Containment

Italian geosynthetics manufacturing expertise is headed to India, one of the world's biggest infrastructure markets and a nation in which geosynthetics are getting a strong push from international and domestic companies, new engineering journals, and professional development events. On October 18, the India-based Business Co-ordination House (BCH) and the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) will hold a one-day symposium on "Woven Technologies for Technical Textiles – Special Focus on Fabrics for Filtration & Geotextiles." The event will take place at the Park Hotel (Parliament Street) in New Delhi. Learn more

The latest standards and work items from ASTM International are posted in our weekly report. This week's announcements include three new or revised standards and one work item from Committee D35 on Geosynthetics.

TRI Geosynthetics Services has announced that a Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) Training Week will be held 4-6 November 2010 at Monash University and Extension, Melbourne, Australia. The schedule of events is as follows: 4 November 2010 -- "CQA of Geosynthetics" (including geomembranes, geotextiles, geocomposites, geogrids, geoappurtenances) -- Following this CQA training, a "mini trade show" will be held in the evening in combination with a reception. 5 November 2010 -- "CQA of Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs) and Compacted Clay Liners (CCLs)." 6 November 2010 -- Geosynthetic Certification Institute (GCI) CQA-ICP Certification Exam(s) offered. Learn more about how you can participate in the courses and trade show.

International nonwovens association EDANA and the China Nonwovens and Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) are partnering on a geotextiles symposium in June 2017. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has...

"We foresee the role of German technology as crucial for the development of the technical textile sector in India." With these words Mrs. Rita Menon, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles in India opened a two days Conference on German Technology for Indian Technical Textiles which was jointly organised by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) and the VDMA Textile Machinery Association. Read about these events.

The Munich-based chemical company WACKER is strengthening its presence in India by opening a technical center in Mumbai. The facility will serve as a regional competence center for developments and applications in the construction, coatings, plastics and textile coatings industry, the main focus being on construction polymers, silicone emulsions, sealants, silanes and silicone resins. The new technical center will enable WACKER to tap the fast-growing markets in this part of the world. The investment is aimed at providing local support to customers for developing new and customized products while promoting internationally recognized quality standards in India. In 2008, WACKER generated annual sales of nearly €50 million with more than 140 employees in India.

The International Road Federation (IRF) will bring its Executive Seminar Series to Lake Buena Vista, Florida (Orlando area) 11-13 April 2012 for a session on "Rural Roads: Best Practices in Low-Volume Roads Engineering." The event will be held at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista and lead instructor Gorden Keller, P.E., GE will be joined by two guest instructors: Alan Kercher, P.E. (President, Kercher Engineering) and the World Bank's Ben Gericke (Program Team Leader, Europe and Central Asia Sustainable Development). Key topics include geosynthetics, erosion control, drainage, slope stabilization, and more.

Rowad International Geosynthetics has updated its HDPE and LLDPE geomembrane data. Rowad manufacturers to GRI standards and is active internationally. Learn more here.;

By 2041, the City of Vancouver is expected to grow by another million residents to a total population of 3.4 million. The increased population will weigh heavily on the...

British Columbia's Tsolum River has been plagued by poor water quality for decades, in part due to the old copper mining activity. The site is now improving. In 2003, a wetland was added to the flow from the old mine site on Mount Washington. In 2009, a geomembrane seal was installed to cover the entire volatile site and again, immediate water quality improvement was observed. In 2010, soil and till were added. The site has shown steady improvement throughout this process. Learn more here.;

Low and Bonar PLC, the international performance materials group, and National Petrochemical Industrial Company, a subsidiary of Alujain Corporation, today announce that they have agreed the terms on which they are to establish a joint venture company in Saudi Arabia for the design, manufacture and sale of geotextile products for the fast growing civil engineering markets in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Learn more.

This April, Geosynthetica is promoting 30 Days of Earth Day (#30DaysEarthDay). Each day we will publish stories on the intersections between geosynthetics and environmental protection, sustainable development, climate change,...

In Italy, expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks--also known as geofoam--have been used in some of the newest "eco" architecture. Take for example architect Giulio Ceppi's design for Autogrill near Ravenna, Italy. The strucutre uses geofoam blocks have been built up to create an insulating layer upon which soil and ivy has been placed to create a green roof. Learn more here.;

Need construction specifications that include geosynthetics? Many manufacturers offer documents at their websites. For example, visit Propex. Under "Landfill/Waste Containment," one finds documents regarding lagoon closure, lining system support, leachate collection, and more (found at the "continued" link below). Other manufacturers may be found at this link https://www.geosynthetica.net/ProductsServices.asp Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association Region One (IECA)  has formed a Canadian chapter. The association is setting the chapter up to serve as Canada’s “essential educational and networking resource...

Brussels, 23 January 2014 - CEN and CENELEC have launched a new section on their website as part of their ongoing efforts to encourage the widest possible range of stakeholders...

The town of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada is installing a geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) system for flood defense. Gabions are a major part of the construction. The $4 million system, which is the first large-scale flood and debris mitigation structure in BC, was selected to add additional protections in the region ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Learn more here.;

Earthmate Geosynthetics has taken the next step to facilitate its expansion in the European market by earning the CE Mark for its geogrids. Testing was conducted by the independent laboratory BTTG, which is based in the United Kingdom. The current testing values and certification is good until 23 December 2011. Learn more here.;

A jobs bill (H.R. 2273) authored by Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV), which for the first time sets minimum federal guidelines regulating coal ash while empowering the states to enforce them, passed the House Friday with overwhelming bipartisan support. McKinley’s legislation, which a Veritas study found could protect up to 316,000 jobs from being eliminated, was approved 267-144, with 37 Democrats voting yes. The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. today noted that the question of how to regulate coal ash has been "a long simmering issue ignored by many policymakers" – until now. Read the release.

Management has been contracted to handle solid oily waste that's cleaned off our beaches. An article at Fox 10 TV (Pensacola, Florida area) take a look at landfill construction and environmental security measures. According to Waste Management, that oily waste is not hazardous. So when it's dumped there, it's mixed in with all the other garbage and is contained by the waste cells' up-to-regulation, multi-layer liner and leachate management systems. Learn more here.;

Geofabrics Australasia has announced the publication of the August 2012 issue of Geofabrics Journal. This issue includes a note about the differences between index and performance tests, the advantages of powdered bentonite versus granular, news of new premises in Adelaide, and a Tasmanian riverbank erosion control project that has utilized sand-filled geocontainers extensively (and to great success). Read the issue here.

The upgrade of Delegat's Marlborough Winery wastewater treatment plant included a new 15 mega litre covered anaerobic lagoon for buffer storage of untreated winery wastewater, and a 15 mega litre uncovered storage lagoon for treated winery wastewater. Viking Containment performed the work. Read about it here.

By decree of the President of the French Republic dated 20 February 2012, Roger Genet has been appointed president of Irstea, the National Institute for Environmental and Agricultural Science and Research. The new identity has been created to more clearly assert "the organisation's positioning at the heart of environmental research in France on issues related to water, environmental risk management, environmental technologies and sustainable land development." Irstea has historically utilized geosynthetics in various applications and studies. International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Council Member Dr. Nathalie Touze-Foltz is a researcher at Irstea.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has determined that the lack of a pond liner led to the coal ash spill and bluff collapse at a We Energies facility along the shore of Lake Michigan last October 31. The DNR's report referred to the lack of a liner as a "significant factor" in the power plant's containment failure. The agency believes the company violated solid waste regulations when it built a pond in and above a coal ash landfill on the site. A $5,000 daily fine may be assessed, and, as the paper reports, it could theoretically be applied retroactively to the pond's construction three years ago. Learn more here.;

When the International Nonwovens Symposium convenes 3-4 June 2015 in Prague, attendees will learn about polymer-enhanced geomembranes. Nnamdi Amatobi, a Product Development Chemist with H&R ChemPharm (UK) will deliver...