Containment

Contributed by the Research Council of Norway: Synthetic bags filled with sand was the solution that French and Norwegian partners came up with when they cooperated on a project to find new environment-friendly building materials that can withstand ice erosion and corrosion. The bags will be used as building blocks to protect roads and infrastructure in Arctic areas. The main Norwegian partner in the recently concluded three-year project was the independent research organisation SINTEF. The project was initiated by its French partner, the company TenCate Geosynthetics France S.A.S.

The inactive Flying Cloud Landfill in Eden Prairie, Minnesota has leaks and needs a new cover. We first noted the situation in early October 2009. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) intends to fully take over the site and install a new geosynthetic cover system to provide permanent, dependable containment for what is an old, unlined facility. Up to $15 million may be allocated to ensure proper environmental protection. Learn more here.;

An engineering class at an all-girls school in Bethesda, Md., is designed to make the male-dominated field more appealing to female students. "It's about taking risks and getting them over the anxiety of always having to be right all the time," said physics teacher Chris Lee. Class projects include building robots and researching bridge disasters. Learn more here.;

Can search-engine-optimized video increase your ranking in Google searches (to Page 1 rank status) by up to 53 times? Some consultants believe so. Learn more here.;

AMCOL International Corporation has announced that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded their new headquarters building, located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) NC Silver certification. The building is located in the Prairie Stone Business Park which is a unique blend of technology and tranquility with native prairie surroundings. CETCO is part of AMCOL. Read more in the release.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold five listening sessions to provide information to the public about a potential rule to strengthen stormwater regulations and to establish a comprehensive program to reduce stormwater from new development and redevelopment. These potential regulations would help to reduce stormwater discharges that can harm water quality into nearby waterways.

Synthetic bags (from TenCate Geosynthetics) filled with sand was the solution that French and Norwegian partners came up with when they cooperated on a project to find new environment-friendly building materials that can withstand ice erosion and corrosion. Read more. Learn more here.;

At his Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Department of Energy project blog, Frank Munger has posted a photo of HDPE geomembrane panels being welded. Learn more here.;

The U-S Department of Agriculture recently promised international leaders it would reduce greenhouse gases emitted from large dairy herds. To keep the promise, many dairy farms will have to cover their manure lagoons. WOSU's Tom Borgerding reports from Circleville where one farmer hopes to convert greenhouse gases to money in his pocket. (Print and streaming radio versions available at the link below.) Learn more here.;

A reminder that short abstracts of up to 400 words are due by 16 January 2010 for GeoCalgary 2010, which is co-hosted by the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS). All abstracts and papers must be submitted electronically using the easy-to-use Online Abstract Submission feature on the GEO2010 web site: www.geo2010.ca. Corresponding authors will be notified regarding abstract acceptance by 26 February 2010. All technical papers must be submitted by 3 May 2010, accompanied by one full delegate registration. Learn more here.;

The Canadian Young Geotechnical Engineers and Geoscientists Conference is a national specialty conference held every three years and aims to create a relaxed environment where young members of the geoengineering and geoscience communities are provided a great opportunity to share technical knowledge and exchange career experiences. The 3rd cYGEGC will be held 16-18 September 2010 in Waterton Lakes National Park, Calgary. Abstracts of no more than 400 words should be submitted in English or French to the Technical Chairs, Matthew Perras and Maureen White, by 1 February 2010. Learn more here.;

A major expansion is under way at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge nuclear landfill in Tennessee. In December, Bechtel Jacobs and its subcontractor, ESI, completed installation of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane on a new cell that adds 465,000 cubic yards of disposal space for low-level radioactive waste and other hazardous materials. The total burial volume is now 1.7 million cubic yards. The project team has referred to the approach as a "blackout," because the membrane is black. Learn more here.;

CETCO announces that Richard B. Erickson has been appointed the position of Technical Sales Manager for CETCO - Lining Technologies Group. Richard is located in California and will be responsible for the West Coast regional sales, reporting to Timothy J. Rafter, National Sales Manager. Effective 4 January 2010, Richard can be reached at richard.erickson@cetco.com.

Manure storage covers, originally designed to control odors on dairy, swine and other livestock facilities, can also capture greenhouse gases such as methane, which is more harmful to the environment in terms of global warming effects than carbon dioxide. The collected methane can be traded for carbon credits at carbon trading markets, where the amount of gas measured is converted to its carbon equivalent. The amount the carbon is worth is then paid back to the farmer. Learn more here.;

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has given the go-ahead for Apex to expand its landfill that has space in both Jefferson and Harrison Counties. The EPA issued Apex Environmental LLC a final solid waste permit-to-install and final air permit-to-install for the company's proposed landfill expansion. This includes vertical expansion. However, Apex Environmental LLC will retain the existing 4-to-1 grade on the northern slope of the landfill. This means that the buried waste under 12 acres of the northern slope will not receive any new waste and will not need to be uncovered, preventing some potential odors. Learn more here.;

The HealthNoob blog has posted an entry on the importance of soil consolidation in construction. This includes a mention of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs). Learn more here.;

Beginning in 2010 TenCate Geosynthetics will be concentrating on the market launch and sales of TenCate GeoDetect® in North America. This monitoring system, based on geotextiles equipped with optical fibers, has already been used in Europe for a few years. The launch in North America will enable the company's global marketing efforts in the field of geotechnology to be coordinated and the continued development of the system to be intensified. TenCate GeoDetect® is the world's first intelligent geotextile. Learn more.

XL Renewables is spearheading some fascinating agriculture applications by farming algae on plastic liners. It's of particular benefit, the company contends, when located next to animal feeding operations that struggle to manage manure. XL's Super Trough uses a plastic liner beneath water that carries carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and nutrients required by algae to achieve significant yields. Algae can help create something of a wastewater treatment plant for manure. Learn more here.;

Cleaning up the ash dump at the old Medfield State Hospital near Needham, Massachusetts, were tabled following protests and a need for professional engineering reviews. ADS Environmental Engineering, LLC. ADS warned against the 12-inch soil cap plan, recommending instead that a geotextile fabric be placed in between the clean soil cap and contaminated soil, to provide a temporary and long-term erosion barrier, in the event that erosion of the cap isn’t immediately noticed, and to provide a visual signal that erosion of the cap is occurring. Learn more here.;

China's Ministry of Transport may invest roughly 5 trillion yuan (USD $732 billion) in the next 5 years in transportation, ports and water conservation and conveyance. Geosynthetics will play an important role. Learn more here.;

Join professionals from around the state for Minnesota Erosion Control Association's 22nd Annual Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Conference & Trade Show, March 11-12, 2010 at the Holiday Inn & Suites in St. Cloud. Network with stormwater and erosion control professionals from around the Midwest and learn about cutting edge projects, innovative designs and products. Visit www.mnerosion.org for the conference brochure and registration link, or call MECA at +1 763 478 3267. Learn more here.;

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) reminds you that it has a new address: SPE Headquarters has moved to a new location. Our address is now 13 Church Hill Rd, Newtown, CT 06470, USA. Learn more here.;

Published 31 December 2009 - A bioremediation blanket comprising: a top layer of an oleophilic nonwoven geotextile fabric adapted to capture and remove material floating in water and to contain the material removed from the water on the blanket and to allow hydrocarbons to flow through the top layer to an interior of the blanket; a bottom layer of geotextile fabric comprising a woven monofilament layer adapted to release water from which hydrocarbons have been removed; and microbes adapted to digest hydrocarbons, said microbes being provided on or within the top layer and/or between the top layer and the bottom layer. Learn more here.;

A new creek bed is being dug for Jonathon Creek in the city of Moncten, New Brunswick, Canada. It's part of a $3 million remediation project stemming from a poorly closed waste cell. The "pre-causeway channel", that is, the part from the outflow of the CN culvert to the historic river's edge, will be lined with a special geotextile material covered with rip-rap, the round stones used to control erosion. Workers must perform this work in winter when the ground is frozen, else the construction equipment will sink. Learn more here.;

Tens of thousands of miles of aging sewer and water treatment systems need extensive repairs and upgrades that could cost New York billions in the next two decades, an expensive undertaking even with the help of federal stimulus funding, according to state officials. New York's Department of Environmental Conservation found sewage-treatment infrastructure around the state is aging out and in need of an estimated $36.2 billion in repairs over the next 20 years. A similar state Health Department study estimated that drinking water infrastructure is in need of approximately $38 billion in repairs over 20 years. Read more in the Washington Post. Learn more here.;