Containment

Skidmark Geomembranes, with Conveyor and Rubber Resources and Environtech Extrusion, are now producing liners from recycled tires. The products are being used in water management applications, such as in canals. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today announced plans to change its organizational structure. The reorganization, effective 1 October 2010, will align the organizational structure with the agency's primary functional areas: statistics, analysis, communication, and management. It also will streamline EIA by reducing the number of organizations reporting directly to the EIA Administrator from eight to four, headed by Assistant Administrators.

Louisiana officials say the Army Corps of Engineers does not have adequate funds to finish the levee system that would protect New Orleans from storm surges during a major hurricane. But a Corps official argued that the agency could pool the money from surplus funds for other projects. Meanwhile, a coalition of landowners is opposing the Corps' remediation plan for three outfall canals in the city. Learn more here.;

A resurgence of oil drilling in North Dakota is bringing a number of land management issues to light. The mineral rights to 75% of the oil in North Dakota are owned by energy and mining companies; not the private property owners under whose land the oil is often found. This is because mineral rights may have been sold long ago; whereas, the property purchased by a private owner only recently. The drillers and property owners are squaring off against one another over site use, burial of pit liners, remediation, and other issues. Minnesota Public Radio reports. Learn more here.;

In his final report from the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, I-CORP International's Ian Peggs recaps the day's contributions, from Patrick Fox's opening keynote lecture to Peter Davies' review of GIGSA standards from South Africa. Other presentations dealt with GCL shear tests, material "greenness" versus compacted clay liners, ion exchange, deformation in puncture tests, and more. Read Ian's write-up here.

The September 2010 issue of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) Newsletter is available. This month's stories include updates on GSI's numerous research projects (e.g., UV exposure of geomembranes and field behavior and flexible polypropylene [fPP] geomembranes), updates to the information accessibility on GSI's websites, forthcoming short courses, fellowship awards for 2010-2011, and much more. Read the issue here (PDF). 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.

BBI International, a leader in globally recognized bioenergy events and trade magazines, has launched a new magazine and international conference. Biorefining magazine and the aligned International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show will provide a new communications avenue for the emergent global industry of advanced biofuel and biobased chemical production. The International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show will be held 16-18 November 2010, at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It will feature more than 50 speakers within more than a dozen panels. Learn more about this publication and event.

Day two in Würzburg, Germany and day one of the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners was excellent. Yet again while we met inside Würzburg's historic Fortress Marienberg, the The Three Musketeers remake went on filming in the adjacent building, which is to serve, ostensibly, as Paris. Nevertheless, Kerry Rowe (Queens University, Canada) and Craig Benson (University of Wisconsin, USA) gave excellent keynote lectures. Read more.

BBI International has released the inaugural issue of Biorefining Magazine. The impressive debut includes articles on the rebirth of industry at a previously bankrupt paper mill site in the woods of Wisconsin, project financing, the bioplastics boom, and much more. Many bioenergy and biorefining operations utilize geosynthetic technologies, such as covers in anaerobic digestion, containment for runoff and processing ponds, and access and storage pad reinforcement. Read the inaugural issue online. Learn more here.;

On September 15, 2010, Propex Operating Company, LLC filed suit against Western Excelsior Corporation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The lawsuit filed alleges both Patent and Trade dress infringement as well as Unfair Competition by Western Excelsior. Propex is seeking an injunction and damages.

After three successful years at the helm, NAUE America Inc.'s President Carsten Lesny has announced his intention to leave the company and return to Germany, where he will continue to work in the geotechnics field. We would like to thank Carsten for all his hard work and effort over the last three years. Everyone at NAUE would like to wish him and his family every success upon their return. Read more.

Penton Media's WasteExpo announces revised future dates and venues for North America's largest event serving the $56 billion solid waste & recycling industry including a scheduled return to New Orleans. Read about WasteExpo dates and venues from 2011 through 2015.

Ian D. Peggs, Ph.D., P.E., of I-CORP International is currently in Würzburg, Germany for the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, September 15-16. The event has been spearheaded by three key independent organizations on its scientific committee: SKZ (Germany), Cemagref (France) and the Geosynthetic Institute (USA). Time permitting during the conference, Ian has agreed to share updates from Germany with Geosynthetica's readers. He filed the following on the evening of September 14. Read more.

The mining of oil sands has been almost exclusively a Canadian natural resource activity, but the first commercial oil sands project in the United States has just been approved in Utah. Earth Energy Resources Inc. has just received a permit to mine a 62-acre pit in eastern Utah. The company plans to produce bitumen, a tar-like form of petroleum, from oil-soaked sands. Learn more here.;

Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a leading total solutions provider to China's water resources, municipal wastewater and industrial pollution control markets, announced today the relocation of its corporate headquarter, subsidiaries of Tranhold, Yanyu and BSST to new offices in the Renji Plaza, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Tri-Tech designs customized sewage treatment and odor control systems for China's municipalities and its larger cities.

This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency entered into two enforcement actions, both of which will contribute towards cleaning up uranium contamination at the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation. In one settlement, Rio Algom Mining LLC, a subsidiary of Canadian corporation BHP Billiton, has agreed to control releases of radium (a decay product of uranium) from the Quivira Mine Site, near Gallup, N.M. In addition, the company is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the levels of contamination at the site. The total cost for this work is estimated to be approximately $1 million. Read more.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a public hearing on the agency's proposal to regulate the disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. EPA's proposal is the first-ever national effort to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. The hearing will take place at the Holiday Inn (Airport) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Learn more.

AMI is pleased to announce the 3rd edition of PVC FORMULATION conference, which will take place from 15-17 February 2011 at the Maritim Hotel, Düsseldorf, Germany. Don’t miss out on this unique conference opportunity. Last year's PVC Formulation event attracted over 230 attendees from across the world. Learn more in the program (PDF). Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association's (IECA) Southeast Chapter is once again hosting a South Carolina Erosion and Sediment Control Training and Field Day. This year's event will be held on Thursday, October 7 in Anderson, South Carolina. It is titled "Sediment Control Systems" and will offer attendees up to 6 PDHs. This year's training will be a one-day event and all activities will be held at the TRI Denver Downs Research Facility. The morning sessions will be devoted to technical presentations by local technical experts on Sediment Control BMPs and Construction Site Turbidity Control. The afternoon sessions will focus on specific BMP applications, testing, and demonstrations.

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.;

In 1999, ACF Environmental was involved in a project that saw the installation of Propex's Pyramat turf reinforcement mat (TRM) in lieu of traditional riprap for roadside work. Now, through its e-newsletter, ACF Environmental begins a series of articles and photographic essays to look back on the work as it happened and as it stands now. The photographs from Delaware provide excellent proof of the power of the right erosion control and geosynthetic mix to secure vegetation and promote long-term, successful growth. Learn more here.;

In the autumn edition of TenCate's magazine txtures, TenCate Grass occupies a prominent place. Worldwide the TenCate Grass group occupies a leading market position in components for synthetic turf systems. The group responds to global trends such as sustainability and the environment through the development and production of these components and its system approach. The online edition of txtures 3 will be available on 13 September. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) and National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) are pleased to invite you to the 1st GSI-Asia geosynthetics conference. The conference will be held in Taichung, Taiwan 16-18 November 2010. The conference theme is "Geosynthetics in Infrastructure." In conjunction with the event, the Journal of GeoEngineering plans a special issue. Papers for that issue are still being accepted. Download the paper template in PDF.

On 16 September 2010, CE News will host a webcast on "Green Solutions for High Flow Channels and Shorelines." This webcast will include a focus on designs using geosynthetically reinforced vegetated systems. Experts Jill Pack, Robert Lawson and Gabe Weaver from North American Green will cover current industry testing on reinforced vegetation systems, alternative designs to rock and hard armor, and how to offer green solutions for head-to-tail channel scour protection and shoreline stabilization. Learn more and register. Learn more here.;