Containment

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of June 29. WORK SMARTER. BIG PROJECTS The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)...

Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) and Noel P Hunt International Limited have reached agreement on the takeover of the TenCate 50% interest in the joint venture Geofabrics Australasia Pty Ltd of Cheltenham (Australia). The takeover price of the shares amounts to AUD 40 million (approximately €23 million). The book profit on the sale of the 50% interest amounts to approximately €11 million and will be incorporated in the half-year figures of TenCate. Read more in the release.

Whales (bubbles above the water level) in a lined wastewater pond are usually caused by leaking water that cannot be removed, which in turn generates methane that also cannot be removed. Minimize leakage through the liner (there will inevitably be some), provide a functioning leakage removal (monitoring) system, and a functioning gas venting system. A nonwoven geotextile alone under the geomembrane is not sufficient to do this.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) continues to expand its technical and educational offerings, highlighting not just fabricated geomembranes but larger engineering concerns in applications that commonly incorporate these materials...

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10 ICG) will be held 21-25 September 2014 in Berlin, Germany. This will be the biggest international geosynthetics conference during 2014, and it...

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has announced the launch of its first podcast series, Clearing the Waters. The podcast, recorded and distributed in MP3 format, allows the listener to download it to any MP3 device (e.g., an iPod) or to listen to it from a computer desktop or laptop. The purpose of the podcast series is to provide listeners with an inside look at IECA's annual conference and expo, Environmental Connection 2012 (EC12). The 2012 conference will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas from February 26-29, 2012.

At the 41st conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) held in Dallas, Texas, 16-20 February 2010, the IECA Board of Directors installed one new officer and held an election to determine who would hold the position of Treasurer. All other members of the Board of Directors will continue to serve in their current roles. The IECA Board of Directors is made up of nine members, each serving a three year term. Read more.

The January/February 2011 issue of Textile World has published an article on the forthcoming Geo-Frontiers 2011 event to be held in Dallas, Texas (13-16 March 2011). The previous Geo-Frontiers (2005) attracted 126 exhibitors and 1,850 attendees. The 2011 edition should boast similar numbers, as interest, the publication notes, has been twice as high. A record 1,161 authors from 60 countries submitted technical abstracts, and 500 papers are slated to be presented. Read more. Learn more here.;

An area of Anglesey's Parys Mountain (Northwest Wales, United Kingdom) has been made safe after arsenic contamination in the soils has been contained. The site once house copper works, and the pollution legacy it left behind has been remediated and capped by geomembrane. The BBC reports. Learn more here.;

Amec Environmental is involved in the PCB cleanup project of the New Harbour dumpsite near Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. During a public meeting on June 11, Amec representatives said that a second liner may be needed to properly close the site. Learn more here.;

Waste & Recycling News Capitol Hill Summit will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, in Washington, D.C., on 30-31 March 2009. This 1-1/2 day summit will bring together environmental, waste and recycling executives from corporations both large and small, as well as companies that provide environmental services to corporate America. Co-organizer of the event is the environmental division of the law firm of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP. View the list of speakers here. Learn more here.;

The commercialization of innovative and modern biological waste to energy systems and technologies is promoting a new wave of growth in the green energy sector globally. The biological waste to energy plant represents an excellent option to treat biological waste and produce energy. Indeed, many governments acknowledge that these plants are an ideal solution to help fight climate change and guarantee energy independence. Driven by government regulation and support, demand for biological waste to energy plants in the world is growing and the market is becoming more competitive. According to new analysis from Frost & Sullivan the market for biological waste to energy plant in Europe -- which is the largest in the world -- is expected to reach $3.6B in 2016 under an optimistic scenario.

TenCate Geosynthetics Americas has developed a seven-minute video clip "TenCate at Work Around the Globe" that features several innovative TenCate projects around the globe. These projects illustrate several possibilities and applications using geotextile materials, such as dewatering, steep slope reinforcement, soft soil coverage, and much more.

The US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) has been engaged in an extensive levee reconstruction program throughout the New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) region ever since 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Geosynthetics have been an important part of the geotechnical solutions. In this case study from Colbond, we take a look at how wick drains have been used to prepare and stabilize the area's very soft soils in order to allow levee reconstruction.

"Deep Foundations: Design, Construction and Quality Control - Load and Resistance Factor Design Platform (LRFD)" will be held 14-16 November 2011 at the University of Delaware Campus. This highly interactive 3-day course, presented by geotechnical engineering leaders Jerry DiMaggio and Christopher Meehan, will provide a thorough understanding of modern techniques for the design, installation and verification of deep foundations in LRFD platforms. Up to 2.3 CEUs or 23 PDHs may be awarded for full participation. Learn more here.;

Leister Process Technologies moved into its new headquarters in Kaegiswil, Switzerland. The representative high-tech building stands only a few hundred meters away from the previous headquarters. Its unconventional dominating glass front, which allows an exceptional degree of transparency, is an attractive feature. The building has an environmentally friendly air conditioning system. It is operated without the use of fossil fuels. Learn more about Leister at the company website. Learn more here.;

Don't pay higher rates for Environmental Connection 2015 (15 - 18 February 2015). The early-bird registration deadline is today, Friday, January 9. This rate enables you to receive up...

The Canadian province of Quebec has more than 6,000 hog manure storage tanks. That scale makes it difficult for farmers to adapt quickly to changes in government containment regulations. But the use of reinforced, flexible polypropylene (fPP-R) geomembranes for tank covers is having a beneficial impact. Environmental Science & Engineering looks at one site's use of Firestone geomembranes in this capacity. Learn more here.;

Penton Media's 2010 Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) has announced their initial sponsor lineup for 2010. The biennial event serves as an international forum for the presentation of both applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management and will take place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, a new facility that just opened its doors this year.

Trelleborg has completed the divestment of its roofing operations, which were part of the Trelleborg Engineered Systems business area. The operations are being taken over by Axcel, a Nordic venture capital company.

Everything's gone green, it seems. In Milwaukee, an Urban Aquaculture Center (UAC) is being developed to promote sustainable aquaculture and agriculture practices in the city and in the Midwestern United States. Molly Snyder Edler's article offers a peak at the prototype venture…though it seems there's a typo regarding the facility's proposed square footage. Learn more here.;

Net profit second quarter well over € 13 million. In advance of the publication of the half-year figures on Wednesday 26 August 2009 and on the basis of provisional results, it is announced that net profit for the second quarter fell back by approximately 26% compared with the second quarter of 2008. With a stringent cost reduction policy and a tight liquidity management, as of 30 June 2009 TenCate remained well within the covenants agreed with the banks. The debt / EBITDA ratio improved compared to the previous quarter to approximately 2.5 (covenant 3.0). Read more.

U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei and U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer have asked federal and state environmental officials to assess the health risk posed by dumping contaminated sediment from Onondaga Lake. The sediments contain contains mercury, PCBs and other contaminants. The lake cleanup plan calls for some sediment from the lake bottom to be dredged, piped directly to Wastebed 13 and packed in geotextile tubes. Learn more here.;

On the eve of GreenBuild 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts, 18 November 2008, a business reception will be held at the Liberty Hotel. Organizers invite you to take part in this opportunity to network with more than 50 Canadian companies, associations and agencies that are international leaders in green building and energy efficiency. To register or if you have questions, please contact Erin Daily by email. Arrangements for this special networking event must be made by 14 November 2008. Learn more here.;

The seven-mile-long Central Canel in Indianapolis will receive a geosynthetic liner for an eroding portion of it. Veolia Water Indianapolis owns the reservoir, which provides drinking water to 600,000. Additional crushed stone will be installed on the banks to stop erosion. Construction will take place this fall. Learn more here.;