Containment

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.;

StormCon, the North American Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition, is now seeking abstracts for presentations at StormCon 2013. The conference will take place August 18 – 22, 2013, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Abstracts are due December 5, 2012. We are seeking abstracts in six conference tracks plus the Coastal Protection Symposium. The six conference tracks are: (1) BMP Case Studies, (2) Green Infrastructure, (3) Stormwater Program Management, (4) Erosion and Sediment Control, (5) Water-Quality Monitoring, (6) Advanced Research Topics. Learn more here.;

EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW) has released a new 11-minute video, "Building Green: A Success Story in Philadelphia." The video features numerous short interviews and showcases green building methods being implemented around Philadelphia, such as green roofs, porous pavers for infiltration, solar panels, rainwater harvesting, reducing stormwater runoff, and much more. 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.

International Packaging Products Pvt. Ltd (IPP), a wholly owned InterWrap Inc. company (now part of Owens Corning), has received GAI-LAP laboratory accreditation for its Silvassa, India location. In an...

Last October, professionals and partners of the HUESKER Group received the Milton Vargas Award. This award is an initiative of the Brazilian Magazine Fundações and Obras Geotécnicas that aims to recognize the work of professionals responsible for planning, design and implementation of large construction projects and whose works have already been mentioned prominently in the pages of the magazine. The awarding took place in São Paulo in the presence of hundreds of professional engineers representing the Brazilian geotechnical consultants and companies including the honourees, their friends and families.

To support its fast-growing portfolio of live and online events and nonprofit association client base, Minerva Technology, Resources, and Information has added Maria Bertuzzelli to its team. Bertuzzelli is...

In the United States, geotechnical engineering short courses often take place just ahead of the warmer months during which so much work takes place. This gives engineering firms and...

International geomembrane manufacturer Solmax has released the second in its series of technical magazines on geosynthetic applications. Energy Solutions focuses primarily on polyethylene geomembranes in applications such as coal...

The Geo-Institute of ASCE's annual congress offers an exceptional opportunity to interact with the international geotechnical engineering community on some of the most pressing topics. Geo-Congress 2012 will be held in Oakland, California 25-29 March 2012. The theme of the event is "State of the Art and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering" and some noted engineers with a geosynthetics background (Craig Benson and David Daniel) will deliver two of the three big lectures: the Ralph B. Peck and Karl Terzaghi Lectures.

Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) members were in Washington, D.C., 1-3 March 2010 for the association's semiannual Lobby Days. GMA has consistent representation in Washington through our contracted firms, Kemp Partners/Whitmer & Worrall. But to reinforce GMA's message on Capitol Hill, twice a year GMA-member companies send representatives to meet with Members of Congress as both constituents and members of our trade association. Read more in the summary report from GMA managing director Andrew Aho.

Neiker-Tecnalia, the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, in collaboration with Sergal, Uaga and the Basque Board of ecological agriculture and food (ENEEK in its Basque initials), has launched a research programme the aim of which is to combine technologies and processes in order to transform animal husbandry excretions into a substrate that is guaranteed and reliable for use in ecological agriculture. Currently, the elements required for this sector, one of the most dynamic in Basque agriculture, are difficult to find and, on many occasions, come from areas distant from the farms - precisely against the philosophy of this type of production.

In an interview in the Independent (a newspaper in the United Kingdom), 29-year-old Karthick Kanchi Goverthanam talks about the study of technical textiles and their role in the world today. He says, "My first degree, in textiles technology, was at a university in southern India. In 2005, I came to England and did an MSc in advanced materials at Bolton, specialising in medical textiles, and geotextiles, which are the things used in roads and embankments." Read more. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute’s GSI Webinar series provided high-level education and resources on all geosynthetic applications and materials. The next offerings will focus on geotextiles. Specifically, geotextile tubes and geotextile filters. ...

In Vernon County, Wisconsin, the Dairyland Power Cooperative is fighting with communities to get a required fly ash landfill constructed so that the coal-based plant can continue to operate within federal air quality standards. Representatives of Dairyland met with residents to explain the lining and drainage system to be used. Learn more here.;

Legislation Builds Upon Bicameral, Bipartisan Work from Last Congress, Identifies Common Ground to Move Forward – Environment and the Economy Subcommittee to Vote on Legislation This Week WASHINGTON, DC –...

Kaneka Corp of Osaka, Japan, has expanded its production capacity for thinfilm photovoltaic (PV) cells at its wholly owned subsidiary, Kaneka Solartech Co Ltd, which uses hybrid technology to produce PV cells with the world’s highest conversion efficiency of 12%. Production capacity will thereby increase by 80 megawatts (MW), for an ultimate annual production total of 150 MW.

The PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) is offering two new sessions of its "Constructing with GCLs and PVC Geomembranes" day-long short course. Sessions will be held June 17 in Columbus, Ohio and June 19 in Cambridge, Ontario. For more information, see the downloadable registration document.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today that cleanup of arsenic-contaminated soil at nearly 500 South Minneapolis homes is under way. This project is supported by $20 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Residents pay nothing for the cleanup.

After three successful education sessions in September, HUESKER has added two more dates in October for its canal lining webinar. Take part in this free education event October 21...

Duke Energy plans to spend $140 million in the Carolinas -- $365 million company-wide -- by 2013 on protective caps and liners at its ash landfills, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The liners are intended to keep ash that is laden with arsenic, mercury and other metals from contaminating groundwater. Learn more here.;

TIE Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets:TTCS), an information technology, security and telecommunications company, and Geocomp Corp., a global leader in geo-engineering, today jointly released the details of the OilDam® product designed to mitigate damage from the Gulf oil spill. OilDam® is a comprehensive solution--utilizing geosynthetics--which can be immediately deployed to provide a reliable means to keep the oil from reaching the shore, contain it and enable its removal.

Is this a first? Cracks along the peaks of wrinkles are not that unusual, but has anyone ever seen transverse cracks across a wrinkle, perpendicular to the length of the wrinkle? Several of these transverse cracks occurred in straight sections of the wrinkle but none occurred at the more highly stressed kinks.

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...

In an initiative to contribute to the water conservation movement, polymer procession company EMMBI Polyarns Limited has announced the launch of its sophisticated range of water conservation products -- 'AquaSave'. Under the brand 'AquaSave', Emmbi Polyarns would launch a range of water conserving products like flexible water tank (Flexi tank), Rain water harvesting system, canal liners, pond liners and geosynthetics.