By Ian D. Peggs – On 21 March 2016, I-CORP will celebrate 25 years of geosynthetics consulting, with particular emphasis on geomembranes, pipes, and other engineered plastic components and materials.
In January 1991, I left Geosyntec/Geoservices in Florida to develop a geosynthetics division with Greg Richardson at ENSCI in High Point, North Carolina. That division, however, was shut down in March 1991! That same day, I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc. was formed.
(Editor’s note: Greg Richardson went on to form another renowned geosynthetic consulting practices.)
Our first two clients were RTD Engineering (landfill liner damage investigation and expert witness work) and Tennessee Eastman (wastewater treatment plant [WWTP] liner leak location). Since that time we have worked for clients in more than 40 countries, including China, India, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Alaska, Brazil, Romania, and Finland.
I-CORP’s team is proud to have initiated the Industry Insight newsletter in the 1990s. This publication, under the guidance of Elizabeth Peggs, transitioned in 1999 into Geosynthetica. Today, the website, which was split off from I-CORP in late 2010, delivers geosynthetics stories and resources to more than 800,000 annual users around the world.
We are also proud to have initiated with TRI Environmental the world’s first (and only) liner integrity and leak location survey instruction and accreditation courses. These sessions have been delivered in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and the Philippines. The work has also supported the continued development of commercially available equipment for performing leak liner integrity and leak location surveys.
Related to this endeavor, I-CORP has investigated ultrasonic and infrared methods for evaluating 100% of geomembrane seam interfaces.
GEOSYNTHETICS CONSULTING: CURRENT PROJECTS
The work in geosynthetics continues to be fascinating. I-CORP is presently involved with:
- An RPP irrigation canal liner at 4,500 m in Peru
- HDPE resin compatibilities in Australia
- A BGM/HDPE pond liner in Canada
- An LLDPE frac pond liner
- Barge floats made with HDPE plate
- PP lined steel pipe for 35% HCl.
- PVC liner quality
- Leak location in concrete basin PVC liner, using divers
It has been our mission to seek out new technologies, apply them to geosynthetics, provide them as a service, teach others how to perform them, then to move on to the next technology. The present new technology is graphene nano-geocomposites.
We thank all of our clients (new and repeat) for their confidence in I-CORP, and we look forward to the next 25 years.
For more information on Ian D. Peggs and I-CORP INTERNATIONAL’s expert geosynthetics consulting and affiliated materials and reserach, visit www.geosynthetic.com.
I-CORP AT GEOAMERICAS
Ian D. Peggs will chair a barriers and containment session with Robert Wallace at GeoAmericas 2016. To be held Monday, April 11, from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm. That session’s papers include:
- “Performance of ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) geomembranes for the containment of organic solvents versus traditional geomembranes” – Edgard Chow
- “Effect of Geomembrane thickness on Diffusion of VOCs” – Vanessa Di Battista
- “Effect of Compatibilizing Agent on the Mechanical, Thermal and Barrier Performance of HDPE Nanocomposite Membranes for Application as a Geomembrane” – Patricia Dolez
- “Antioxidant depletion from HDPE and LLDPE Geomembranes in chlorinated water” – Mohamed Morsy
- “Geomembrane stress cracking resistance using various polymers” – Jose Miguel Muñoz
- “Antioxidant depletion of HDPE geomembrane with sand protection layer” – Kerry Rowe
- “Diffusion of phenolic compounds in geomembranes” – Nathalie Touze-Foltz
Dr. Peggs will also present on “Biogas Whales in Liners and Covers of Anaerobic Digesters” on the same day in a 4:00pm barriers session.
ALSO: Peggs will moderate a discussion on “Defining Polyolefin Geomembrane End of Life.” Details on that will be released soon.
Learn more about the GeoAmericas 2016 Barriers & Containment Track.
