Containment

The 2nd International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Photo Contest has a new deadline: March 1. The inaugural contest was extremely successful and helped establish a collection of high-quality photos of geosynthetics for use in promotion of these technologies and construction practices and in the dissemination of educational material.

This year marks the International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) 40th anniversary. In honor of this achievement, the association is holding a "birthday bash extravaganza" on February 29 during its annual Environmental Connection conference. EC12 will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada 26-29 February 2012. The birthday celebration will include drinks, food, and entertainment. All EC12 attendees with full registrations will be given a free ticket to this end-of-conference bash.

James Goddard, who recently retired from Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) as the company's Chief Engineer, was named Member Emeritus of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Subsurface Soil-Structure Interaction. The announcement was made during the TRB's 91st annual meeting held in January 2012.

The Philippines's Public Works and Highways Chief Secretary Rogelio L. Singson has reasserted a promise to carry out long-term protection projects against flooding and other water-related disasters. The P10.817 billion (USD $252,000) will be spent in 2012 and include strategies such as geotextiles in erosion control applications.

Singapore public water agency, PUB, has accepted the recommendations of the Expert Panel for Drainage Design and Flood Protection Measures and has announced an action plan to strengthen Singapore’s flood resilience. Among the solutions for the densely populated island is lining of stormwater canals to improve water removal.

Titan now has a company page on Facebook too! "Like" us and stay up to date on new product availability, key project work, site photos, and more. Learn more here.;

Check out the versatile range of Supertex geogrids on the company's gallery page. The company produces a full line of geosynthetics such as PET geogrids and erosion control fabrics. Learn more here.;

International geosynthetics manufacturer GSE has revised its planned initial public offering (IPO) of stock. The company had intended to offer shares in mid-December, but was one of three companies to pullback from an IPO that month in the tepid investment environment. The new IPO terms, just filed, announced a 7 million share offering at an expected $8-10/share price. Roughly $63 million is expected to be raised. This offering will make GSE one of the only geosynthetics companies with publicly traded shares. It will also announce the return of the company to being publicly traded after years of private equity ownership. 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.

In three new reports, Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI) has documented the established European and North American pipe extrusion industries, as well as the up-and-coming industry of South America. What these reports make evident is that the effects of global recession are still taking their toll on the plastics industry and that the pipe extrusion industry is no exception. But the demand for pipe extrusion in Latin America has been growing strongly, thanks in large part due to a sustained commitment in infrastructure development. Learn more.

Event organizer Svedio's Lena Dahlman reports that the World Bioenergy 2012 conference has received more than 200 abstracts covering all aspects of bioenergy development. The conference will be held in Jönköping, Sweden 29-31 May 2012. Dahlman notes that geographical range of submissions has been particularly satisfying, with submissions coming in from 39 countries and true global representation. This includes India, China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa, Canada, Colombia and many more. Learn more here.;

In October 2011, we announced the acquisition of Goleta, California-based Power Management, Inc. (PMI) by American Environmental Group Ltd. (AEGL). The company is now unveiling a new logo for the PMI division. The PMI acquisition has been part of a rapid growth period for AEGL, which was already a leading landfill gas (LFG) systems company. AEGL's geosynthetics division has been involved in many industry firsts in recent years too, such as the first pilot and commercial scale exposed geomembrane solar energy-generating cap installations. PMI continues the company's diversification into complementary service markets. For more information on PMI's services, visit http://powrmgt.com/. Or contact Randy Chapman at +1 805 692 8905, Rchapman@powrmgt.com. 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.;

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications to provide assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to complete a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, such as anaerobic digester projects. Funding is being made available through the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. REAP is designed to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy costs and consumption and help meet the nation’s energy needs. For 2012, USDA has approximately $25.4 million budget authority available to fund REAP activities, which will support at least $12.5 million in grants and approximately $48.5 million for the guaranteed loan program.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has appointed Willem (Wim) De Vos as its new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Susan Oderwald, who left SPE in December. Willem De Vos comes to SPE after serving as CEO of the Vitalo Group, a global supplier of plastic packaging and thermoformed products. Previously he managed compounding and processing units of Recticel, an international producer of polyurethane automotive components. He entered the industry in 1991 with technical and sales positions at Eurocompound, a supplier to the textile and automotive industries.

GSE announced today that Rod Kirch has been promoted to the newly created position of Manager for Upstream Energy Sales. Rod will be responsible for the sale and marketing of GSE geosynthetic products into the energy exploration and transportation applications, specifically targeting the non-conventional energy and shale gas plays in the U.S. Geosynthetic opportunities in refining, long-term storage, mid and downstream applications will remain the responsibility of GSE's Regional Sales Managers.

A couple years ago, Geofabrics Australasia helped a private landowner correct beachfront erosion and provide a long-term shoreline protection strategy. The landowner sent a photograph to Geofabrics this week of the coastline at high tide. The geotextile bag design is providing exemplary support. Settlement and erosion are not appearing. The installation remains strong. "The View from..." is a continuing series of photographs from the field. Share your geosynthetics success. Email the editor, Chris Kelsey, at chris@geosynthetica.net.

GSE announces today that Matt Skinner will take over the role as Regional Manager for the Southeast Region formerly held by Mike Rublaitus. Matt will also continue to manage his current role as Regional Manager - Midwest Region until a replacement is found. During this transition, Matt will be responsible for both sales regions and will continue to provide the best geosynthetic brands, partnerships and dealer support that customers have come to expect from GSE.

As an industry leader, Presto offers a variety of solutions for porous pavements and soil stabilization – solutions that provide positive environmental benefits, and have low negative environmental impact. Presto partners with designers and LEED® Project Managers to provide cost-effective, environmentally-responsible solutions that offer opportunities for LEED® credits in several credit categories. Learn more in this PDF brochure.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) headquartered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will award research funds for an initial two-year period to support ideas that advance the use of fabricated geomembranes in containment applications. The FGI research grant is $10,000 per year for two years (subject to annual review). The research can focus on any aspect of fabricated geomembranes such as: formulation, welding, field testing, installation, durability in exposed and unexposed applications, chemical resistance, or any other measure of fabricated geomembrane performance. Projects that involve participation by the private sector (especially FGI members) or other universities are welcomed and encouraged. The FGI will establish an advisory committee to evaluate, award, and monitor the projects. Students and faculty members are encouraged to “connect” with one or more FGI Members before submitting a proposal to better understand the problems that need to be solved in the field of fabricated geomembranes. Learn more here.;

The Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has submitted a revised version of its erosion and sediment control general permit for earth disturbance associated with oil and gas activities for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, along with four other supporting documents, including a draft permit application and a policy explaining the permit requirements.

Bloomberg News is reporting that Earthjustice and 11 environmental groups have notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that they intend to sue the agency to force it to issue regulations for the disposal of coal ash. The agency has waffled for the past decade on whether to regulate coal ash disposal at all, though more recent policy discussions would suggest some sort of regulation is forthcoming. Even regulated as non-hazardous waste, it could compel the utilization of geosynthetic barrier systems on the federal level, such as are required for municipal solid waste landfills. Learn more here.;

Prof. Robert M. Koerner has come out with the Sixth Edition of Designing With Geosynthetics. As with prior volumes, it comes with helpful test questions after each chapter with answers provided at the end of the book. Currently, Koerner is professor emeritus of Drexel University.

Dr. Robert Koerner has announced the publication of the sixth edition of his seminal text, Designing with Geosynthetics. This new edition marks the first two-volume set--but it is much more affordable. Having used an independent publishing service instead of an academic press, the cost of a hardbound copy costs just USD $34. Softbound is just $24. Read more about the new edition in an introduction from Dr. Koerner.

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has appointed an interim staff manager: Jeff Adkins. He can be contacted at +1 610 832 9738 or jadkins@astm.org. Jeff will attend the committees upcoming meeting in Atlanta (1-3 February 2012). Additional support for D35 will continue to be provided by Barbara Lake, blake@astm.org or +1 610 832 9713. Visit the committee's home page for more information on standards work, publications, symposia and more. Learn more here.;