Containment

At the Geo-Frontiers 2011 conference, there will be a technical session on Concrete Protection Liners co-chaired by Ian D. Peggs (icorp@geosynthetic.com) and Peter Dimaio (peterd@aks.co.za). All those working on tunnels, wastewater treatment basins, process chemical containment, or any other aspect of concrete protection using geomembranes or thicker polymeric sheet products, are invited to submit abstracts through www.geofrontiers11.org before 8 March 2010. Learn more here.;

IECA has partnered with various sponsors to help provide financial assistance for industry professionals to attend Environmental Connection 2015. Recipients of these scholarships will be given a complimentary full-conference...

The second installment in our "Catching Up With..." series visits with Professor Han-Yong Jeon of INHA Unversity GeoSynthetics Research Lab (GSRL). Korea is a growing market for geosynthetics use in construction and for exports. The topics being pursued at GSRL reflect the interests of the overall Korean industry.

Land and Water Magazine's Erosion and Sediment Control Network (ESCN.tv) if hosting a webinar on 3 December 2009: "Online Marketing Webinar for Erosion and Sediment Control Industry." The webinar will show you how ESCN.tv can help you communicate one-to-one with your target audience. They note, "We will review how we measure engagement and demonstrate how this medium enhances branding, communication, and lead generation." Learn more. Email Kim Kline at kimlandandwater@gmail.com. Learn more here.;

Raven Engineered Films would like to share with you our excitement regarding the collaboration between Raven Aerostar and Google on Project Loon and the role we play to provide...

Additional information on the A&L Landfill problem in Lisbon, Ohio. Learn more here.;

In Nevada, lawmakers in the state house have passed ACR 32, a bill to demand that Congress repair the canal. When the canal suffered a breach last year that led to nearly 600 homes flooded. The US Bureau of Reclamation has been unable to date to decide on a long-term repair solution. Geosynthetics are certainly a possibility. The Bureau has previously conducted a 10-year study on canal performance with geosynthetic lining and found significantly supportive data for geosynthetic adoption. Learn more here.;

Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has forecasted that the country's aquaculture acreage will increase by 15,600 ha in 2008. Tra and basa catfish demand are the biggest drivers. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has announced a worldwide call for requests-for-proposals (RFPs) focusing on "innovative" geosynthetics research and development projects. This will be the second class of awardees in the GSI Fellowship series, the having been awarded in 2008. Multiple awards of up to $10,000 per year will be given. Each is renewable, pending an annual written report, to a total amount of $25,000 per student. Read the call from Jamie Koerner and Robert Koerner.

Andrew Aho, Executive Director of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), writes: "Geotextile manufacturers are keen to update the specifying community regarding specifications that are outdated and no longer acceptable in the industry. Two tests retired by industry approval standards continue to creep into the occasional specification: the Mullen Burst Test and the Puncture Strength Test. The Mullen test was devised in 1887 by J.W. Mullen as a measure for the puncture strength of paper. Eventually it was adopted by the textile industry along with the Puncture Strength Text. In the 1970s these tests were available to the geotextile industry." Read more, including an open letter to specifiers of geosynthetics.

Registration is now open for Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), the next annual conference of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). Don't miss your chance to attend industry-leading education sessions, take advantage of the extensive networking opportunities, and see technologies and service providers in the largest expo of its kind. It's the world's largest soil and water event, and it's taking place 20-23 February 2011 in Orlando, Florida. Register by 10 December 2010 to receive the early-bird registration rate. Learn more here.;

After considerable trouble with erosion and levee stability south of Marrero (Louisiana), the West Bank Levee Board has formed an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers to shore up the oft-crumbling levee with geotextiles. Roughly 1,600 feet of the earthen levee has been threatened, with two failures having occurred in the last 20 years and which affected 600 feet of the structure. Geotextiles will be used now and the levee will be raised from 10 feet to 14.5 feet to guard against a 100-year storm. Learn more here.;

The Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), a 60-year-old not-for-profit industry group, is currently reviewing a Final Report on "Assessment of Geosynthetic Fabrics to Reduce Soil Loads on Buried Pipelines." According to the the PRCI's latest update on the collaborative research, "This research determined that the use of two layers of geotextile fabric on a sloped trench boundary is effective in reducing maximum horizontal soil loads at small displacements with observed reductions of approximately 30% and 40% in the horizontal soil restraint provided by gravel for various trench wall angles." The project has aimed to find a methodology and approach that would be repeatable, in the lab and in the field. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event will be held 18-21 September 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Learn more here.;

Raven Engineered Films' Quality Assurance Laboratory has been granted accreditation from the Geosynthetic Institute for designated geosynthetic test methods in accordance with the Geosynthetic Accreditation Institute – Laboratory Accreditation Program (GAI-LAP). Raven is one of only 49 laboratories currently granted with the "GAI-LAP" accreditation worldwide. Please visit geosynthetic-institute.org/gai.htm for complete details regarding the Laboratory Accreditation Program (GAI-LAP). Learn more here.;

In a letter to engineers using geosynthetics and instructors, students and researchers working with them on the college and university level, Dr. Robert Koerner of the Geosynthetic Institute writes on the publication of the 6th Edition of his Designing with Geosynthetics text. Dr. Koerner's letter includes discussion of the financial realties of textbook publishing, the difficulties of on-demand publishing, and the stunningly economical nature of e-publishing.

ASTM International's Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has revised standard D5994, "Standard Test Method for Measuring Core Thickness of Textured Geomembrane," to D5994-10. Thickness is one of the basic index properties used to control and track the quality of many geomembranes. Additionally, many mechanical properties (for example, tensile yield strength, puncture strength, etc.) can be related to core thickness. Core thickness values may also be required in calculation of some parameters such as diffusion coefficients or tensile stresses. Learn more here.;

The organizers of Geosynthetics 2017, the First International Conference on Technology and Application of Geosynthetics, have invited abstracts of 200 – 300 words in either English or Spanish....

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA)—a chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society—has a strong history of supporting educational endeavors. The chapter’s support comes in the way of...

Canada's Yellowknife wrestles with a difficult far-northern environment, but that's no excuse for not properly managing its waste, say its officials. The current landfill is being closed and a new cell opened. Modern, geosynthetic design is utilized even in this cold region engineering. Learn more here.;

Raven Industries Engineered Films Division announces Dura-Skrim® Textured K-Series; a new geomembrane product line specifically engineered for the geosynthetic industry. Dura-Skrim Textured K-Series is a unique textured reinforced geomembrane available in polyethylene or flexible polypropylene and is the first of this type in the industry. Dura-Skrim Textured K-Series is manufactured utilizing a cast extrusion process to achieve a consistent core thickness with uniform asperity heights. Raven's exclusive GeoGrip™ surface technology consists of a durable random spike pattern with bidirectional bars to provide uniform stabilization and an increased friction between various soil and geosynthetic layers allowing for steeper slope designs. Dura-Skrim Textured K-Series is designed for applications requiring exceptional slope stability such as landfill caps, mining leach pads and containment ponds to name a few.

Writing for the December 2012 issue of Rebuilding America's Infrastructure, Jeff Fiske details how NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) selected Triton Marine Mattresses for bridge scour protection. The bascule piers to be protected support drawbridge gears and may also support a guardhouse on top of a key bridge in a KSC-controlled channel. The reinforced mattressed solution was selected for scour protection performance, constructability, adaptability, and durability in a challenging, submarine environment. Also, the coastal and waterway revetment system was much more cost-effective than the alternatives. Read it online. Learn more here.;

With more than 100 presentations, numerous networking opportunities, and special sessions on today's hottest waste management topics, the Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) 2010 is a must-attend event. It will provide the forum for topics critical to the global waste community. GWMS 2010 will be held 3-6 October 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas. Learn more.

Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the commonwealth is investing $5 million in federal recovery money in eight innovative alternative energy projects that use biological materials such as sewage, animal and food processing waste to generate enough energy to power more than 80,000 homes.

From coal ash disposal to landfill cell construction to mining processing controls, we're seeing renewed activity in the role regulation is playing around the world for ensuring the right envrionmental protection technologies are in place. Peter Garrett, the Australian government's Mininster of Environment, Heritage and the Arts, has issued a media statement on stringent, exemplary protections being implemented at a new uranium mine in South Australia. It's an appropriate addition to discussion, especially as global markets show signs of life and long-term mining forecasts are beginning to edge up.