Containment

Traditionally, waste management in the southern regions of Castellón and north of Valencia has depended heavily on external treatment services. This made waste management, particularly with higher volumes of...

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...

Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (EC11), 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. Early registration deadline is 10 December 2010, so register now to secure the best price and reserve a seat for some of the most in-demand education. Download a registration form today. Learn more here.;

Schemes proposed by 15 councils in the United Kingdom to combat flooding and coastal erosion are being backed by £11 million of Government grants. Projects range from creating new sand dunes to buying land to rebuild properties at risk. Erosion affects 30% of the coastline while other areas are at risk of flooding. Learn more here.;

The recent failures of major -- and relatively new -- public works in Massachusetts to hold up has raised questions about quality versus cost in the construction bidding process. Structural problems in Boston's Big Dig tunnel and the recent breaking of a massive water main have brought the issue to the forefront. "I'm just saying, can't we do anything right anymore?" said Jerome Connor, a civil engineering professor at MIT. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Region One is pleased to announce Joanna Fetherolf has joined the staff as Assistant to the Director and Sponsor Development. Fetherolf is the new point person for IECA Region One sales and will be working closely with the member community to enhance the value of their investment in IECA. She may be contacted at Joanna@ieca.org or +1 303 640 7554 for any inquiries regarding IECA sponsorship or advertising opportunities.

The government of New Zealand wants to improve its nation's competitive chances against lower-cost agriculture industries around the world. A $500 million fund is being established to be jointly managed by the government and industry. Agriculture and aquaculture are major targets. Initial awards, including seed money, will favor reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One area they could begin with: lining, covering and harvesting methane from waste lagoons. Learn more here.;

Earthmate Geosynthetics has taken the next step to facilitate its expansion in the European market by earning the CE Mark for its geogrids. Testing was conducted by the independent laboratory BTTG, which is based in the United Kingdom. The current testing values and certification is good until 23 December 2011. Learn more here.;

Dr. Timothy D. Stark of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has published a guideline to clarify the PVC Geomembrane Fabrication and Installation Specification prepared by the PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) in 2006. The FGI grew out of and assumed the PGI's work. The updated seam specification was published in late January 2010. Download the document for free in PDF. Learn more here.;

The floods affecting American waterways in 2011 have been, for many communities, historic, as have the engineering solutions being utilized. American Environmental Group, Ltd. (AEGL) has been part of a first-of-its-kind emergency levee protection effort in Mississippi that has used impermeable geomembrane liner to help secure the backside of the Yazoo River Backwater Levee. This emergency strategy, directed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is designed to prevent catastrophic erosion and failure of the levee in the event the flood water overtopped the levee.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is facing steep public opposition to a mostly revived proposal to lease more than 2 million acres of land in Western Colorado, Wyoning and Utah for the development of oil shale extraction and oil sands harvesting and conversion. Learn more here.;

During the Geo-Frontiers 2011 conference, there was some whispering that Mark Smith, who founded Vector Engineering (now Ausenco Vector) would be coming out of retirement to retake the reins of his old firm. This is not true, Mark reports. While he may be taking up more engineering-related speaking engagements in 2011, he is not retaking a management role at Vector. He continues to be most active with the Smith International Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to opening dialogs between the resource industries and the communities they affect. Visit the Foundation on Facebook. Learn more here.;

The mining industry uses an enormous amount of geosynthetic materials to provide safer, stronger, more cost-effective yields. The mine engineering presentations at GeoAmericas 2016 provide a high-quality, comprehensive view...

One of the behind-the-scenes luminaries of geosynthetics has passed. Dr. Joseph Scott Thornton, Jr. died peacefully at his home on 23 November 2014 in Austin, Texas at the age...

Hampole Quarry near Doncaster, United Kingdom, was once one of the country's largest tire dumps. After a £1.8m remedation project, more than one-third of the tires have been removed and what remains has been leveled and capped with geosynthetics, shale and wild flowers. The Yorkshire Post reports. Learn more here.;

CETCO has completed an extensive update of its website. The new content includes new tools and contacts for specification assistance, an extensive reference and document library (all available freely and without any login requirements), and key testing updates, such as to recent direct shear testing results. We encourage our readers to explore CETCO's new site. The added content is worth the time. Learn more here.;

A new, patent pending capping system called LiteEarth™ launched at the international Waterproof Membranes Conference in Dusseldorf, Germany. The system features a single-ply composite of synthetic grass fused with EPDM geomembrane to produce a flexible, durable, one of a kind product for a wide range of permanent closures.

Following the successful launch of the International Tunnelling Awards in 2010, New Civil Engineer in partnership with sister title, Ground Engineering, is now calling for entries for the 2011 awards which will this year take the exciting global programme to Hong Kong (30 November 2011). The closing date for entries is the 5 August 2011. Learn more. Learn more here.;

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), India's largest private sector company, and SIBUR, Russia's leading petrochemical company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a joint venture in India. This new joint venture will produce butyl rubber at Reliance's integrated petrochemical site in Jamnagar, India.

ASCE's India 2010 conference--the 3rd International Perspective on Current & Future State of Water Resources & the Environment--seeks abstract proposals of 500 words or less on water resource planning, conveyance, infrastructure, innovative technologies, hazarous and solid waste management, and much more. Download a brochure for the call. Learn more here.;

Encana Oil & Gas USA Inc. has installed its first gas exploration well in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. And to ensure residents that security measures are taken to prevent a blowout (such as experienced in the Gulf of Mexico by a BP oil rig) the company is talking to residents about the design. In addition to fail-safe mechanisms on the well, safety measures include a geosynthetic liner on the well pad, automated controlled to reduce human presence need on site, and a secondary containment layer beneath the diesel tank. The company reports that nearly every system component has two or three containment measures. Learn more here.;

Dubai is known for ambitious engineering projects, and in December this United Arab Emirates' hotspot will see the start of one of its most interesting and unusual projects: the World Islands. A series of manmade islands will be constructed, roughly to reflect the world map. Some amendments have been made--France and Spain, for example, will be built as one country known as "Aquitania"--but by and large the project remains quite…large. Geosynthetic water containment and dewatering technologies are expected to be used. Learn more here.;

The annual Waterproof Membranes conference from Applied Market Information (AMI) gathers 11-13 December 2012 in Dusseldorf, Germany. This year's program includes a strong mix of geotechnical and architectural influences, covering research and market updates, manufacturing advances, applications, new technologies, and more. The early registration bonus for the conference is significant. This year, attendees who register by November 9 can save €100 on registration. Learn more.

On 13 and 14 November 2008, Rick Thiel, P.E., will conduct a workshop titled "Design of Waste Containment Liner and Final Closure Systems" in Philadelphia. This American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) training opportunity is for those who work with municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, hazardous waste landfills, superfund sites, industrial landfills, mine tailing closures, or mining heap leachpads. Comprehensive coverage of the latest technology is covered. Learn how to design waste containment liner systems and final closure systems. Design and failure examples throughout. Read more and download the brochure at the following link. Learn more here.;

Raven Industries Engineered Films Division announces the opening of their new Technology Solutions Center within their Sioux Falls, SD operation. The Center will provide full-spectrum product development through extensive research, analysis, processing and optimization of new product formulations. The Technology Solutions Center houses two state-of-the-art pilot extrusion lines. Read more.