ABSTRACT
Domestic, chemical and industrial waste has become a major issue in all aspects of current development. Its generation will gradually increase despite all waste minimisation efforts and therefore its management will get tougher year by year. In general, waste will eventually be exposed to soil no matter what disposal or containment measures are taken. It is then that the services of geoenvironmental engineers are called upon, as they are the SHUVRQVPRVWTXDOL¿HGWRDGYLFHWKHUHVSHFWLYHSDUWLHVRQWKHHQJLQHHULQJDVSHFWVRIVRLOV and its interaction and fate with chemicals/waste. Thus, an understanding of soil-chemical/ waste interaction is important so that geotechnical and geoenvironmental structures could be constructed safely and reliably. In addition it is also crucial to evaluate the performance of existing structures upon waste or chemical attack and also to decontaminate soils to disarm its toxicological effects and prevent further migration of contamination. It is also now necessary to evaluate how the services of a geoenvironmental engineer are related to sustainability since it is currently one of the main objectives of development. The information provided in this chapter serves to highlight some of the various aspects of geoenvironmental technology and issues for basic understanding and appraisal of the subject particularly on tropical residual soils.
