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Geoenvironmental Engineering and Water Pollution Control

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 3356

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Victor Cavaleiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Civil Engineering and Architecture Department, University Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
2. GeoBioTec (GeoBioSciences, Geotechnologies, and GeoEngineering), Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: geotechnical engineering; hydrogeology; environmental geotechnics; environmental geology; waste management; geosynthetics and geomaterials; soil and rock mechanics
Prof. Dr. Maria Eugenia Gimenez Boscov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Interests: soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering; environmental geotechnics; environmental engineering; waste management; waste reuse; soil remediation; pollutants transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is the most precious resource on Earth, and so it requires our full attention. Geoenvironmental engineering is an interdisciplinary field involving geotechnical engineering, environmental science, and water resource management, and addresses the challenge of water pollution control. Therefore, anthropogenic activities have highlighted the need for innovative and sustainable solutions to manage and mitigate water pollution. Thus, this field of study has the possibility to contribute toward investigating contaminant transport, remediation technologies, sustainable design for new geomaterials, and their energetic impact, among others. Additionally, by integrating these efforts, this field contributes to a holistic approach to managing water sustainability for a global environmental change.

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements and innovative approaches in mitigating water pollution through geoenvironmental engineering practices. This issue brings together inter- and multidisciplinary research, focusing on geotechnical engineering, environmental sciences, and water resource management, to address critical challenges in maintaining and restoring water quality. It serves as a comprehensive resource for researchers, engineers, policymakers, and practitioners working in the field of geoenvironmental engineering and water protection.

In this Special Issue, critical reviews, original research articles, case studies, and field applications are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Contaminant transport, risk assessment, monitoring and sensoring for soil and groundwater;
  • Remediation technologies for contaminated sites;
  • Sustainable waste management;
  • Usual and non-usual geomaterial design and behavior investigation;
  • Renewable energies for geoenvironmental engineering applications.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Victor Cavaleiro
Prof. Dr. Maria Eugenia Gimenez Boscov
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geoenvironmental engineering
  • water pollution
  • remediation techniques
  • soil and groundwater contamination
  • new geomaterials
  • renewable energies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2472 KiB  
Article
Modeling of Water Inflow Zones in a Swedish Open-Pit Mine with ModelMuse and MODFLOW
by Johanes Maria Vianney, Nils Hoth, Kofi Moro, Donata Nariswari Wahyu Wardani and Carsten Drebenstedt
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2466; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062466 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 473
Abstract
The Aitik mine is Sweden’s largest open-pit sulfide mine and Europe’s most important producer of gold, silver, and copper. However, the mine faces problems related to water inflow, particularly in the northern zone and western hanging wall sections of the pit, resulting from [...] Read more.
The Aitik mine is Sweden’s largest open-pit sulfide mine and Europe’s most important producer of gold, silver, and copper. However, the mine faces problems related to water inflow, particularly in the northern zone and western hanging wall sections of the pit, resulting from various mining activities, including blasting, loading, and hauling. The presence of fracture zones within the pit further exacerbates the issue, as continuous mining operations have aggravated the thickness of these fractures, potentially increasing the volume of water inflow. Consequently, this could lead to various geotechnical issues such as slope collapse, and increase the possibility of acid mine drainage formation. This research develops a numerical model using ModelMuse as the graphical user interface and MODFLOW to simulate groundwater flow in the mining pit under different scenarios, by considering the absence, presence, and varying thickness of fracture zones to address the issue. By analyzing these scenarios, the model estimates the volume of water inflow into the pit under steady-state conditions. The results indicate that the presence of a fracture zone plays a crucial role in controlling water inflows by significantly influencing the inflow budget—by 90% for the north shear inflow (NSI) and by 20% for the western hanging wall inflow (WHWI) at deeper depths of the pit. Variations in the fracture zone thickness result in a 15% increase in water inflow at deeper depths of the pit. These findings provide valuable insights for improving mine water management strategies and informing sustainable mine closure planning to mitigate long-term environmental risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoenvironmental Engineering and Water Pollution Control)
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18 pages, 14354 KiB  
Article
Verification of Construction Method for Smart Liners to Prevent Oil Spill Spread in Onshore
by Kicheol Lee, Jungjo Yuu, Jeongjun Park and Gigwon Hong
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10626; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310626 - 4 Dec 2024
Viewed by 821
Abstract
Onshore oil spills are directly related to soil contamination and significantly impact groundwater, vegetation, and human life. Immediate cleanup work is carried out when an oil spill occurs, but the currently used preventive measures are insufficient. Therefore, this study independently developed a smart [...] Read more.
Onshore oil spills are directly related to soil contamination and significantly impact groundwater, vegetation, and human life. Immediate cleanup work is carried out when an oil spill occurs, but the currently used preventive measures are insufficient. Therefore, this study independently developed a smart liner that allows general groundwater flow but blocks groundwater in the event of a spill to prevent further spread, and aims to verify the excellence of the product through verification. Because the verification of the smart liner performance in real-life conditions is difficult for various reasons, large-scale experiments were simulated using a container. The Roll Spreading and Inserting Method (RSIM) and Panel Injecting Method (PIM) were used as installation methods due to the properties of the material employed. Through rainfall simulations, the discharge amount and groundwater levels before and after an oil spill were measured, and a reaction diagram was created following the smart liner’s demolition. From the results, it was found that both installation methods successfully blocked more than 99% of the drainage, and soil contaminants were not detected outside the installation area. These results confirm the effectiveness of the smart liner. Additionally, the reaction diagram indicated that the RSIM and PIM installation reaction areas were identical, validating the suitability of both methods. By conducting this study, the performance of the smart liner was verified, demonstrating its potential as an effective preventive measure against the spread of oil contamination in soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoenvironmental Engineering and Water Pollution Control)
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18 pages, 4174 KiB  
Article
Novel Method for Evaluating Wetland Ecological Environment Quality Based on Coupled Remote Sensing Ecological Index and Landscape Pattern Indices: Case Study of Dianchi Lake Wetlands, China
by Yilu Zhao, Aidi Huo, Zhixin Zhao, Qi Liu, Xuantao Zhao, Yuanjia Huang and Jialu An
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9979; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229979 - 15 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 895
Abstract
Wetlands serve as crucial ecological buffers, significantly influencing temperature reduction, carbon storage, regional climate regulation, and urban wastewater treatment. To elucidate the relationship between wetland landscape patterns and ecological environment, and to accurately assess lake ecosystems, this study proposes a semi-supervised classification method [...] Read more.
Wetlands serve as crucial ecological buffers, significantly influencing temperature reduction, carbon storage, regional climate regulation, and urban wastewater treatment. To elucidate the relationship between wetland landscape patterns and ecological environment, and to accurately assess lake ecosystems, this study proposes a semi-supervised classification method based on RSEI and K-Means. By integrating landscape pattern indices, the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI), and disturbance proximity, a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological quality of the Dianchi wetlands was conducted. The results indicate that the RSEI-K-Means method, with K set to 50, achieved overall accuracies (OAs) and Kappa values of 0.91 and 0.88, surpassing the SVM’s 0.85 and 0.80. This method effectively combines ecological and landscape indices without relying on extensive training samples, enhancing accuracy and speed in wetland information extraction and addressing the challenges of spatial heterogeneity. This study reveals that from 2007 to 2009, and 2013 to 2015, landscape patterns were significantly influenced by the rapid expansion of Kunming city, exacerbating wetland fragmentation. Notably, significant ecological quality changes were observed in 2009 and 2013, with gradual recovery post-2013 due to strengthened environmental protection policies. The RSEI disturbance proximity analysis indicated that the affected areas were primarily concentrated in regions of high human activity, confirming the method’s high sensitivity and effectiveness. This study can help in wetland ecosystem research and management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoenvironmental Engineering and Water Pollution Control)
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Review

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32 pages, 4816 KiB  
Review
Geoenvironmental Engineered Structures for Water Protection: Challenges and Perspectives for Sustainable Liners
by Leonardo Marchiori, Antonio Albuquerque, Luis Andrade Pais, Maria Eugênia Gimenez Boscov and Victor Cavaleiro
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1850; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051850 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 704
Abstract
Geoenvironmental engineered barriers, such as geotechnical and hydraulic layered structures called liners, are essential for protecting the environment from pollution. Liners are usually compacted clay liners (CCL), geomembranes (GM), geosynthetic clay liners (GCL), or a combination of these liners (composite liners), which require [...] Read more.
Geoenvironmental engineered barriers, such as geotechnical and hydraulic layered structures called liners, are essential for protecting the environment from pollution. Liners are usually compacted clay liners (CCL), geomembranes (GM), geosynthetic clay liners (GCL), or a combination of these liners (composite liners), which require significant attention concerning materials, techniques, and procedures to perform adequately. This work reviews the function of geotechnical and hydraulic barriers as liners and highlights the lack of investigation and problematic aspects of them. In addition, the work provides an overview of the literature around earthworks which are liners’ specific configurations, such as landfills, dams, ponds, wastewater lagoons, and vertical barriers. Furthermore, the main investigations, issues, and perspectives are demonstrated, and are discussed alongside the trending research areas and sustainable new materials. This work highlights different directives in several countries for liner construction standards and testing program specifications, analyzing their economic aspects. The main studies on the subject have been compiled, and a bibliometric analysis was performed. Thus, this paper concludes by pointing out gaps in the research regarding alternative materials and structures within geoenvironmental investigations on liners, and signposts future scientific threads related to sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoenvironmental Engineering and Water Pollution Control)
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