GeoRes project overview

GeoRes aims to expand the scope of the involved teams’ research in addressing some of the outstanding challenges in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering: developing innovative solutions for the reuse of waste geomaterials generated by construction and mining industries across Europe and worldwide.

Geomaterial waste represents half of the waste volume generated in Europe. Generally, these waste geomaterials exhibit poor engineering characteristics and/or specific mineralogical composition that prevent their direct reuse on construction/mining sites. However, if adequately treated, they could represent a valuable resource for construction projects with significant cost saving and reduction in the environmental footprint, thus contributing to the establishment of a circular economy.

To achieve this, GeoRes will develop protocols to improve the engineering characteristics of waste geomaterials, and to guarantee the level of performance over the service life of geostructures built from waste geomaterials considering site-specific conditions (climate, water table, leaching, weathering, hazardous compounds, etc.). The fundamental concern of the research in the GeoRes network is thus to develop strategies and tools for sustainable reuse of waste geomaterials generated by geoengineering activities, and to determine how to turn a waste geomaterial into a valued durable material, with a positive revenue  stream.

GeoRes is a multidisciplinary and intersectoral network of creative and innovative researchers and practising engineers ready to face geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering challenges which arise in the vanguard of technological innovation. The network is composed of 6 academic and 5 industrial beneficiaries and 6 third country partners.