Containment

ACE Geosynthetics has taken home the top prize in the Geosynthetic Projects category of the 2009 International Achievement Awards (IAA). The winning entries in the IAA competition were announced during IFAI Expo, the annual conference of the Industrial Fabrics Association International's (IFAI). ACE's winning project comes from a complex road and slope repair in Taiwan. Two other geosynthetic awards were given, each of which went to last year's Excellence Award winner: TenCate Geosynthetics. See photographs of the winning projects. Learn more here.;

Geomembrane Technologies Inc. (GTI) has finished a project for a large cheese and butter plant in the state of Victoria, Australia, again demonstrating GTI's strength in successfully completing world-wide projects. The dairy processor turned to GTI's experts to design, fabricate and supervise the installation of an odor control cover for an additional lagoon required at an existing wastewater treatment system. The plant required odor control, due to its strong wastewater flow as part of its wastewater treatment system.

Geotextiles will have a business potential of Rs. 1,260 crore in the 21,000 km national highway upgrades being carried out by the government, said Shri Bhupendra Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles today. The country has a road network of 33 lakh kilometre, of which National Highways, State Highways and Expressways account for 70,548 km, 131,98 km and 200 km, respectively. Under the Bharat Nirman component of Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), 24,000 km of roads will be laid in 2009-10 and Geotech will have a market potential Rs. 868 crore, said Joint Secretary (Textiles). The Government will spend US $78.5 billion for the development of road infrastructure during the XIth Five Year Plan Period, and the Technical Textiles Industry shall be able to exploit the potential, said Shri Bhupendra Singh.

The Allco Fish Hatchery is celebrating 30 years in Maple Ridge this month. The hatchery is run by B.C. Corrections through a supervised inmate work program. It raises both salmon and trout species for release into local streams. Read more. Learn more here.;

More on the potential to transform and improve India's roads with geosynthetics. Indopia also reports that a joint survey by the ministry and credit rating agency ICRA on technical textiles will be released in early October 2010. Learn more here.;

The Federation of International Trade Associations (FITA) hosts what is in and of itself a very useful website. But FITA also publishes a bi-weekly e-newsletter called "Really Useful Sites." It's a simple and apt title. Really Useful Sites offers a number of places for readers to go to learn about country export/import activity and needs, trade mission opportunities, general international trade or visa information, and much more. More than 100,000 receive this newsletter. Visit http://www.fita.org/useful/ for more information. Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) has recently released reports which will give you essential data on polymers processed, processes operated, products manufactured, and machinery used by over 3000 companies in Europe. To take advantage of this offer you must order now. AMI is offering you a special rate if you reply before 6 October 2009. The reports are divided into five books: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, and Eastern Europe. Read more about their contents.

Vnesheconombank, the Russian state-run bank, has opened a $153m credit line for Tobolsk-Polymer LLC, a subsidiary of SIBUR Holding, Russia's largest petrochemical company. The funds will be used to finance the construction of a polypropylene production complex in Tobolsk (Tyumen region) with an annual capacity of 500 thousand tonnes. Learn more.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has opened registration for its annual conference and expo, Environmental Connection 2010 (EC10). Interested parties can visit IECA's website for details on full-day courses, field tours, special events and the exhibit hall. The complete listing of shorter technical sessions will be available later this fall.

Maccaferri offers a host of learning opportunities through educational engineering events in multiple locations. The company also supports a number of conferences and events. Whether you're looking for geotextile, gabion, or rockfall netting information; whether you're designing for shoreline stabilization, mining haul roads, or general geotechnical engineering, Maccaferri gives you many opportunities to connect face to face. See Maccaferri next at the following events (Continued)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's "Senseable City Laboratory" has embarked on an ambitious trash and recycling tracking program. The experiment has used roughly 3,000 common pieces of garbage from all over the United States. Items have been digitally tagged and MIT's team has been following the extensive study. Researchers plan to track items for three months to see where they end up in the waste stream. Real-time tracking will be available online. Learn more here.;

Drought has greatly affected Mexico for a long time, but the level of drought reaching its most populous city (and one of the world's most populous cities), Mexico City, raises significant concern. Utilizing the 17 cubic metres of rainwater that go down the drain every second in Mexico City's region is a new goal, and it's being met through the use of geomembranes for rainwater collection at a purification plant. Read more about this fascinating turn in Mexico's infrastructure. Learn more here.;

The fourth GSI-Taiwan conference will be held on the campus of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology on 18 November 2009. The conference themes is "Geosynthetics in Transportation Engineering Applications." Speakers include Mr. Liu, Deputy of Directorate General of Highways, Minister of Transportation Communications (MOTC); Professor Fumio Tatsuoka, Chairman, Internation Society of Geosynthetic (IGS); Mr. Tony Allen, State Geotechnical Engineer, The Washington State Department of Transportation, USA; Mr. S.J. Huang, Director, Third Maintenance Office, Directorate General of Highways, MOTC; Professor Dennes Bergado, Director, Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics; and Dr. Nelson Chow, President, Sinotech Engineering Consultant, Inc. Read more about the event.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Giroud, a key figure in the development of the geosynthetics, and notably geotextiles, industry, will attend Expo Hightex on Tuesday, 8 October 2009, at Montréal's Bonsecours Market. In the morning, Dr. Giroud will explain the innovation processes responsible for creating this market segment, along with the mechanisms the textile industry has developed to meet the needs of civil engineering, and in the afternoon of the same day, he will speak on geosynthetics' applications in road construction. Geosynthetics today generate billions of dollars annually and offer new possibilities for development, particularly in the textile industry.

Leaders from a broad spectrum of Idaho's agriculture community announced support today of Monsanto's proposed Blackfoot Bridge phosphate mine, which will allow for the continued domestic production of specialty herbicides that help farmers produce food more efficiently, and do so in an environmentally sound manner. The plan includes the use of a laminated geosynthetic clay liner to cover and contain selenium.

Hightex 2009 takes place in Montreal 7-8 October 2009. The event, which will be held at Montreal's historic Bonsecours Market, brings together various sectors of the techncial textiles industry, affiliated industries, government officials, and many more. The October 7 session will feature a number of construction and infrastructure-related presentations as part of the Constructex session.

TRI/Environmental will host another CQA Week that offers essential education in these areas during the week of 2 November 2009 at its Austin, Texas campus. Activities will include both classroom and field study (in on-site test pits) of liner integrity surveys--also known as, leak location--with electrical resistivity testing; two days of QA/QC short courses on geosynthetic installation and use of compact clay and geosynthetic clay liners; and the CQA Certification Exam from the Geosynthetic Institute's (GSI) CQA Inspectors Certification Program. Learn more about it here.

Economic recovery is progressing in China, India and Brazil, and DuPont (NYSE: DD) is well-positioned to continue to capture growth in these countries where a significant increase in population and globalization are transforming markets, said DuPont Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Thomas M. Connelly at the Credit Suisse Chemical and Ag Science Conference. Read more.

The second Global Waste Management Symposium dates have been announced! The conference website now shows 3-6 October 2010 at the new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Abstracts for oral and poster presentations have been invited. The deadline has been posted as 23 October 2009. Learn more. Learn more here.;

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) is offering its very early-bird registration rate through 30 September 2009. Add to it the early booking discount for hotel, and those who take advantage of registering now will save more than $700. The 9ICG will be held 23-27 May 2010 in Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil, under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Please register as soon as possible. Learn more here.;

Representatives from the federal Environmental Protection Agency have discussed plans for phase two of the removal stage at the BoRit asbestos site with members of the Community Advisory Group. Flexible concrete panels with geotextile underlay will be used for the erosion control work. Learn more here.;

Research and Markets has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "A Guide to Polymeric Geomembranes: A Practical Approach" to their offering. The report offers a detailed discussion of the major geomembrane types, manufacturing methods, key performance properties, industrial applications, testing and chemical resistance of geomembranes, and failure analysis methodology.

Law 360 reports that Tenax Geosynthetics and Alcoa have settled out-of-court the suit brought by Tenax, which sought to recoup some or all of the roughly $1.5 million it was alledgedly owed for materials manufactured for and shipped to an Alcoa site. Alcoa is said to have ordered $5 million worth of drainage geocomposites (9.2 million sq. ft.), but as it advanced in the project declined the last 800,000 sq. ft. delivery and had yet to finish paying for the amount of material it had already received and installed. Details of the settlement have not been released yet. Learn more here.;

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the DEP's issuance of erosion and sediment control permits. The agengy's database indicates that nearly all recent permits have been approved in a month, despite the long-standing problems with erosion and sediment migration into the historic bay area. The lawsuit follows the release of draft reports on creating a long-term plan for better environmental management of the bay. Learn more here.;