of rapid and uncontrolled industrialization, its alarming levels of hazardous waste produced, and their negative contribution to the international environmental epidemic of global warming — in addition to the decrease in room to dispose of these wastes safely — have put the pressure for many engineers, researchers, and key decision-makers to find the answers to the constant tussle between progress and sustainability — and quickly. Environmental Geotechnology revisits existing concepts of geotechnical engineering critically, and brings them up to date with new knowledge and current affairs so as to better address and serve today's needs of the professionals. It points out the role and importance of the parameters and mechanisms that govern the interaction of contaminants with geomaterials (soil and rock mass), and also discusses their degradation in the long-run, and the consequences that follow. The book starts from a engineering philosophy that incorporates the influence of environmental effects (both manmade and natural) on geotechnical engineering practices. Its contents are based on geotechnical and environmental engineering studies pertaining to waste management, such as: the safe handling, transportation and disposal of waste, the estimation of waste leakage into the subsurface, its consequences, methods of containment, and the development of schemes to remediate contaminated land. It also proposes innovative strategies for waste management through the utilization of wastes based on a comprehensive characterization. Modelling techniques such as accelerated physical modelling using geotechnical centrifuge, finite-element or difference-based numerical modelling and physico-chemico-mineralogical modelling are discussed in this book to enable the study of the complex (and otherwise slow) process of contaminant-geomaterial interaction.

Peat and organic soils commonly occur as extremely soft, wet, unconsolidated surficial deposits that are an integral part of wetland systems. These types of soils can give rise to geotechnical problems in the area of sampling, settlement, stability, in situ testing, stabilisation and construction. There is therefore a tendency to either avoid building on these soils, or, when this is not possible, to simply remove or replace soils, which in some instances can lead to possibly uneconomical design and construction alternatives. However, in many countries of the world, these soils cover a substantial land area and pressure on land use is resulting in ever more frequent utilisation of such marginal grounds. For the successful design, construction and performance of structures on such marginal soils, it is crucial to predict geotechnical behaviour in terms of settlement, shear strength and stability, with respect to time. This means expanding our knowledge base and calls for a reliable characterisation of their geotechnical properties and mechanical behaviour and subsequently, the devising of suitable design parameters and construction techniques for dealing with these materials. A sound scientific understanding of the nature and functions of peat and organic soils is critical to their correct and safe use, and this book contributes by offering students, researchers, engineers and academics involved with these types of soils a comprehensive overview. This book will be useful not only to those in the field of geotechnical engineering, but also to soil scientists and agriculturalists, who are involved in the development of peatlands.