Containment

A "Natural Cap Conference" will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 19-21 April 2011 to address green rehabilitation strategies and opportunities for hazardous waste sites. The event is rooted in the success of the innovative Volgermeerpolder project in the Netherlands. In that remediation work, which will conclude on the opening day of the conference, local peat lands exhibited excellent containment capabilities. Using peat instead of expensive construction materials in the remediation design resulted in significant reductions in the project cost. This natural cap solution was made possible through intelligent an use of geosynthetics, including fiber optic-optimized monitoring geosynthetics from TenCate. Download the event flyer.

The 5th European Conference on Geosynthetics (EuroGeo 5) will be held 16-19 September 2012 in Valencia, Spain. The Spanish Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will organize it, and the event will be held under the auspices of the IGS. Authors interested in presenting a paper at the Conference must provide an abstract before 31 October 2011, addressed to the Conference Secretariat, through the Conference website. Abstracts received by fax or mail will not be considered. Further instructions to submit abstracts are available in the Conference website http://www.eurogeo5.org The abstracts must be written in English or Spanish. Learn more about the topics (PDF).

Following up on its press release published 4 April 2011 regarding its intention to launch a friendly cash tender offer for Rhodia, Solvay announced it has filed yesterday evening the draft offer document relating to such offer with the French markets authority (the AMF). The draft offer document is available in French and English on Solvay's website (www.solvay.com). The offer and the draft offer document remain subject to review by the AMF.

An oil and gas industry group on Monday withdrew its objection to a rule that requires drilling pad pit liners to be disposed in certified landfill sites. The industry will instead shift its focus to working with local governments to find ways to get landfills certified so they can accept pit liners, said Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society's (IGS) Technical Committee on Barrier Systems (TC-B) has launched a project Taskforce "Regulations" to gather an international database and resource detailing the regulations influencing the selection and utilisation of geomembranes and geosynthetic clay liners in all aspects of engineering and construction. This specific task is part of the TCB terms of references for the period 2010-2014. Your insights into the regulations that impact your state/province and national/regional interaction are strongly encouraged. Read more.

The International Geosynthetics Society's (IGS) Technical Committee on Barrier Systems (TC-B) has established a task force aimed at collecting and summarizing field performance of barrier systems. This specific task is part of the TC-B terms of references for the period 2010-2014. To achieve this ambitious project, The TC-B seeks active participation from interested members of the Society's chapters and their professional colleagues. The aim is to compile a review of field performance data-collecting and research projects related to all types of geosynthetic barrier systems. Read more.

Federal transportation officials are launching a program to repair and replace aging oil and gas pipelines across the nation to prevent potential catastrophic explosions such as a recent deadly blasts in eastern Pennsylvania and California. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetic Industrial Works Plc, a joint venture of Ethiopian and Egyptian companies, is to embark on a 40 million birr (USD $2.4 million) expansion project. Geosynthetic Industrial Works Plc is engaged in supply of plastic pipe, polymeric sheeting and various other products which are used for protection, collection, conveyance and containment of water resources. The company forecasts more than 150 million birr in business this year. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has revised standard D5199, "Standard Test Method for Measuring the Nominal Thickness of Geosynthetics" as D5199-11. This test method may be used for acceptance testing of commercial shipments of geotextiles and geomembranes, but caution is advised since information on between-laboratory precision is incomplete. Comparative tests may be advisable. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a work item for geosynthetic clay liners. The work item, WK32756 ("Standard Test Method for Determining the Internal and Interface Shear Resistance of Geosynthetic Clay Liner by the Direct Shear Method") is a work item revision to existing standard D6243-09. This work involves the addition of an appendix to provide the user with guidelines of what test parameters are required to be specified to obtain the intended shear result. Learn more here.;

Municipal solid waste directors are feeling the pressure from regulatory requirements, tighter budgets and the desire for increased sustainability. One Atlanta-based company, Closure Turf™, is offering relief through new technology that drastically reduces the time, cost and environmental impact associated with landfill closure. Read more.

Solmax International recently finished an agreement with the Chilean company Industrial Megametal Limitada in order to purchase its subsidiary, Plastecnia S.A., a company specialised in the production of polyethylene pipes and the distribution of hydraulic products mainly for the mining sector of the Chilean market.This acquisition has been carried out through Solmax Chile SPA, a new entity belonging to Solmax International.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is calling for submissions for Environmental Connection 2012 (EC12), annual conference and expo of IECA. Combining quality education with a world-class expo, EC12 is the premier gathering place for the erosion and sediment control community. EC12 will be returning to Las Vegas, NV, 26-29 February 2012. Read more.

At the recent Geo-Frontiers 2011 Conference in Dallas, Texas, the North America Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) sponsored its biennial conference student paper competition. The winning student author was Ms. Azadeh Hoor from Queen's University for her paper "Application of Thermal Insulation in Landfill Liners." The 1st runner up was Mr. Ben Leshchinsky of Columbia University for his paper titled "Enhancing Ballast Performance Using Geocell Confinement." The 2nd runner up was Ms. Carmen Franks of University of Maryland for her paper titled "Geosynthetic Filters for Water Quality Improvement."

Ronald Mark Associates, Inc., is proud to announce the creation of a new business unit, Engineered Polymer Technologies, Inc. Ronald Mark Associates was founded in 1974 and is a manufacturer of polymers, compounds, unsupported films, reinforced substrates, specialty coatings and is a recycler of various plastics. Read more.

The third in a series of four two-day seminars on geosynthetics in Helsinki, Finland attracted about 40 attendees to the Finnish EPA (SYKE) auditorium on 24 and 25 March. The topic was GCLs and Liner CQA. Chairperson was Minna Leppänen of Tampere Technical Institute and President of the new Finnish Chapter of IGS, the Finnish Environmental Agency, and the Finnish Geotechnical Society. Guest lecturers were Helmut Zanzinger (SKZ, Germany) and Ian D. Peggs (I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, USA). Read more.

More than 1920 participants attended Geo-Frontiers 2011 in Dallas, a conference featuring advances in geotechnical engineering, among other highlights. The event was co-organized by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), the Geosynthetics Materials Association (GMA), the Geo-Institute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), and held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS).

The Second Pan-American Geosynthetics Conference and Exhibition (GeoAmericas 2012) will provide a forum for geosynthetics engineers, practitioners and academe to explore current and potential applications for geosynthetics, while offering an active marketplace for the promotion of geosynthetic products and technology to users throughout the Americas.The event will be held 1-4 May 2012. Abstracts are currently being sought. Due date for abstract submission: 31 May 2011. Learn more.

TRI/Environmental hosts a few Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) and Training Weeks each year at its Austin, Texas campus. The next CQA Week has been announced for the week of 2-6 May 2011, and this installment will include two two-day professional development offerings (though any single-day event can be taken as a standalone, one-day course). Read about the events here.

Bob Drake, editor of CE News and Rebuilding America's Infrastructure, has announced a new magazine contact email address: bdrake@zweigwhite.com. This updated address is the result of ZweigWhite's reacquisition of CE News and other publishing properties from Stagnito Media. Phone and physical address are: Bob Drake (Editor), CE News, 6170 Sandy Ridge Cir. NW, North Canton, OH 44720. Phone +1 330 966 2454. Learn more here.;

Raven Industries, a manufacturer of geomembranes, vapor barriers and other geotechnical, agricultural and architectural materials, will be in the exhibition hall at the EPA's Brownfields 2011 Conference in Philadelphia, 3-5 April 2011. The company reports that it will feature its new Absolute Barrier™ geomembrane and its popular VaporBlock® Plus™ high-performance under-slab gas barrier. Visit the company at Booth 309.

Geosynthetica.net has moved its physical office and now has a new phone number. The new address and phone contact information are as follows: Geosynthetica.net, 1934 Commerce Lane Ste. 4, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA; phone +1 561 768 9487. The central geosynthetica.net emails and personnel remain the same: Elizabeth Peggs, Managing Director: Elizabeth@geosynthetica.net; Chris Kelsey, Editor/Writer: chris@geosynthetica.net; and David Cabrera, Web Developer: david@geosynthetica.net.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Texas shale gas extraction, which involves much publicized and criticized hydraulic fracturing of rocks, may be winning the environmental battle. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has openly criticized the state's extraction practices and charged them with contaminating water wells, but new analysis reveals that non-extraction related gas from an acquifer is actually contaminating those wells. The geochemical footprint, operators contend, proves this…and proves greater safety in natural gas tapping than perhaps thought. Learn more here.;

The serious problems at the nuclear power plant in Japan have raised new doubts about the safety of nuclear energy. New exploration has yet to resume in the Gulf of Mexico after last year’s blowout of a BP oil well. And coal plants have been under a shadow because of their contribution to global warming. Meanwhile, natural gas has overcome two of its biggest hurdles -- volatile prices and questionable supplies. Learn more here.;

At the Geosynthetics Materials Association's (GMA) meeting at the Geo-Frontiers event in Dallas, it was announced that Boyd Ramsey will be the next GMA Executive Council Chairman. He follows John Henderson, who has served the association very well. In recent years, GMA has been particularly active in raising awareness of the many vital roles geosynthetics play in civil infrastructure, and especially how they can be utilized to improve the economics and long-range performance in various sectors such as transportation and environmental protection (e.g., coal ash containment). Mr. Ramsey is an industry veteran who has long given his time to these industry-supportive initiatives, education development, and, as we at Geosynthetica are well-aware and appreciative of, communication--including with media sources. Mr. Henderson has been an excellent Chairman, and we feel certain that Mr. Ramsey will be too. Learn more about GMA on its website. Learn more here.;