## 7 Future Trends and Challenges  
Despite many studies conducted on materials technologies and production methods, no effective techniques for developing applicable smart geosynthetics are available yet. Although recent advances in strain gauges, fibre optics, nano-materials, conductive polymers, and self-sensing geosynthetics promise to provide appropriate solutions to developing smart geosynthetics, considerable obstacles remain to applying smart geosynthetics to continuously, feasibly, and reliably monitor and reinforce infrastructure in real time, some of which are outlined as follows:  
* Because soil contains corrosive organic, inorganic, and chemical substances and because of naturally destructive climate cycles, smart geosynthetics should be designed and manufactured such that these factors do not interfere with monitoring systems and structural reinforcements. * Smart geosynthetics should be designed and produced such that they exhibit appropriate inter-twining between the host matrix and the sensing elements so that the strain and stress applied to the geosynthetic components are properly reflected by the sensing system. * Owing to the widespread application of geosynthetics in many large projects, geosynthetics should be produced as cost-effectively and simply as possible so that they are easily industrially scalable. * Smart geosynthetics should be simply designed to minimise the need for support and complementary systems including wires, electrodes, capacitors, power supplies, data acquisition, analysers, receivers, and transmitters to prevent damage during storage, transport, implementation, and the device service life. These components also cause sectional discontinuities and increase installation and maintenance costs. * To electrically insulate smart geosynthetic products against the surrounding environment while minimising the installation damage, a durable, non-conductive, UV-protective shield should be developed to protect smart geosynthetics. * When nano-particles, particularly CNMs, are used to develop smart geosynthetic materials, the nano-particles should be well dispersed throughout the polymer matrix through a feasible and compatible method to prevent the nano-particles from possibly adversely affecting the mechanical and microstructural properties and the durability of the host matrix. * Owing to the widespread application of geosynthetics to infrastructure, especially in nature, environmental issues must be considered in all geosynthetic production aspects. * To mitigate adverse weather conditions such as moisture and water infiltration, temperature variations, UV radiation, and wind and mechanical stresses on smart geosynthetics, appropriate measures including proper design and material selection, protective measures, regular inspection and maintenance, and calibration and testing processes should be considered. * While smart geosynthetics offer various benefits, they can also present certain environmental issues such as e-waste generation, material recycling and disposal, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing processes. To address these environmental issues, the following measures can be considered: \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Application** & **Type of Geosynthetic** & **Sensing Technique** & **Coverage Type** & **References** \\ \hline Tunnel walls and vaults & Geogrids and geotextiles & BOTDR, BOTDS & Full coverage & [(246; 247; 61; 248)] \\ \hline Pipelines and piles & Geogrids and geotextiles & BOTDR, BOTDS, FBG & Full coverage & [(249; 250; 251; 252; 253)] \\ \hline Soil nails and anchors & Tubular braids and epoxy resins & BOTDR, BOTDS & Full coverage & [(254; 50; 255)] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: _Cont._Promote extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs to ensure responsible management of electronic waste generated from smart geosynthetics. Encourage research and development to improve the recyclability and biodegradability of geosynthetic materials.