Call for Abstracts for the 2012 Global Waste Management Symposium – Deadline is November...
The third Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) will take place 30 September - 3 October 2012 at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, Arizona and will serve as a forum for the presentation of applied and fundamental research, case studies, and policy analysis on waste and recyclables management. The organizers invite the community of researchers, engineers, designers, academicians, students, facility owners and operators, regulators, and policymakers to participate. Abstract deadline: November 4. Read more.
SPE Newsletter Review GPEC 2009
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) most recent newsletter focuses almost exclusively on the Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC), the 2009 edition of which was held in Orlando, Florida in late February. Read about the issues that influenced this conference on sustainability and read the earliest promotions for GPEC 2010, which will be held 9-10 March 2010 in Orlando. Read the newsletter online in PDF.
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Wall Street Journal Article
A link to the Wall Street Journal article referenced in the geosynthetica news item "Animal Waste Debate" from 24 September 2008.
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Landfill Gains 10-Year Extension…and a Big Fine
The Chrin Bros. Sanitary Landfill near Allentown, Pennsylvania has been granted a 10-year renewal of its state permit to operate in Williams Township, but it has also been fined $187,500 for odors and other environmental violations. The permit allows Chrin to continue running the 73-acre landfill through 2019. It also requires 18 acres of open landfill to be capped temporarily to collect gases and control odors. Chrin this month installed a plastic geomembrane to cap 7.4 acres and has agreed to cap an additional 10.5 acres by the end of 2011. Altogether, the temporarily capped areas and the already permanently capped 27.1 acres will account for 60 percent of the landfill's area of operations.
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Towing Icebergs to Southern Europe
Georges Mougin has long been fascinated with the potential to harvest potable water from icebergs for drought-affected regions. Roughly 20% of southern Europe faces water supply crises. Mougin has previously proposed wrapping icebergs in insulating geotextiles to reduce melting during towing. Now, he is using 3-D modeling to show how an iceberg can be towed to southern Europe using only a single tugboat.
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Looking Back: 1st GSI-Asia
Last month, the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) and National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) convened the 1st GSI-Asia Geosynthetics Conference. The conference was held in Taichung, Taiwan with the theme "Geosynthetics in Infrastructure." Primary topics included Mechanical Stabilized Earth Structures, Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering, Erosion Control and Sustainable Engineering, and Transportation and Pavement Engineering.
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Uranium Mining May Be on Tap for Arizona
Arizona’s breccia pipes contain some of the world’s purest uranium. There is a significant amount of interest in establishing mining operations to explore and extract it. That interest cannot currently be pursued due to a federal segregation, or time-out, imposed in 2009. But, change may be in the forecast because the segregation expires in July.
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Countrywide Proposes Cap
The on-going fire in the Countrywide Landfill in Stark County, Ohio has generated considerable news and debate. While many have charged the landfill liner is failing, no one has presented evidence. Countrywide is now fighting against firebreak proposals, citing the lack of evidence for the liner's deterioration. Instead of a firebreak, the company is proposing a capping system and standing by the highly engineered lining system.
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Watershed Geo Adds Ming Zhu as Director of Engineering
Dr. Ming Zhu, P.E. has distinguished himself over the past decade in the geotechnical field through work with a major private consulting firm and through serving major bodies such...
Geo-Frontiers 2011 Student Paper Competition
Geo-Frontiers 2011 takes place 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. In addition to the various technical sessions, short courses and trade show, Geo-Frontiers will also host a Student Poster Competition. This competition provides students with the opportunity to present a poster on a geotechnical engineering-related topic or project of their choice. Students are allowed to participate individually or as teams of two. The competition will consist of the presented poster and a brief (3 minute) presentation followed by questions from the judges. Interested participants should submit a one-page abstract up to 400 words that details the topic and include one graphic figure. Also, a submission form should be emailed to GIstudents@civil.tamu.edu by February 15. Notification of acceptance will be given by February 18. Learn more at the conference website.
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Waterproof Membranes 2015 Call for Presentations
AMI has announced the dates of Waterproof Membranes 2015, the 9th installment in the annual series. The international conference focuses on the market dynamics, technical innovation, manufacture, installation, and performance of...
8th IberoAmerican Congress on Erosion and Sediment Control
Cartagena, Colombia will host the 8th IberoAmerican Congress on Erosion and Sediment Control (CICES) 14 – 18 August 2016. The conference theme is “Embracing the Soil.”
This gathering, also...
Zinc and Copper Mine Gets Largest GCCM Installation to Date
In August 2016, over 11,000m2 of Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mat (GCCM) was installed as a protective liner for a large diversion channel at an underground zinc and copper mine...
Additive Packages, Resins, and Geomembrane Performance
How do additive packages, resins, HPOIT and OIT testing, and other components and quality control measures to geomembranes affect material durability and performance? Solmax engineer Mathieu Cornellier led a...
Ag Buildings
Iowa State University is studying the use of hoop buildings for cattle production. Hoop buildings, which often use fabric roofs, have been used in many hog operations, but they've been slow to be adapted for cattle and dairies. ISU is studying the effects on production for raising cattle in hoop building environments. So far, the results have been very positive. This includes the use of geotextile separation fabrics with limestone screenings on top.
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Liner Integrity Survey Course
Immediately following Geo-Frontiers 2011, TRI/Environmental will host two days of liner integrity survey training at its Austin, Texas campus (March 17-18). Liner integrity survey remains a strong need in geosynthetics installations. These technologies are used to confirm the quality of geomembrane installations or identify areas in which damage may have occurred to a facility. Construction quality assurance (CQA) firms adept with these technologies are creating new revenue centers for themselves while providing these much-needed services to their clients. Learn more and register online.
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The Year So Far: Most Popular Geosynthetics Stories
We’ve rounded the corner into the second half of 2017, so it’s time to take stock of what Geosynthetica’s readers have made our most popular geosynthetics stories. Last year...
TenCate and Roctest Combine Strengths to Create Unique Geotextile Monitoring Solution
The world's largest manufacturer of fiber optic sensors for civil engineering applications and the world's leading provider of geosynthetics are collaborating in the development of a unique geotextile monitoring solution -- TenCate GeoDetect® -- that will provide unprecedented detail about the properties of embankments, slopes, walls, levees, roads, rails and other earth structures. Customers will benefit from the real-time monitoring of every square meter of land for ground movement, soil erosion, settlement and other changes. Read more.
Grass and Yarn Tufters Forum 2010
The 4th edition of the Grass Yarn & Tufters Forum will be held at the Austria Trend Savoyen Hotel in Vienna from 9-11 February 2010. This event will follow on from the success of our previous events that have typically attracted 150 participants from around the world. A special registration rate is available through 30 December 2009. Learn more about the companies and organizations taking part in the conference and download a PDF copy of the program.
New Website for International GCL Event
SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), will host the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GBR-C 2k10) 15-16 September 2010 at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany. Technical sessions will address shear and mechanical behaviour of GCLs, chemical resistance of GCLs, testing of GCLs under unsaturated conditions, behaviour of GCLs in landfill covers (case studies), regulations, new concepts and developments in the use of GCLs, and GCLs for hydraulic and construction applications. Visit the conference's new website.
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Franklin Reservoir to Get New Geomembrane
The city of Franklin, Tennessee's 30-acre reservoir has been leaking for a number of years. An estimated 1 million gallons leaks from it each day. But crews will soon begin to drain the reservoir ahead of a three-month crack repair plan. This involves the installation of a new geomembrane liner for long-term containment and the removal of 26,000 cubic yards of silt to restore the facility to capacity.
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EPA Video: Building Green in Philadelphia
EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW) has released a new 11-minute video, "Building Green: A Success Story in Philadelphia." The video features numerous short interviews and showcases green building methods being implemented around Philadelphia, such as green roofs, porous pavers for infiltration, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, reducing stormwater runoff, and much more.
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Raven Adds Geosynthetic Fabrication Services Facility in Virginia
Raven Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAVN) is expanding its fabrication services eastward. The company has announced a site in Waynesboro, Virginia. The new location supports Raven’s Engineered Films Division in providing faster...
High-Strength Geotextiles Flex Their Muscle
Geotextiles have been developed and installed in civil engineering projects since the 1950s. Largely emerging in response to flooding and storm events in the Netherlands and the United States,...
Plastics in Photovoltaics 2011 Program Announced
AMI's "Plastics in Photovoltaics 2011" will be held in Philadelphia 20-21 September 2011. The conference will cover renewable energy as an expanding global market to provide sustainable power sources, while offering a unique networking and sourcing opportunity for module manufacturers, solar power companies, polymer and processing experts, and suppliers to the industry. Organizers have announced the program. Visit the conference website for details.
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