The Importance of Technogenesis and Sustainable Environmental Protection Technologies

The chapter discusses the major trends in technogenesis that caused the contamination footprint in the twenty-first century, defines the concept of the contamination footprint and the methods for evaluating it as well as formulates the concept and role of biogeochemical and engineered barriers forming a part of sustainable natural and engineering environmental protection technologies for decreasing the contamination footprint caused by technogenesis. The fundamental framework comprising the classification of biogeochemical and engineered barriers and their description is provided. The chapter explores the sustainability of environmental protection technologies at three levels, including natural technologies, the analysis of using natural materials in environmental engineering systems and the components ensuring the sustainability of environmental engineering systems.