Containment

During the past week, Geosynthetica has interviewed waste management operators, utilities, design engineering firms, geosynthetics manufacturers, and fabricators and installers about coal combustion residuals (CCRs). The interviews...

The timeline for conferences are, not uncommonly, adjusted slightly from well out; but it is extremely rare for events to be rescheduled so near to their original dates....

With a rapidly growing global sales and manufacturing presence, Strata Systems, Inc. has developed more regionally targeted portals in support of its clients and Strata’s soil reinforcement products. In...

By Bruno Pedroni and Chris Kelsey – On June 9, a two-day workshop on Geomembrane Installation Quality convened in São Paulo, Brazil. Organized and promoted by Geosynthetica and its...

In the 1990s*, geosynthetic material development, polymeric research, and wide-scale manufacturing advances helped the field mature quickly. Regulatory support, such as the RCRA Subtitle D rule from the US...

An interview with Dr. Fady Abdelaal, GeoEngineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, by Chris Kelsey The first conference dedicated exclusively to geosynthetics in mining was held in Vancouver,...

ATLANTA – Tensar Corporation, the global leader in geosynthetic site development technology, announced today that it has been acquired by Castle Harlan, Inc., a New York-based middlemarket private equity firm. "By...

Sika CEO Jan Jenisch: "The fact that we have had a record year in 2013 is due to the expertise and commitment of our 16,293 employees. Their energy and...

Editor's Note: The biomass market has developed steadily, both through government incentives and through alternative energy innovation. Geosynthetic materials have been utilized in affiliated dewatering applications, containment, floating covers,...

In the opening column to the International Geosynthetics Society's IGS News (Volume 29, Issue 2), IGS President Jorge Zornberg notes, "The conferences of the IGS have played a remarkable...

Three new reports focus on policies to fight climate change BRUSSELS, June 25, 2013 — The economic costs and social impacts of climate change threaten the prosperity of the Europe...

The International Symposium on Sustainable Geosynthetics and Green Technology for Climate Change (SGCC) was held in Bangkok, Thailand 20-21 June 2012 and honored Prof. Dennis T. Bergado, a geosynthetics veteran who is retiring. Prof. Bergado has held numerous leadership positions in the industry, such as serving as President of the International Geosynthetics Society's (IGS) Thailand Chapter, Director of Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics (ACSIG), and Secretary General of the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS). The event welcomed attendees and speakers from more than 20 countries as critical issues of environmental change were explored in the context of the roles geosynthetics play and can play in mitigating climate change impact.

rom 20-22 April 1977 the International Conference on the Use of Fabrics in Geotechnics was held in Paris, France. This watershed event included a paper from engineer Dr. J.P. Giroud in which he coined two terms that have become central to the field of geosynthetics: "geotextile" and "geomembrane." The Paris gathering introduced many new users to the fast-developing field of geosynthetics and, perhaps even more importantly, connected many companies, universities, and individual engineers who had already been furthering understanding of the materials—current and needed characteristics, manufacturing potential, applications for adoption, design methodologies, etc.

The University of Texas - Austin's fracking report, "Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development," has added to the fracking debate by documenting details on the environmental problems actually found at sites. Most of them seem to have resulted from handling, particularly of wastewater, on site rather than from the fracking process. These accidents point to a gap in understanding on both the regulatory and fracking well operator level to understand and utilize containment technologies. A general synopsis of state-by-state liner regulations is found in Table 10a of the draft report (p. 109). Regulations include compacted clay, mention of a generic synthetic liner, specificity of thickness (e.g., 30-mil, 60-mil), specificity of liner type (LLDPE, HDPE, etc.), and so forth.

In a 1 December 2011 release, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) announced that it is postponing its IFAI Expo Asia 2012 event, originally scheduled to be held in late June 2012 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre. However, construction on the Suntec Center may not in fact be completed by June to ensure the full success of the event and the association cites the softness of the global economy as another primary reason for the event's postponement. Two geosynthetics sessions were to be held at the event.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the worldwide subsidies to fossil fuel consumption in 2009 amounted to no less than 300 billion USD, while at the same time the global support for renewables was almost 60 billion USD. Gaps in support and other key issues in renewable energy will be at the heart of the World Bioenergy conference, taking place in Sweden in late May 2012. Geosynthetics are increasing utilized in renewable energy applications, such as for manure lagoon methane capture, solar energy caps on landfills, and wind farm access roads.

On his recent trip to Abu Dhabi, where he attended (and spoke at) the 4th Geosynthetics Middle East conference, Ian Peggs learned not only that a Canadian passport will not get you a visa to the UAE but that the constraints and barriers to geosynthetics continue to drop and understanding continues to grow. It's all part of an international dialogue. Read his latest contribution from the field.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent, nonpartisan entity, is tasked with investigating how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. Among its central work is auditing agency operations for or advising agencies on more efficient and effective spending considerations. It stands as no small matter, then, that two Congressional figures have submitted a letter to the GAO requesting the performance of a study "to investigate the life cycle costs and benefits of incorporating innovative materials in pavements." Geosynthetics can play a welcomed role here. Read more.

Clean Harbors Canada, Inc.'s Lambton facility experienced odour complaints from the nearby community and the Company has taken measures to reduce these odours in an effort to ensure that the problems are minimized in the future. Recent testing indicates that emissions from the site are within the Ministry of the Environment health standards. A geotextile cover on the leachate pond was part of the solution.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) will once again feature two geosynthetics sessions during its IFAI Expo 2012, to be held 26-28 June 2012 in Singapore. The 2011 edition included two courses taught by TRI/Environmental's Sam Allen, while the 2012 edition has now announced that Dr. A. Malek Bouazza will lead two symposiums: "Geosynthetics for Waste and Water Containment" and "Geosynthetics for Roads and Bridges." Learn more at the event website. Learn more here.;

When SKZ's Geosynthetics Middle East (GSME) event convenes 25-26 October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, it will mark the fourth annual chapter in this conference, which has grown out of a successful series SKZ previously conducted in Germany. SKZ has organized the GSME event with BMC Gulf, and this year it will once again be held under the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi. The program for GSME 2011 has been announced. Read about it.

The United States Department of Commerce has granted Trade Fair Certification to IFAI Expo Asia 2012, which will take place 26-28 June 2012 at the Suntec Singapore International Exhibition Centre. The event schedule, just announced, includes key sessions on "Geosynthetics for Waste and Water Containment" and "Geotextile Materials for Roads and Bridges." Read more.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, in keeping with the Administration's focus on ensuring that domestic resources are leveraged safely and responsibly, announced the next steps in its congressionally mandated hydraulic fracturing study. EPA has identified seven case studies to help inform the assessment of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The sites identified were selected following extensive input from stakeholders, including the public, local and state officials, industry, and environmental organizations. To ensure the agency maintains the current timeline for the study, the EPA will begin field work in some of the selected regions this summer.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has announced that Barry Fagan, PE/PLS, CPESC, is being recognized with the 2011 Presenter of the Year Award. This award recognizes an outstanding presenter that demonstrates excellence in presentation skills, educational delivery and content preparation. The winner is determined through the review of presenter evaluations received at IECA's annual conference and expo.

On 21 March 2011, I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc. marks 20 years of international geosynthetic materials performance consulting work that has taken us to more than 35 countries--from Alaska to Australia, India to Israel, China, Namibia, South Africa and elsewhere. Now that we can look back with 20/20 vision, we've identified 20 defining moments in those 20 years.