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Freudenberg Far Eastern Spunweb is investing in a new production line for PET spunlaid nonwovens. Construction will start in 2013. The new production line for spunlaid nonwovens in Tayuan will mainly serve the markets for carpet tiles, automotive interiors, filters and construction. With the new investment, the Freudenberg Group is confirming its strong commitment to its global spunlaid business and reinforcing its position as market leader on the Asian market.

Each year, Austin, Texas-based TRI/Environmental Inc. holds a couple CQA Training Weeks. These events give engineers, contractors, regulators and others an exceptional professional development opportunity in geosynthetic and affiliated technology education and certification. Using a combination of classroom and field training (such as in TRI's on-site leak location testing ponds), the CQA Training Week sessions offer multiple training opportunities, access to expert instructors, detailed documents to take with you, and the chance to sit for a Geosynthetic Certification Institute Inspector Certification Program (GCI-ICP) recognition. The next CQA Training Week will be held 16-20 April 2012 in Austin, Texas at the TRI Environmental campus.

As geomembrane and thermoplastic applications become more demanding, welding technologies must keep up with the advancing needs of each job site. Equipment that is reliable, efficient and low maintenance is a must. Demtech Services Inc. has become one the world's top extrusion welder manufacturers by seeking to satisfy demanding technicians and meet the latest challenges in geosynthetic installations. The company's newest offering, the Pro-XME Extrusion Welder, is another notable addition to the installer's options.

Reuters reports that Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Petrochemical Co (QAPCO) will build a $5 billion petrochemical complex in the Gulf Arab state, the companies said on Monday. The plant, to be located at Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial city, will produce petrochemical products mainly to be sold to high-growth markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the country's energy minister Mohammed Al-Sada said at the signing ceremony on Monday. The plant, which will include a steam cracker, will produce 1.4 million tonnes per annum of ethylene, 850,000 tonnes per annum of high-density polyethylene, 430,000 of linear low-density polyethylene, 760,000 tonnes per annum of polypropylene and 83,000 tonnes per annum of butadiene. Learn more here.;

Salix Applied Earthcare's renowned software program Erosion Draw is now available in version 5.0. Erosion Draw provides guidance for selecting and implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) for reducing erosion and sediment runoff from construction sites. Erosion Draw endeavors to provide the tools (BMPs) that will, when combined with practical experience and an understanding of erosional processes and utilizing the vast array of erosion control products on the market today, allow the user to develop highly effective erosion and sediment control plans. (Training version available). John McCullah, CPESC, is the founder of Salix. Learn more about Erosion Draw and other software products as well as acquire them through the secure online store at WatchYourDirtStore.com. Learn more here.;

Oerlikon Neumag has signed a contract for an Inline plant with 12 spinning positions for the production of staple fibers for geotextiles. The order comprises the complete machine equipment from spinning to baling including engineering and services of supervision for erection and commissioning. Start-up will be at the end of 2012.

The awards are piling up. Craig Benson, a Wisconsin Distinguished Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Geological Engineering at University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recognized Benson recently as well in selecting him to deliver the prestigious Ralph B. Peck lecture in 2012. In the NAE release, the Academy wrote that Benson has contributed "...improvements in design, construction, and monitoring of earthen liners and covers for municipal hazardous and radioactive waste landfills."

Fibermesh - Concrete Solutions by Propex was named the number one brand of reinforcing fiber in both categories of Concrete Construction Magazine's 2012 Brand Study: Brand Familiarity and Brand Most Used. In the magazine's reader survey, Fibermesh was voted the number one brand based on these questions: Which brands have you heard of? And, which brands has your firm used in the past two years (including brands you subcontracted with others to install)?

Industry site Railway Age has redesigned its online information hub. The site now has installed 12 navigation categories (e.g., Mechanical, Regulatory), a breaking news ticker, five years of archives in the searchable databaes, and other features. HOWEVER: a search of the site (3 February 2012) finds ZERO results for geogrid, geotextile, geosynthetics, and other applicable searches. Yet: railway modernization, such as high-speed rail construction, increasingly utilizes geosynthetic reinforcement, separation and soil stability technologies. Learn more here.;

Environmental Protection, Inc. (EPI) is a dynamic company that has been providing geomembranes for environmental applications since 1980. As a trend-setter in the industry, EPI implemented new technology such as Dual Track Welding and Air Channel Testing using Thermal Welding and the Wolschon Test long before they were industry standard. EPI is the pioneer in thermal welding of PVC Geomembranes and worked to develop the methodology to air channel test PVC field seams. EPI has initiated and authored three industry standard ASTM specifications. We are currently seeking a Geomembrane Installation Supervisor to work on the largest geomembrane project in North America located in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more.

Hermann Kirchner Polska and Strabag Sp. have signed a euro 254 million contract with Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads to build a 40km section of the S8 expressway over difficult soils. With work set to begin this month and to last 27 months, the project team will utilize 60,000m of piles and 700,000m³ of geotextiles. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has revised D5890, "Standard Test Method for Swell Index of Clay Mineral Component of Geosynthetic Clay Liners." This test method covers an index method that enables the evaluation of swelling properties of a clay mineral in reagent water for estimation of its usefulness for permeability or hydraulic conductivity reduction in geosynthetic clay liners (GCL). It is adapted from United States Pharmacopeia (USP) test method for bentonite. Learn more here.;

GSE Holding, Inc. announced today that it has commenced an initial public offering of 9,000,000 shares of its common stock pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. GSE Holding, Inc. is offering 5,400,000 shares of its common stock and certain selling stockholders are offering 3,600,000 shares of its common stock. The underwriters will be granted a 30-day over-allotment option to purchase up to 1,350,000 additional shares.

To support continued North American and international growth the Layfield Group of Companies is pleased to announce major new capital expansion plans for its Vancouver, British Columbia and Edmonton, Alberta operations. The Vancouver, BC expansion will include the addition of a new blown film extrusion line adding major new capacity and facility upgrades supporting Layfield’s Environmental Systems, Construction Materials, Flexible Packaging, and Engineered Products businesses. Learn more. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced work item WK35268, "Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Hydraulic Properties of Geosynthetic Clay Liners Permeated with Potentially Incompatible Liquids." This is a work item revision to existing standard D6766-09. The work item rationale indicates it is "in response to comments related to difficulties in testing non-aqueous phase liquids and liquids high in suspended solids. Also added notes intended to allow testing conditions to more closely mimic field conditions." Learn more here.;

Compost is an effective, versatile tool in the world of erosion and sediment control. Sadly, it seems that it is often misunderstood, misued or too quickly dismissed. Check out highlights from Dirt Time's "Big Cover Up" episode, focusing on the role compost plays in healthy sites, to see how it can and should be used. Learn more here.;

Carlisle Energy Services offers a quick look at the construction of its Spectro PowerCap™ at Republic Service's Hickory Ridge Landfill. Recently unveiled to the public, the 48-acre site is the world's first commercial-scale exposed membrane solar cap on a landfill. (And that's American Environmental Group Ltd. performing the membrane installation.) Carlisle has made a case study of the project available in PDF.

Trelleborg's planned Capital Markets Day on 30 November 2011, is postponed to 2012. A new date will be communicated at a later date. Trelleborg believes that before holding the Capital Markets Day, the work to form the 50/50 joint-venture company for antivibration solutions for light and heavy vehicles should have progressed further. An agreement on the formation of the new company is expected to be signed during the fourth quarter of 2011. However, the continuation of the process is dependent on the decisions and processing times of relevant competition authorities.

The city of Joensuu in the eastern part of Finland is transforming an old contaminated sawmill area near the city centre into an up-to-date housing district. Before the building can start, the whole area must be thoroughly restored after more than a century of heavy industrial useage. Among the work being performed, contaminated sediment is pumped into geotextile tubes to separate the sediments from the water. Sediments are left to dry for about a year and will then be transported for further processing to the nearby waste treatment plant. A small marina will be built to the storage bay area later on. Read more. Learn more here.;

United Solar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) and a leading global manufacturer of light-weight, flexible thin-film solar modules, announces the largest installation of solar photovoltaics (PV) on a waste landfill in the world. The one megawatt installation is located at the Hickory Ridge Solid Waste Landfill in Conley, Georgia and is viewable during take-off and landing at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The closed landfill is owned and maintained by Republic Services of Phoenix, Arizona.

The Solid Waste Association of North America's (SWANA) Landfill Symposium and Fall Training Center event will take place 31 October - 3 November 2011 in Orlando, Florida. Among the presentations will be a profile of how the Hickory Ridge Landfill's exposed geomembrane solar cap has transformed a landfill closure into a commercial scale source of renewable energy. The Atlanta-area site was unveiled by owner Republic Services, Inc. during an October 4 ceremony. During SWANA's event, Mark Roberts (Senior Project Manager, HDR) will lead the presentation on Hickory Ridge on the afternoon of November 1. View the event's agenda. Learn more here.;

ASTM Standards on Environmental Sampling, 4th Edition, features 135 of the latest ASTM standards emphasizing the importance of sampling techniques used to collect samples in the field. Government agencies such as the EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as environmental professionals, biological engineers, health and safety specialists, consultants, contractors and lab personnel will find the ASTM Standards on Environmental Sampling CD an especially effective tool for conducting or managing environmental sampling projects.

The installation of a geomembrane-lined embankment for a coal slurry impoundment facility has precipitated a new round of public comments on the facility's approval. The Deer Run Mine in Hillsboro, Illinois had been approved for belowground storage but sought to construct an 80-ft-high dam aboveground. The first public notice indicated no construction would go forth without public comments; but a second notice removed the impediment to active construction and work on the site has been seen. New public comments on the potential aboveground dam are now being taken. Learn more here.;

The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) approach has made a significant impact on reducing bridge costs and speeding up construction through the utilization of geosynthetics. The FHWA recently created a video to educate designers, engineers, contractors and inspectors on the fundamentals of the GRS-IBS. The 19-minute video follows the GRS-IBS Interim Implementation Guide (FHWA-HRT-11-026). For those interested in a copy of the video transcript, download the August 2011 final script here.

This 19-minute video demonstrates the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) approach. It includes an explanation of GRS and its history of development; interviews with designers, owners and construction personnel; narrated video footage to explain the construction of the three main components (reinforced soil foundation, abutment, and integrated approach); and time lapse photography to show the speed of construction. Learn more here.;