Environmental Geotechnics: Waste and Geotechnical Stabilization

This book addresses the most important and current issues of waste valorization, geotechnical stabilization of different waste types, alternative binders to Portland cement, and metal encapsulation of residues as important strategies for sustainable engineering practice. The development of alkali-activated binders from different wastes (e.g., industrial and agro-industrial wastes, mining tailings, and red ceramic) and their applications are discussed in several chapters. These new alkaline cements and polymers are used in environmental geotechnics to stabilize soils (e.g. expansive soils) and residues (e.g., mining tailings, reclaimed asphalt pavement, and waste foundry sand). In geotechnical stabilization, studies in the literature have focused on the evaluation of mechanical behavior and microstructure. Recently, the leaching of metals and the assessment of sustainability has become a topic of growing interest, which is also presented in this book. In this context, this book highlights the main advantages, challenges, and trends in the use of alternative binders to solve geotechnical environmental problems. It also covers more general aspects of the various soil and waste stabilization methods and their applications.