Ground Improvement

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has added the December 2008-published DVD presentation "Utilizing FTIR, DSC, TGA and Ash to Identify Polymer Types" to its store's offerings. This DVD presentation deals with the basic identification of plastics by the use of FTIR analysis, DSC, TGA, and muffle furnace ash. The operation of each instrument is explained, as are the results that can be obtained and the conclusions that can be drawn from each of the tests. Learn more here.;

The NPDES Permit Writer's Course is a five-day course covering the key elements of NPDES Permit development. The course is taught by experienced US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff and contractors and has been one of EPA’s most successful courses over the past decade. Because of the popularity of the course, EPA has recorded Web-based presentations covering the material presented in several key modules of the live course. These recorded presentations enable participants who attended the NPDES Permit Writers’ Course to review the material on demand in a self-paced environment. Learn more at the Permit Writers home page. Learn more here.;

Debate over a Weyerhaeuser landfill proposal in Washington state exemplifies the huge gap in landfill technology understanding between the industry and the public. One public opponent has contended he's pushed a Bic pen through a landfill liner. Not only would one not be allowed to do this on a site, but it would not be possible given the heavy-duty geomembrane used in modern lining systems. Objection is fine; but accuracy and facts are better. Learn more here.;

The earthquake that struck the Italian city of L'Aquila and its surrounding region in April 2009 claimed the lives of 308, injured more than 600 others (a third of whom were severely injured), and caused damage of more than € 1.5 billion (USD $2.1 billion) to buildings. Total damage is estimated to be roughly € 3.5 billion (USD $4.9 billion). Approximately 65,000 people had to evacuate their homes. They were lodged in tent camps, hotels and other structures along the Adriatic coast. Many Italians volunteered time to provide civil service in the quake-affected region. Engineer Pietro Rimoldi, a regular participant in international geosynthetics discussions, especially regarding walls and reinforcement, was one of those volunteers. We interviewed him in June and July regarding his service in L'Aquila, his observations, and ways geosynthetics might provide future protection. READ THE INTERVIEW.

We interviewed engineer Pietro Rimoldi regarding his volunteer service in L'Aquila, the earthquake-affected area of Italy. He shared his observations and ways geosynthetics might provide future protection. See photos from his trip.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) will offer "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes," its popular short course, on 23 October 2009 in Lakewood, Colorado at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel. This course will be presented by Timothy D. Stark, Stan Slifer, John Heap, Daren L. Laine, Bill Shehane, Stuart Lange, Andrew Mills, Gary Kolbasuk and other speakers. Course participants are eligible for 6 PDHs. Learn more and view an agenda here.

This is a quick reminder that the deadline for offering a paper at PVC Formulation 2010 is not far away at 18 September. If your company has new developments or an overview of PVC compounding and you would like to give a 25 minute PowerPoint presentation, please send a short summary to me before 18 September 2009. The 2nd international conference on PVC Formulation takes place 16-18 March 2010 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany.

With an estimated 30 billion pounds of additional polymerization capacity coming online in the Middle East in the next five years, the region stands to become a major plastics processing center. Will geosynthetics be part of this boom in production? How will the Middle East's growth affect global markets? Applied Market Information (AMI) is bringing its one-day "Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" to Philadelphia on 4 November 2009. Read a piece on the event from conference coordinator Lauren Fell. Read more.

TenCate Geosynthetics is working with the U.S. Amry Corps of Engineers on the rehabilitation and protection of the coastal strip of Grand Isle in New Orleans (Louisiana). Miles of tubes are being installed to correct years of coastal erosion and best defend the shoreline against future hurricanes. Engineering News Record (ENR) has posted a news video detailing the work, how the design has been inspired by installations in Texas, and future expectations. Learn more here.;

The Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association has launched a new website: www.stormwaterassociation.com. The website contains information about the association's activities, membership, technical information and a buyer's guide. The buyer's guide is a free useful resource for end users needing information about stormwater equipment and other services. Read more in the release.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) just announced the availability of grants for aquaculture producers from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Grant funds will assist producers for losses associated with high feed costs during the 2008 calendar year. The deadline for receipt of applications is 21 August 2009. Learn more.

New for the next CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition, to be held in 2011, is the co-location of the 2011 International Concrete Exposition, also known as ICON Expo. The shows will be held 22-26 March 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, USA. ICON Expo is organized by the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) in conjunction with other leading industry groups, and serves the needs and interests of the concrete products industry, including producers, suppliers, designers, architects, and specifiers. The expo rounds out exhibits with product demonstrations, a robust education program and social networking events. Read more in the release.

How very strange. Small amounts of geotextiles are even being sold on Craigslist. Learn more here.;

The town of Stayton, Oregon is rectifying a major water loss problem at its water treatment plant. The third filter pond's concrete liner cracked and began leaking a quarter million gallons per day. A polyethylene geomembrane liner is being installed now. It's just part of a major upgrade to stop leakage and improve overall operations. The full project's work should conclude by June 2010. Learn more here.;

CISEC, Inc. will be presenting its inspector training modules and administering its nationwide certification examination through the Federal Highway Administration's Local and Tribal Technical Assistance Programs (LTAP/TTAP). The 58 LTAP/TTAP centers can now provide inspectors, designers, and regulatory agency personnel more opportunities to receive training in CISEC, Inc.'s professional sediment and erosion control inspector program and, if qualified, sit for the CISEC nationwide certification examination. Read more in the release.

WASTECON 2010 will be held 15-17 August 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. The organizers seek papers and presentations that will highlight innovations and improvements in 21st-century solid waste management. Of significant interest are papers on the “greening” of the solid waste field. Read more in the Call for Papers PDF. Learn more here.;

Golder Associates Ltd. is pleased to announce Mr. Mark Brightman, as President of the firm's Canadian operations. Brightman replaces Mr. Brian H. Conlin, who was recently appointed as President & CEO of Golder Associates' global corporation. Read more in the release.

We want to take a moment to congratulate our colleague and friend Jennifer McKay of TenCate. She and her husband Josh were married earlier this summer. Jennifer has shared a couple photos from the wedding, one of which contains a number of very familiar faces from TenCate's expert engineering and sales crew. See the images here, and please be sure you have updated your email contact address for Jennifer to j.mckay@tencate.com.

Ian Peggs writes: "The objective of using a geomembrane liner in a potable water reservoir, a waste water treatment plant lagoon, a CAFO pond, or any other kind of liquid containment facility is, of course, to prevent loss of liquids which are obnoxious or valuable. Leaks are most undesirable, to say the least. But we have learned over the years that while non-leaking facilities can apparently be built, we should not rely on single liners to be totally impermeable, for nothing is." Read more in his article.

While the priests and brothers of St. Benedict's Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts did not find water when attempting to establish a new well, they did show an exemplary use of geotextiles in roads. To support the well digging equipment, a new road was needed. Mud lay beneath ice. After difficult prep work, geotextile separation fabric and an aggregate base were installed to stabilize the zone and allow work to go forth. Learn more here.;

Combining the efforts of two industry leaders in remediation technologies promises to provide increased value to the environmental remediation industry. Tensar International Corporation (TIC) announced that it has signed an agreement with CETCO Remediation Technologies (CETCO) granting exclusive distribution rights to the Triton® Marine Mattress System in the United States and Canada for subaqueous capping of contaminated sediments.

India's polypropylene industries are hurting as the current global economic decline has started taking a sharp bite out of Indian exports. Polypropylene resin producers are well down and find themselves with surplus stock, which is lowering long-term expectations. Geotextile producers are also down in exports. Learn more here.;

This year, China's government released a textile industry plan for 2009 through 2011. It includes support and targets for more than doubling geotextile production. Learn more here.;

The town of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada is installing a geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) system for flood defense. Gabions are a major part of the construction. The $4 million system, which is the first large-scale flood and debris mitigation structure in BC, was selected to add additional protections in the region ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) will host "The Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar" on 19 October 2009 in Cologne, Germany. This event has been offered twice already in 2009. This next session is your final chance of 2009 to take part. AMI reports that only five spots remain for the conference. Download the PDF brochure. Learn more here.;