Containment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting four public information meetings on the proposed study of the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and its potential impacts on drinking water. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that helps production of natural gas or oil from shale and other geological formations. By pumping fracturing fluids (water and chemical additives) and sand or other similar materials into rock formations, fractures are created that allow natural gas or oil to flow from the rock through the fractures to a production well for extraction. The meetings will provide public information about the proposed study scope and design. EPA will solicit public comments on the draft study plan.

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.;

Albarrie Canada Limited is proud to announce the launch of our new joint venture with Terrafix Geosynthetics Inc. These two well known companies are joining forces to create Terrafix Albarrie Geosynthetics (TAG) Environmental Inc. TAG Environmental will manufacture a full line of premium quality, Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCL), as well as other specialty products in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

Chicago-based DePaul University has announced that it will offer the nation's first master's degree in predictive analysis. IBM has signed on to provide resources for the program. But this isn't intended to be theoretical statistics; it is a hands-on application of data analytics. A great many sectors might benefit from these advanced data management and analysis techniques. Learn more here.;

Canada-based Albarrie has a blog to showcase projects utilizing its SorbWeb Plus system for applications such as secondary containment. Learn more here.;

In Colwood, British Columbia--on Victoria Island--wave action is washing fill out from beneath the pavement at the Esquimalt Lagoon bridge. To address that problem, the City will place timbers at the base of the abutments to protect them from waves. On the north side, a section of the asphalt will be removed and fill material excavated out. That area will then be repacked and the sides reinforced with geotextile to prevent fill material from being drawn out. Learn more here.;

Vietnam-based Vison, a cotton products manufacturing company, has announced that it is adding two Chinese-manufactured nonwoven geotextile lines to its business. The company intends to enter the infrastructure market in Vietnam and immediately surrounding region. Learn more here.;

A great many alternatives have been proposed for mitigating the damage from the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Geosynthetic technologies have certainly been part of active solutions, from oil booms to floating geosynthetic tubes to sock normally used for stopping sediment migration (and, in this case, perhaps filled with human hair). But, so far, these solutions have focused mostly on surface collection of oil. In an online discussion with I-CORP's Ian Peggs, SKZ's Helmut Zanzinger proposed some loose ideas on how geosynthetic technologies might be incorporated into stopping the spill from its point of origin. We reprint his comments here by permission and invite other ideas from the global geosynthetics community.

Albuquerque-based Samcon, Inc. has won a $738,000 state contract for a second attempt to stabilize soil and encourage vegetation growth to control erosion at a large abandoned coal mine waste pile in the Sugarite Canyon State Park, northeast of Raton, New Mexico. The project is just the latest in a decade-long, $4 million effort to preserve the park’s five huge mine waste piles and to slow their erosion into creeks and streams in the canyon. In addition to historic site preservation restrictions on work, there are very steep slopes. Learn more here.;

In its latest move in a series of recent acquisitions, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) announced today that it has acquired the Inserta Fittings Company, manufacturer of Inserta Tee®. These units provide a unique method of water-tight lateral service connection for waste water and storm water pipe systems. Inserta Tees and related products readily fit ADS pipe and can be used to connect corrugated, solid wall, profile wall and concrete pipe regardless of manufacturer.

SOPREMA, the world's largest manufacturer of SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) modified bitumen roofing and waterproofing products, announces the alignment of its operations in Canada and USA. To increase productivity and service, this North American alignment will promote collaboration to strengthen synergy, implement a unified direction, maximize efficiency and deliver expanded support to its valued customers. SOPREMA operates sixteen manufacturing facilities throughout the world with exports to over 80 countries, and has grown annual sales in excess of $1.5 billion by producing millions of square meters of high quality building envelope materials each year.

This year's StocExpo was the biggest yet, with nearly 70 different countries represented. The three-day conference and exhibition, now in its sixth year, was held in Antwerp, Belgium. A strong mix of attendees from all aspects of port operations, construction and clients were represented. See statistics from StocExpo 2010, and learn the newly released details on StocExpo 2011.

Penton Media's 2010 Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS), an international forum for the presentation of peer-reviewed applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management, announces the technical program for the event 3-6 October 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. The GWMS will feature 105 educational oral and poster presentations. "The technical program for the 2010 GWMS contains a diverse array of topics that reflect the broad efforts being made to increase sustainable waste management initiatives across the globe," notes Dr. Bryan Staley, co-chair of the GWMS technical committee.

The City Council in Aiken, South Carolina is considering construction of a new retention or detention pond on a roughly 5.5-acre plot of land that takes drainage from two roads and to head off flooding of an area of the city. The city must decide upon either a dry detention pond that would focus on infiltration back into groundwater or a retention pond that would utilize a liner or partial liner and keep a steady level of water in the pond (approx. 3 feet) with a design capacity of 6 to 8 foot depth. The latter approach would enable development of the pond's surrounding area for trails and park land. Learn more here.;

After more than two years of seeing a muddy, murky canal bottom instead of a scenic waterway, New Hope was ready to have its Delaware Canal back this summer. A major section of the canal has been relined with a geosynthetic clay liner (CETCO's Bentomat), but the work did not involve the entirety of the area of concern. Now, leaks have been detected and more lining may be needed. Learn more here.;

TIE Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets:TTCS), and Geocomp Corporation announce that the OilDam™ technology and the Trademark Application, patent rights and associated assets are owned in equal parts by TIE Technologies and Geocomp, the team leaders of the OilDam™ Emergency Containment Proposal. An application to register the OilDam™ mark has been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, thus it is considered a "pending" application.

One of the most beloved members of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), Alfred Tsuguo Nitta, CPESC, founder of Nitta Erosion Control, passed away on 31 May 2010 on the family ranch in Loomis, CA where he was born on 19 March 1923. Al was 87 years old. Al joined IECA in 1977 and was awarded the Environmental Achievement Award for his innovative retrofit designs and, at 85 years of age, was named Contractor of the Year at EC08 in Orlando, FL. Read more.

As workers battle the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and officials attempt to decontaminate a clam boat that dredged up old munitions containing mustard gas, a Texas Tech University researcher said his product Fibertect® can handle both dirty jobs. Seshadri Ramkumar, an associate professor of nonwoven technologies, said the Texas Tech-created nonwoven cotton carbon absorbent wipe can clean up crude oil and adsorb toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon vapors reportedly sickening oil spill clean-up crew members.

Technical Textiles Internatinoal is offering up to five months free of the Smart Textiles and Nanotechnology news service. Visitors to the Smart Textiles website can download the March 2010 issue free in PDF, then log in to view successive issues, including receiving three issues in print. After five issues, you can choose to remain subscribed (an automatic charge will take place) or cancel. Learn more here.;

Penton Media's Waste Expo seeks presentations for its 2011 conference, which will be held in May 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Organizers are asking for 250-word abstracts for presentations on innovative systems, dynamic new processes, new business management and development approaches, revolutionary uses of technology, technological improvements in the field, recycling, waste minimization, environmental stewardship, employment, community relations, and much more. The deadline for abstract submission is 20 August 2010. Learn more. Learn more here.;

The commercialization of innovative and modern biological waste to energy systems and technologies is promoting a new wave of growth in the green energy sector globally. The biological waste to energy plant represents an excellent option to treat biological waste and produce energy. Indeed, many governments acknowledge that these plants are an ideal solution to help fight climate change and guarantee energy independence. Driven by government regulation and support, demand for biological waste to energy plants in the world is growing and the market is becoming more competitive. According to new analysis from Frost & Sullivan the market for biological waste to energy plant in Europe -- which is the largest in the world -- is expected to reach $3.6B in 2016 under an optimistic scenario.

We concluded our time at the American Public Works Association's (APWA) Sustainability in Public Works Conference today with a day of focused sessions and capped off with closing remarks from the organizers. The sessions I attended pertained to green infrastructure and biomass-to-energy, while other sessions addressed facility energy use, pervious concrete, success indicators, urban ecosystem management, the "people" side of sustainability measures and work, and recycled materials in road construction.

Discovering new markets is an important element in agriculture and therefore, Cotton Incorporated and Mulch & Seed Innovations teamed up to find new market opportunities for cotton, through an all-natural fiber hydromulch from the by-products of ginning. And according to Andy Ellis, President of Mulch and Seed, the technology behind the hydromulch takes advantage of cotton’s natural characteristics making it ideal for use as erosion control. Listen to a brief interview online. Learn more here.;

Day 2 of APWA's Sustainability in Public Works Conference has come and gone, and it provided significant fodder for discussion on infrastructure upgrades and the need for new designs to accommodate the potentially devastating impact of climate change--which, regardless of whether one supports the term "climate change" simply means that today public works departments must combat both increased risk for drought and flooding. The morning session featured introductory remarks and agenda setting. Later on, smaller sessions gathered. Geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey attended sessions on impacts of climate change on public works and the utilization of BMPs in low-impact development (LID). Read more in his day two report.

TIE Technologies, Inc. has announced that its OilDam® solution has been scheduled for testing by the BP and U.S. Coast Guard Field Technical Operations Group for 28 June 2010. The team of companies involved includes Geocomp Corporation, James Lee Witt Associates, Gunderboom Inc., and Tencate Geosynthetics. Learn more.