Containment

The 1st Edition of the "DPC Geosynthetics Market- UK 2009-2013" provides a review of the structure of the damp proof course, damp proof membrane, and geomembrane markets. This niche report focuses on market size and trends, product mix, supply, distribution and future prospects. Some of the companies included: Anderson Monarflex, British Polythene Industries, Grafton Group, Hyload, Icopal, Jewson, Marley Waterproofing, Monarflex acoustic, Permanite, Plysolene, Ruberoid, SIG, Spectraroof, Travis Perkins, Visqueen Building Products, Watts Group, Wolseley. Learn more here.;

It’s Tuesday and attendees and exhibitors are arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah for the biennial Geosynthetics conference. Geosynthetics 2009, managed by the Roseville, Minnesota-based Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), is being held under the theme “Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering,” two subjects key to Western states like Utah. Geosynthetica is a cooperating organization for this year’s event. We’re proud to be part of this seminal gathering for North America’s geosynthetics practice. Reports from the conference will be published daily (Wednesday – Friday, February 25-27) and a wrap-up will be published next week.

geosynthetica's Tech Note series publishes concise questions and observations from the practice. The latest, "Are you testing the reinforcement or the polymer?" comes from frequent contributor Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL. His question is important, for the durability and degradation of the polymer is just as important to a material's service life suitability as its reinforcement component.

Periodic in-service measurements--including high pressure oxidative induction time, carbonyl index (FTIR), and stress cracking resistance--should provide a few years advance warning of exposed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) liner end-of-life (EOL), thereby preventing unexpected very expensive catastrophic liner failures.

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.

Liner designers and regulators should note that it is NOT possible to perform a geoelectric integrity or leak location survey on a double geomembrane lining system when there is only a geocomposite in the leakage detection system (LDS) between the two geomembranes unless the LDS is backfilled with water. This can be costly, time-consuming, and even damaging to the liner if it is uplifted. Additional ballast on the liner may be required. And side slope liners cannot be tested. Plan ahead and use conductive geomembrane, or place a conductive geotextile or a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) directly under the primary geomembrane.

Ian Peggs has written a tech note about the consistency and specification of textured geomembrane, a concern expressed at the recent GRI-19 conference by both a geomembrane manufacturer (Boyd Ramsey, GSE) and a CQA firm (Mark Sieracke, STS) - the general consensus being that asperity height is not sufficient to assure adequate interface shear properties.

The 7th International Conference on Environmental Geotechnics (7 ICEG) will be held 10-14 November 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. This event will be one of 2014’s highlights and will offer an...

Group CTT and SAGEOS are working with various industries to foster new opportunities and materials with nanotechnology. Just as polymer modifications have expanded the roles and successes of geosynthetic materials, additional surface modifications and treatment of fibers with nano-particles may change geosynthetic performance characteristics significantly and enable new applications. Contact Eric Blonde, eblond@gcttg.com, for more information. Learn more here.;

The Ministry of Textiles in India has launched TechnoTex (www.technotex.gov.in) to better promote the Indian technical textiles industry and to facilitate education in this ever expanding area of manufacturing. The website is divided into various zones, such as GeoTech (which includes the geosynthetic sector), BuildTech (for architectural uses) and AgroTech (for agriculture). Learn more here.;

This article has been UPDATED (12 March 2020) to reflect the event’s new dates. For 15+ years, engineers have come to Austin, Texas to attend geosynthetics CQA training courses hosted...

The Swabian Gate Weir was constructed in 1873 on the Dreisam River in Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany. The historic installation was listed for monument protection, but its decaying state began to...

The saying goes that “hindsight is 20/20.” The year 2020, however, is shaping up to be one of significant foresight. Solmax’s new website is a great example. The redesign adds...

While nosing around in Geosynthetica's archives, we happened upon an interesting photo (dated 2004) of Ian Peggs conducting a liner integrity survey while suspended from a crane. Though liner integrity surveys are common, the conditions in which they must be conducted vary wildly. We asked Dr. Peggs if he might offer a few notes about this particular situation. Here's what he shared with us. Read more.

The upgrade of Delegat's Marlborough Winery wastewater treatment plant included a new 15 mega litre covered anaerobic lagoon for buffer storage of untreated winery wastewater, and a 15 mega litre uncovered storage lagoon for treated winery wastewater. Viking Containment performed the work. Read about it here.

Geosynthetica’s Manufacturing & Innovation Series continues with AGRU CleanSeam™, a simple concept but a unique solution to further improve geomembrane installation quality. A LEADING EDGE Certain geomembrane types must be seamed...

The use of geosynthetics in mining operations grows annually, as mining companies focus on the technical and economic advantages of geosynthetics. These materials have enabled more efficient barriers, stronger...

GeoU 2022 co-locates five high-level, geosynthetics short courses and multiple engineering networking events, 5 – 8 April 2022 in Austin, Texas. Certification exams for each of the two-day short courses will be offered...

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has invested tens of thousands of dollars in its engineering research over the years, both in-house and with its GSI Fellowships program. The latter endeavor...

A late 2019 blind survey from CentralSquare of more than 5,000 participants found that Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of infrastructure improvements. In fact, 2/3 of respondents cited that infrastructure...

GeoU 2021 will be held 20 - 23 April 2021 in Austin, Texas during what is annually the spring CQA Week events: dirty boots and high-level professional development that...

The newly constructed Arkun Dam hydropower facility on the Çoruh River (Turkey) would have been considerably more expensive if conventional concrete walls were used along the edges of the power station. NAUE Geosynthetics profiles the project and the reinforced earth option that was selected and which saved 40% on the cost for this portion of the project.

In 2014, Australia-based Geofabrics reported on Geosynthetica about the use of geotextile containers to protect a coastal zone's vital mangrove vegetation. As part of Geosynthetica's extended Earth Day celebration,...

Geosynthetic materials and mineral components are used as technical barriers for landfills. As a base seal, these engineered systems prevent polluted liquid seepage into groundwater. As a landfill cap,...

The global spread of the COVID-19 virus has caused events around the world to be rescheduled. The organizers of GeoU, which co-locates multiple geosynthetics short courses, are following suit....