Containment

SeaWorld Adventure Parks, known more for its entertainment and education endeavors involving dolphins, killer whales, and other water-based species, is working with Florida's government to develop a fish hatchery. Much of the focus will be on sport fishing production. This may lead to other projects in the United States, as aquaculture development is getting funding now that sea fish populations are decreasing. Learn more here.;

Mark Wilson, writing for the Courier Press, notes that an EPA report released in March 2009 concluded people who live near coal ash storage ponds with no protective liner have a 1-in-50 chance of getting cancer from drinking water contaminated by arsenic. Burning coal for energy is an intensive, environmentally challenging operation--and the United States uses billions of tons of coal per year. The waste produced in production must be stored. And those reservoirs are, as of yet, not regulated in the way municipal solid waste is. Learn more here.;

The Dow Chemical Company has announced that Victor Dean, Global Marketing and Business Development Director for Building & Construction of Dow Building Solutions, has also been named General Manager of Dow Roofing Systems, LLC (DRS) in addition to his current responsibilities. Dow acquired Stevens Roofing Systems and created DRS so that we could combine Stevens' expertise and know-how in commercial roofing with Dow Building Solutions' expertise in building science, insulation, and polymer technology expertise to advance our energy efficiency leadership.

Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), brings together the industry's best and brightest for a week of industry-leading education, networking and access to the largest expo hall of its kind. The event offers short courses, technical sessions, an exhibit hall, numerous networking opportunities, certification, and much more. EC11 will be held 20-23 February 2011. The event organizers report that limited space is still available in select EC11 courses. Learn more.

The International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) Environmental Connection 2012 (EC12) event will be at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, 26-29 February 2012. In the latest newsletter from the world's largest annual erosion and sediment control show, the organizers reveal some new short courses, a field tour, registration info, hotel/travel info, and more.

Applied Market Information (AMI) will host "The Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" on 19 October 2009 in Cologne, Germany. This event has been offered twice already in 2009. This next session is your final chance in 2009 to take part. With an estimated 15 million tons of additional polymerization capacity coming on line in the Middle East in the next three years, the region stands to become a major plastics processing center. Will geosynthetics be part of this boom in production? How will the Middle East's growth affect global markets? The one-day seminar aims to tackle these subjects. Download the PDF brochure. Learn more here.;

When Solmax announced its acquisition of GSE Environmental in December 2017, the geosynthetics field and containment market professionals were unsure of how to interpret the move. Both companies were...

UAE-based Kangaroo Plastics, an international manufacturer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP) geomembranes, recently participated in the "Geosynthetics and modern materials in coastal protection and related applications" conference. Organized by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Chennai and CMH of IAHR India, the workshop focused on polymeric products in flood control, beach renourishment, and other coastal protection applications. Kangaroo's geomembranes have been utilized in many difficult applications, such as for tunnel lining, water conveyance, oil and gas operations, municipal solid waste, and more. Learn more here.;

Though the bi-weekly Call for Papers Update will be published on Monday morning, we'd like to remind readers that 1 August 2008 is the deadline for submissions to TRB 88, Urban Water Management 2009, and the 2009 Techtextil North America Symposium. See the succinct breakdown of deadlines here.

Kickstarter is a microlending-styled fund-raising platform for creative projects. One of the projects gaining strong attention today comes from Designers Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeffrey Franklin of PlayLab and Dong-Ping Wong of Family Architects, who have developed the +Pool concept. The idea is to create public pools using ordinary water, even New York's river water. A geotextile-based filtration system would provide the frontline screening and treatment. Learn more here.;

The ongoing discussion over whether to let gas drillers bury “pit liners” where they sit has been put on hold while federal environmental watchdogs study the issue. The Colorado Petroleum Association (CPA) recently asked the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), which oversees gas and oil drilling activities, to change its rules to permit the burial of pit liners "on site." Pit liners are thick rubberized sheets used to line pits that hold water and other fluids and solids generated in the drilling process. Current COGCC rules require that the liners be disposed of according to existing local solid-waste guidelines. Learn more here.;

Today's unsettled polymer markets have made the process of understanding our future opportunities ever more difficult while at the same time the challenges facing the plastics industry have never been greater. To provide companies with the best tools to achieve future success AMI has revised all its forecasts and trend analysis on a worldwide basis. This data will be presented exclusively to attendees at the "Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar 2010: the Future of the Global Plastics Industry" on 20 May 2010 in Brussels, Belgium. Learn more.

We've seen the number of geotextile tube projects growing, particularly for beach protection and renourishment. Major projects have been announced in India, Nigeria, Grand Isle (Louisiana, USA), etc. Now, in Surfside Beach, Texas, officials hope to host a Texas General Land Office (GLO) demonstration project using submerged, sand-filled geotextile tubes. Learn more here.;

In case you missed it in the February 2012 issue of Technical Textiles International, here's a link to a PDF copy of TTI's profile of Cooley Group. The company has long been known to the geosynthetics field for its geomembranes, such as polypropylene geomembranes in reservoir applications and specialty containment of oil spills. Read the profile here. Learn more here.;

On the verge of China's 60th anniversary of its ruling Communist Party, environmental protests have cropped up over the pollution caused by the countries breakneck expansion. Thousands of protesters, many of whom work or have worked in the plants causing some much environmental damage, have clashed with riot police in numerous cities. Even hostages are reported to have been taken. Learn more here.;

Raven, an expert manufacturer of geomembranes, announces the release of their new geomembrane website: www.RavenGeo.com. The new site includes a significant expansion in geomembrane application, product data, and affiliated information. Raven's site includes product resources right at your fingertips, along with featured menu items, such as Liner and Sandbag Calculators, to easily determine approximate material sizes and quantities for your projects. Read more about the website's offerings, from technical resources to product testing information to interactive elements.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) invites proposals for technical programs to EC09, which will be held 9-13 February 2009. Suggested topics: slope stabilization; stormwater management; erosion and sediment control; beach and shore stabilization; and more. Specific topic suggestions are available on IECA's site. Proposals due 5 May 2008. Learn more here.;

The spike in demand for (and profit from) minerals and precious metals has caused a furious number of mining projects to be pushed. The environmental management costs--liners, erosion control, etc.--have contributed more as the scope of these mining sites expand; but a far greater cost crunch lies in the global competition for mining equipment and labor. There are shortages of both. Learn more here.;

This year, the Cities of Opportunity report (now in its fourth edition) covers 26 cities and presents in-depth results covering 10 key indicators and 66 variables, examines issues such as transportation and sustainability, and adds insight from major urban thinkers and influencers. Download Cities of Opportunity 2011 (PDF).

IFAI Expo Asia 2011 will be held 22-25 March 2011 at the new Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Exhibition Centre in Singapore, and is being organized to serve the rapidly growing specialty fabrics marketplace in the Asia-Pacific region. There is a tremendous output and consumption of specialty fabrics in the Asia-Pacific region. The current trade shows in India and China focus almost exclusively on the disposable nonwoven industry. IFAI Expo Asia 2011 will now become the first major event in the region that specifically targets as visitors the end-product fabricators who use all types of materials--woven, nonwoven, knit and composite textiles.

Can nonwoven geotextiles prevent the suffocating damage of eutrophication in waterways? That is a question Titan Environmental Containment's Sam Bhat, M. Eng., is helping answer in a collaborative project...

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that more U.S. coal ash disposal facilities are revealing contaminated water sources, both potable and surface water. Arsenic and other heavy metals have been discovered. The Journal has cited a study conducted by the Sierra Club, Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project. The study reveals 39 polluted sites across 21 states and is available here (PDF). Learn more here.;

The U-S Department of Agriculture recently promised international leaders it would reduce greenhouse gases emitted from large dairy herds. To keep the promise, many dairy farms will have to cover their manure lagoons. WOSU's Tom Borgerding reports from Circleville where one farmer hopes to convert greenhouse gases to money in his pocket. (Print and streaming radio versions available at the link below.) Learn more here.;

By David Cao - Solmax Reflective Geomembrane is manufactured using the state-of-the-art tri-layered co-extrusion technology. Its consistent reflective skin layer is homogeneously produced from premium resin with pure white...

Levees in the New Orleans area are being decertified at the moment. Faced with an estimated need of $100 billion to properly fix the region's levee system and prevent another disaster such as the failures that occurred during 2004's Hurricane Katrina. Decertification will affect zoning and property issues. The US Army Corp of Engineers has made repair proposals, but those plans are contingent upon significant funding increases necessary to take on responsibility for the larger system and correct it. Learn more here.;