Geomaterials derived from the Earth’s crust and used in construction after appropriate processing are among the earliest raw materials exploited, processed and used by humans. Their numerous functional properties include accessibility, workability and serviceability, and these are explored within this volume. In modern society, sustainable use of raw materials, specifically those exploited in large volumes such as geomaterials for construction, raises questions of reducing extraction of primary resources and thus minimizing impacts on natural systems, and also employment of materials and technologies to lower emissions of deleterious substances into the atmosphere. This will be possible only if we fully understand the properties, processing and mode of use of traditional geomaterials. Although most of the papers within this volume were written by geologists, the contributions will also be of interest to those working in cultural heritage, monument conservation, civil engineering and architecture.

This book contains the scientific contributions to the 11th International Workshop on Bifurcation and Degradation in Geomaterials (IWBDG) held in Limassol-Cyprus, May 21-25, 2017. The IWBDG series have grown in size and scope, since their inception 30 years ago in Germany, covering more and wider areas of geomaterials and geomechanics research including modern trends. The papers cover a wide range of topics including advances in instabilities, localized and diffuse failure, micromechanical, multiscale phenomena, multiphysics modeling and other related topics. This volume gathers a series of manuscript by brilliant international scholars who work on modern recent advances in experimental, theoretical and numerical methods. The theoretical and applied mechanics are linked successfully with engineering applications in traditional and in emerging fields, such as geomechanics for the energy and the environment. The quality of the contributed papers has benefited from the peer review process by expert referees. This book can be used as a useful reference for research students, academics and practicing engineers who are interested in the instability and degradation problems in geomaterials, geomechanics, geotechnical engineering and other related applications.

This book comprises the peer-reviewed proceedings of the 1st Conference on Georesources, Geomaterials, Geotechnologies and Geoenvironment (4GEO), Porto, Portugal, on November 7–8, 2019. The book interests all researchers, practitioners, and students in engineering geosciences, geotechnics, georesources, materials engineering, and earth and environmental sciences. Georesources, geomaterials, geotechnologies, and geoenvironment are very topical subjects and therefore deserve a deeper reflection by academia, practitioners, and society. That approach is vital to a correct sustainable resource management and an engineering design with nature within a geoethical framework. Georesources, understood as geological, hydrological and energetic resources are greatly important to society. Minerals, rocks, and water are resources that, over time, have assumed an important role in the technological development of communities. Given the increase in population and the increasing needs and intensification of their use, it is very important to ensure their sustainable management. Geomaterials are functional geological materials artificially processed for the generality of the activities developed by societies. The functional geomaterials may include rock, clay, granular materials, treated soils, and industrial waste. Geotechnologies are a very important tool for decision-making, supporting the collection, mapping, processing, and analysis of data with geographical information systems and other geo-techniques used in the most diverse fields, including to support the monitoring and prediction of geohazards. The geoenvironment is a transversal field that identifies continuous earth changes and to find solutions to the resulting socioeconomic and environmental changes. Climate change, industrialization, and anthropic activity are, among others, factors of pressure and alteration of the natural environment, so minimizing impacts and emerging hazards and risks. Main topics include: 1. Geomaterials, Geotechnics, and Georesources2. Geotechnologies, Engineering Geosciences, and Geohazards3. Geoenvironment, Water, and Climate Change

The recently established Sustainable Development Goals call for a paradigm shift in the way that buildings and infrastructures are conceived. The construction industry is a major source of environmental impacts, given its great material consumption and energy demands. It is also a major contributor to the economic growth of regions, through the provision of useful infrastructure and generation of employment, among other factors. Conventional approaches underlying current building design practices fall short of covering the relevant environmental and social implications derived from inappropriate design, construction, and planning. The development of adequate sustainable design strategies is therefore becoming extremely relevant regarding the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Goals for Sustainable Development. This book comprises 11 chapters that highlight the actual research trends in the construction sector, aiming to increase the knowledge on sustainable design practices by highlighting the actual practices that explore efficient ways to reduce the environmental consequences related to the construction industry, while promoting social wellbeing and economic development. The chapters collect papers included in the Special Issue “Trends in Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure” of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Plastic pollution is a complex environmental problem. The use of recycled plastics in the modification of concrete materials has a dominant role to play in the move towards sustainable construction. Reuse of Plastic Waste in Eco-efficient Concrete presents the latest research findings on the application and use of recycled plastic waste in sustainable construction. Divided over four parts, the chapters cover various techniques for processing and separation of plastic wastes; use of recycled plastics as aggregates in modified concrete; as well as lightweight reinforced concrete applications too. There is also an entire section dedicated to asphalt mixtures. The book provides technological solutions on how recycled plastic wastes can be applied in concrete manufacturing. It will be a valuable reference source for academic and industrial researchers who are working with waste materials and the use of recycled plastics in concrete, as well as for civil and structural engineers, polymer production technologists, and concrete manufacturers. - Describes the main types of recycled plastics that can be applied in concrete manufacturing - Presents, state-of-the art knowledge on the properties of conventional concrete with recycled plastics - Discusses the technological challenges for concrete manufacturers for mass production of recycled concrete from plastic waste - Covers lifecycle cost analysis, production challenges, and long-term performance analysis

This open access proceedings of the 14th International Council for Applied Mineralogy Congress (ICAM) in Belgorod, Russia cover a wide range of topics including applied mineralogy, advanced and construction materials, ore and industrial minerals, mineral exploration, cultural heritage, etc. It includes contributions to geometallurgy, industrial minerals, oil and gas reservoirs as well as stone artifacts and their preservation. The International Congress on Applied Mineralogy strengthens the relation between the research on applied mineralogy and the industry.

This companion investigates the ways in which designers, architects, and planners address ecology through the built environment by integrating ecological ideas and ecological thinking into discussions of urbanism, society, culture, and design. Exploring the innovation of materials, habitats, landscapes, and infrastructures, it furthers novel ecotopian ideas and ways of living, including human-made settings on water, in outer space, and in extreme environments and climatic conditions. Chapters of this extensive collection on ecotopian design are grouped under five different ecological perspectives: design manifestos and ecological theories, anthropocentric transformative design concepts, design connectivity, climatic design, and social design. Contributors provide plausible, sustainable design ideas that promote resiliency, health, and well-being for all living things, while taking our changing lifestyles into consideration. This volume encourages creative thinking in the face of ongoing environmental damage, with a view to making design decisions in the interest of the planet and its inhabitants. With contributions from over 79 expert practitioners, educators, scientists, researchers, and theoreticians, as well as planners, architects, and engineers from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, this book engages theory, history, technology, engineering, and science, as well as the human aspects of ecotopian design thinking and its implications for the outlook of the planet.

Recent years have seen fast development in the field of self-cleaning coatings towards varied applications, such as solar cells, flat display panels, smart cellular phones, building windows, oil pipelines, vehicle coatings and optical devices. The field has been rapidly gaining attention, not only from research and teaching scientists, but also from a growing population of college and graduate students. Self-cleaning coatings describes this interesting field, providing details of natural counterparts with self-cleaning functions, theoretical aspects of self-cleaning phenomena, fabrication strategies and methods, applications and industrial impacts. Edited and written by world-renowned scientists in the field, this book will provide an excellent overview of this field and will be of interest to materials and polymer scientists working in industry and academia.

Heritage stones are building and ornamental stones that have special significance in human culture. The papers in this volume discuss a wide variety of such materials, including stones from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia. Igneous (basalt, porphyry, granite), sedimentary (sandstone, limestone) and metamorphic (marble, quartzite, gneiss, soapstone, slate) stones are featured. These have been utilized over long periods of time for a wide range of uses contributing to the historic fabric of the built environment. Many of these stones are of international significance, and so are potential Global Heritage Stone Resources, that is stones that have the requisite qualities for international recognition by the Heritage Stones Subcommission of the International Union of Geological Sciences. The papers bring together diverse information on these stones ranging from their geological setting and quarry locations to mechanical properties, current availability, and uses over time. As such the papers can serve as an entry into the literature on these important stones.

The book presents the recent advances on testing and experimentation in civil engineering, especially in the branches of geotechnics, transportation, hydraulics, and natural resources. It includes advances in physical modelling, monitoring techniques, data acquisition and analysis, and provides an invaluable contribution for the installation of new civil engineering experimental facilities. The first part of the book covers the latest advances in testing and experimentation in key domains of geotechnics: soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, rock mechanics and rock engineering, and engineering geology. Some of the topics covered include new developments in topographic survey acquisition for applied mapping and in situ geotechnical investigations; laboratory and in situ tests to estimate the relevant parameters needed to model the behaviour of rock masses and land structures; monitoring and inspection techniques designed for offshore wind foundations. The second part of the book highlights the relevance of testing and monitoring in transportation. Full-scale accelerated pavement testing, and instrumentation becomes even more important nowadays when, for sustainability purposes, non-traditional materials are used in road and airfield pavements. Innovation in testing and monitoring pavements and railway tracks is also developed in this part of the book. Intelligent traffic systems are the new traffic management paradigm, and an overview of new solutions is addressed here. Finally, in the third part of the book, trends in the field and laboratory measurements and corresponding data analysis are presented according to the different hydraulic domains addressed in this publication, namely maritime hydraulics, surface water and river hydraulics and urban water.