Containment

Kaneka Corp of Osaka, Japan, has expanded its production capacity for thinfilm photovoltaic (PV) cells at its wholly owned subsidiary, Kaneka Solartech Co Ltd, which uses hybrid technology to produce PV cells with the world’s highest conversion efficiency of 12%. Production capacity will thereby increase by 80 megawatts (MW), for an ultimate annual production total of 150 MW.

HILLIARD, Ohio – (July 17, 2013) – Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) has acquired a controlling interest in a new joint venture established with BaySaver Technologies, Inc. (Mount Airy,...

On 3 January 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice requesting additional data on the performance of technologies in controlling turbidity in stormwater discharges from construction sites. The notice also requests information on other topics relevant to establishing numeric effluent limitations for stormwater discharges from these sites, including sample collection, applicability to electric transmission line construction, cold weather considerations, and the ability of small sites to meet a numeric standard. The comment period closes March 5. Simultaneously, the agency has submitted a final general permit on construction site stormwater discharges to the White House for review. This permit excludes turbidity limits. The final permit is expected by February 15. Learn more here.;

Two aluminum-processing industries in Tennessee have submitted preliminary plans to construct a landfill behind the county airport, a proposal similar to one two years ago that was voted down by commissioners. The 95.2-acre landfill proposed by Tennessee Aluminum Processors Inc. and Smelter Service Corp. will be discussed at a city planning commission meeting on 5 January 2010. Any aluminum by-product would be separated from the groundwater by a 12-inch thick leachate collection system, a 7-foot clay buffer, two high density polyethylene liners and a clay liner, according to the plans. Learn more here.;

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in California has awarded $39 million for environmental improvements in farming. Among the beneficial uses of the money are riparian stabilization and the lining of ditches for water conservation, according to the release. Learn more here.;

Advances in energy conversion, architecture, geotextile design and sensor technologies are leading material design Rachael Wingfield into urban gardening. Her "Metabolic Media" is an attempt to synthesize what has been discovered in other fields and material classes to create technologies that will enable more urban farming. Learn more here.;

Geosintec Iberia 1 will be held 5-6 November 2013 in Seville, Spain. Taking place under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), the event will launch a new biennial series...

ASTM Interntional Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has established work item WK29397, "Standard Practice for Exposure and Retrieval of Samples to Evaluate Installation Damage of Geosynthetics." It is a work item revision to existing standard D5818-06. After the winter meeting in San Antonio it was voted to make modifications on section 7.1.7 of the standard. This ballot ONLY changes the existing paragraph to a clearer paragraph. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has published a work item, WK26895 "Revision of D5261-92(2009) Standard Test Method for Measuring Mass per Unit Area of Geotextiles." Learn more here.;

  GeoAfrica 2013 will be held 18-20 November 2013 in Accra, Ghana. This quadrennial event marks the 2nd African Regional Conference on Geosynthetics. To be held under the auspices of...

The International Geosynthetics Society's (IGS) Indian Chapter (IGS India) has moved forward on its initiative to publish the Indian Journal of Geosynthetics and Ground Improvement on a twice-yearly basis, with the first issue covering January-June and the second issue July-December. Read about the articles in and download the inaugural issue here in PDF, learn about the publication's mission, and download guidelines to help you submit material to the journal.

The cities of Eden Prairie and Hopkins, Minnesota are in need of environmental remediation work on two old landfills. But citizens in Eden Prairie do not want to rebury Hopkins' waste as the sites are remediated. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) had hoped to fully remediate and cap only one site; but the agency will now need to tackle both sites. Liner placement, new gas systems, and caps are needed. Learn more here.;

Walki Group is a leading international manufacturer of technical laminates and packaging materials with protective functions. It is also the only Nordic manufacturer of paper-based covers for logging residue,...

In his latest post from the Uncontained series, construction quality assurance (CQA) expert Glen Toepfer writes on 5 things we in the geosynthetics and affiliated geotechnical and civil engineering...

Penton Media's involvement in the waste management field is extensive, from publishing Waste Age magazine, The Circular File newsletter, and others to organizing events such as the Global Waste Management Symposium and Waste Expo. Now, the group has folded all of its properties together under a single resource: Waste360.com. Learn more here.;

Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency is dealing with three fires in landfill waste. The most recent was discovered in August 2009 in the Rumpke landfill north of Cincinnati in Hamilton County. Another was found in 2006 in Stark County. A third fire is suspected at a facility in Columbiana County. $4 million in closure bonds have been issued to counter that third site. The sudden rise in these events in Ohio has troubled the agency, as there are not established, guaranteed approaches to extinguishing these fires. Prevention is the best medicine, and that requires a better understanding and monitoring of the waste stream. Learn more here.;

The 11th International Conference on Geosynthetics (11ICG) will be held 16 – 21 September 2018 in Seoul, Korea at the new COEX (Conference and Exhibition Center) in the...

Rowad International Geosynthetics has updated its HDPE and LLDPE geomembrane data. Rowad manufacturers to GRI standards and is active internationally. Learn more here.;

TenCate Geosynthetics has launched a new website. The new section focuses on Industrial Fabrics. Read about the site's redesign, its new resources, and more.

Realignment of the popular A7 trunk road was required to improve the safety, comfort and reliability of journey times on the A7. This involved eliminating several dangerous bends at Auchenrivock, Dumfries and Galloway. Adoption of Tensar International's low impact Tensartech slope and wall systems avoided potential possible environmental problems with the River Esk.

Neighbors of Alby Quarry in Alton, Illinois are pleased to learn that the years of blasting they've endured may finally be at its end. A new proposal has suggested converting the quarry into a construction debris landfill. During a public meeting, the proposal was discussed. A clay liner with a geosynthetic barrier would be installed to secure the site. This might be the first instance in the US of the neighbors encouraging the construction of a landfill. Learn more here.;

With the aid of geotextile tubes, Europe's first artificial surf reef has been completed off Boscombe in Dorset. However, the delayed £3m project cannot be officially launched until Bournemouth Borough Council has carried out tests with RNLI lifeguards on it. Bad weather on Wednesday meant scheduled training had to be cancelled, the council said. The surf reef, which has more than doubled in cost, is part of an £11m regeneration of the seafront. A launch date has not yet been set. Learn more here.;

Ten years ago, the first of Poland's Special Economic Zone permits were issued. These permits enable investors to launch businesses, apply for certain support, etc., but also under strict business transparency and conduct regulations. Panto Poland Engineering in the Lodz SEZ has just become the 101st SEZ permit. The article about Panto's achievement also notes the interesting fact that CETCO Poland was the first SEZ permit recipient. The company continues operating strongly in Poland and elsewhere in the world. Learn more here.;

A San Jose-based BioFuelBox Corp. plans to take biowaste normally dumped in landfills and convert the waste into biodiesel. Roughly 350 billion gallons of diesel are used each year; only about 450 million gallons of that are biodiesel. The company’s initial focus is on fats, oils and greases extracted from wastewater. An agreement with a major meat-producing company in Arkansas has been announced. Learn more here.;

As hearings continued through September 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks comments regarding the regulation of coal ash containment sites. The Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) was among the first in line to address the issue Aug. 30 at the initial hearing in Arlington, Va. Read more, including remarks from GMA Members. Learn more here.;