About Environmental Geotechnics

Aims and scope

Environmental Geotechnics publishes high-quality research and aims to disseminate knowledge and provide fresh perspectives regarding the basic concepts, theory, techniques and field applicability of innovative testing and analysis methodologies and engineering practices in geoenvironmental engineering.

Environmental Geotechnics is at the forefront of research on geotechnical engineering and environmental processes, including sustainable infrastructure, climate resilience, energy transition, and other emerging technologies. The journal seeks to advance fundamental knowledge alongside innovative experimental, monitoring, and analytical approaches, as well as numerical modelling, field-scale applications, and engineering practices. 

The journal welcomes original research papers, review articles, and Briefing articles. 

The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to, the following areas: 

Fundamental geoenvironmental processes 

Geochemistry, geohydrology, soil–atmosphere interaction, biological processes in soils and rocks, multiphase flow, solute and reactive transport, cold-region geotechnics, ground bioengineering, and the hydraulic, electrical, electromagnetic, chemical and thermal behaviour of geomaterials and porous media. 

Sustainable geomaterials, waste management and remediation 

Industrial and municipal waste management, containment facilities management, waste valorisation, beneficial use of marginal geomaterials, contaminated land remediation, use of vegetation for geoengineering purposes, soil and water conservation, low-carbon ground improvement, bio-mediated and bio-inspired geotechnics, and sustainable geomaterials for infrastructure development. 

Climate-change impacts, energy geotechnics and subsurface storage 

Geoenvironmental responses to climate change, including flooding, drought, fire, permafrost degradation, extreme weather events and long-term environmental loading; geothermal and ground-source energy systems; underground hydrogen, oil, gas and water storage; carbon sequestration; and the geoenvironmental implications of underground engineering and sustainable energy development.

Sensing, monitoring, digital twins and AI-enabled geoenvironmental engineering 

Sensor development and applications, laboratory and field monitoring, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, digital twins and digital transformation in geoenvironmental engineering. Contributions should be innovative and demonstrate clear links between data-driven methods and geoenvironmental interpretation, prediction, decision-making or engineering application. 

Uncertainty, risk, resilience, circular economy and governance 

Uncertainty and reliability analysis, risk assessment, resilience of geoenvironmental systems, life-cycle assessment, efficiency assessment of soil- and water-bioengineering solutions, circular economy approaches in geoenvironmental engineering, forensic investigation, monitoring-based diagnosis, and the policy, governance, socio-economic, legal and regulatory dimensions of geoenvironmental engineering projects. 

Cutting edge areas in environmental geotechnics 

Forward-looking contributions on emerging themes in environmental geotechnics, including space geotechnics, lunar and planetary subsurface environments, autonomous systems for extreme and remote environments, and advanced geomaterials. This also encompasses other areas where geotechnical engineering intersects with environmental and technological challenges. 

Emerging contaminants in geomaterials

Occurrence, characterisation and quantification of microplastics and nanoplastics in soils, sediments, landfill-derived materials and other geomaterials; the fate, transport and transformation of plastic particles and their associated additives; interactions between plastics, contaminants and geomaterial matrices; and the environmental behaviour of PFAS, pharmaceuticals, nanoparticles, and other emerging pollutants. This includes consideration of their geoenvironmental implications, such as accumulation, mobility, persistence and associated risks to ecosystems, infrastructure and human health, as well as mitigation approaches including phytoremediation.

Geoenvironmental aspects of mining and resource extraction

Environmental behaviour, stability, and long‑term evolution of mine wastes, tailings and spoil materials; the generation and management of acid mine drainage; contaminant release, transport, and attenuation in mining‑impacted soils, sediments and groundwater; and geoenvironmental risks associated with open‑pit and underground mining, heap leaching, waste rock dumps and mine backfilling. This also encompasses the remediation and rehabilitation of abandoned or legacy mine sites; and the broader implications of resource extraction activities for geomaterial integrity, ecosystem health, water quality, land stability and sustainable post‑mining land use.

 

All submissions are subject to rigorous peer review by international experts.