Abstract
The geotechnical construction industry is a major component of the overall construction sector and is strategically important in infrastructure development (transportation, flood and landslide protection, building foundations, waste disposal). Although industry and research in the overall construction sector have been investing significantly in recent years to produce innovative low-carbon technologies, little innovation has been created in geotechnical construction industry, which is lagging behind other construction industry sectors. This paper discusses the interplay between low-carbon geotechnical engineering and unsaturated soil mechanics based on the research carried out within the project TERRE (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks funded by the European Commission, 2015-2019,H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015-675762).
Highlights
The construction sector is one of the main sectors responsible for carbon emissions and accounts for 10% of the carbon footprint globally
Targeted the geotechnical construction industry, a major component of the overall construction sector, which is strategically important in infrastructure development and explored novel design concepts for low-carbon geotechnical infrastructure
Little innovation has been created in geotechnical construction industry, which is lagging behind other construction industry sectors
Summary
The construction sector is one of the main sectors responsible for carbon emissions and accounts for 10% of the carbon footprint globally. Carbon emissions can be reduced by using locally sourced marginal earthfill geomaterials, i.e. geomaterials that are generally not used in traditional earthfill construction due to their relatively poor mechanical performance If these geomaterials are enhanced by reinforcement or treatment, procuring and transporting of materials from borrow sites can be avoided with significant carbon saving. Energy and carbon can be captured by geotechnical structures during their operational life This should be achieved with no or minimal additional costs to attain partial compensation of capital carbon. Vegetation may be designed for other geotechnical purposes (e.g. slope stabilisation) and the additional sequestration function could be combined with the hydro-mechanical effects Geothermal energy is another option that allows geotechnical structures to contribute to overall carbon efficiency. If heat exchangers are cast in existing concrete components of geotechnical structures in the unsaturated upper portion of the ground (such as shallow footings or retaining diaphragms/walls), geothermal energy could be extracted or released with a minimal energy supply (electricity for the heat pump)
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