Mining

Tensar Corporation, a leader in geosynthetic soil reinforcement and stabilization, is making a major investment to increase the output capacity of its geogrid production plant in Morrow, Georgia. Expansion in the production will come on stream in 2012 enabling an increase in output of 30 percent. Don Meltzer, CEO, has said the demand for the TriAx line of geogrid is motivating the facility's expansion.

The International Erosion Control Association's membership voted to re-elect Philip Handley, REM, CPESC, CESSWI, to the 2012 Board of Directors. Joining Handley to the 2012 Board of Directors is former board member and President Ron Faucher, CPESC, and new board member Gustavo Salerno, PE, CPESC. Faucher and Salerno will begin their terms on the Board of Directors in February alongside fellow members Beth Chesson, Julie Etra, Philip Handley, Sandy Mathews, Brock Peters, Charles Riling, Jr. and Tom Williams. Read more in the release.

Leister Process Technologies, the worldwide leader in plastic welding and hot air equipment announces the opening of its expanded U.S. headquarters outside of Chicago. The new, centrally located facility quadruples Leister's capabilities in North America. Among the new services offered: Complete inventory of Geosynthetic tools for instant availability; Complete spare parts inventory for overnight parts shipping; Complete new service and repair facility; and Complete new training and demonstration space. Read more.

Geosynthetic barrier materials have become crucial environmental protection materials in waste management, water and wastewater management, mining, industrial processing, and other sectors. Despite the wide usage (including government regulated and required use), the number of qualified professionals who can verify the integrity of geosynthetic barrier installations remains low. Liner integrity survey/assessment (LISA) remains a strong need in the field, and only one place is currently teaching these skills and certifying and auditing the specialists: TRI/Environmental Inc. in Austin, Texas. The next opportunity to learn LISA technology as well as take advantage of two key QA/QC geosynthetics short courses and to test for GSI inspector certification is 14-18 November 2011 during CQA Week.

Syntec has announced the introduction of its new line of integrally formed biaxial and uniaxial geogrids. Syntec SBX biaxial geogrids are made of polypropylene (PP) using punched and drawn technology. The company's UX-S and UX-W series of uniaxial geogrids are produced of high density polyethylene (HDPE) with the same technology.

American Environmental Group Ltd (AEGL) of Richfield, Ohio, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Power Management, Inc. (PMI) of Goleta, California. Carl Apicella, President of AEGL, stated, "The merger of the PMI and AEGL teams creates a powerful force in the specialty environmental and energy services markets. Adding PMI's southern and northern California operations centers also improves AEGL geographical coverage, and at the same time creates a national platform to deliver PMI's services to power generation markets."

Under the Patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, the 2011 GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East Conference is taking place on 25th and 26th October at Park Rotana Hotel with the collaboration of AHK the German Chamber of Commerce. With a focus on the regions infrastructure projects and environmental applications, the Geosynthetics Middle East 2011 will once again contribute to the quality of the construction projects throughout the region, increasing their value and considerably extending their service life.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a new standard, D7703: "Standard Practice for Electrical Leak Location on Exposed Geomembranes Using the Water Lance System." Electrical leak location methods are an effective and proven quality assurance measure to locate previously undetected leaks and check the integrity of a liner. Learn more here.;

International geosynthetics manufacturing GSE has released the details of its 3 November 2011 "Geosynthetics 4 Success" seminar in Charlotte, North Carolina. The seminar is part of a series of events the company has arranged in which expert independent speakers join technical personnel from the company to present on key subjects in the field. In Charlotte, the focus will be on the latest developments in geosynthetics and the use of geosynthetics in waste and coal ash containment applications. This discussion will include all aspects of new product performance, benefits, issues, and an update on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Coal Ash Rule. Learn more.

Ground stabilization specialist Tensar International has successfully defended its TriAx® product range against several patent infringements. To date, Tensar has pursued three separate cases through the Chinese legal system and prevailed in each instance. Learn More.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has revised standard D4759, "Standard Practice for Determining the Specification Conformance of Geosynthetics." This practice has been developed with strong emphasis on practicality and the realization that all geosynthetics are subjected to a vigorous quality control program prior to shipping. The standard has been revised to D4759-11. Learn more here.;

Papers are invited for the Third Symposium on Current and Future Practices for the Testing of Multi-Component Geosynthetic Clay Liners, which will be held 29 June 2012 at the Sheraton San Diego in San Diego, California. Sponsored by ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics, the symposium will be held in conjunction with Committee D35's June standards development meetings. Learn more.

The 5th European Conference on Geosynthetics (EuroGeo 5) will be held 16-19 September 2012 in Valencia, Spain. The Spanish Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will organize it, and the event will be held under the auspices of the IGS. Authors interested in presenting a paper at the Conference must provide an abstract before 31 October 2011, addressed to the Conference Secretariat, through the Conference website. Abstracts received by fax or mail will not be considered. Abstracts must be written in either English or Spanish. Visit the abstracts submission page on the conference website. Learn more here.;

Raven Industries Engineered Films Division announces the opening of their new Technology Solutions Center within their Sioux Falls, SD operation. The Center will provide full-spectrum product development through extensive research, analysis, processing and optimization of new product formulations. The Technology Solutions Center houses two state-of-the-art pilot extrusion lines. Read more.

Pacific Gold Corp. (PCFG) has announced that Nevada Rae Gold, Inc., (NRG) a subsidiary of PCFG, has received permission from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) for its' Engineering Design Change to build a field hosting 8 additional geotextile tubes at the Black Rock Canyon Mine. The Company has ordered the appropriate liners and parts, and the Company plans to begin construction on the field as soon as the supplies are on site. Once completed, an as built review by the NDEP will be required prior to the operation of the new field of geotextile tubes.

Tensar International's Commercial Director, John Kiely, is accompanying UK Prime Minister David Cameron as part of the high-level UKTI visit to Russia on the 12-13 September 2011. There are enormous opportunities in Russia’s developing infrastructure over the next few years. The attraction to Tensar is that much of this infrastructure will be over poor ground which needs extensive stabilisation to carry the loads imposed by the traffic and construction. Read more.

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) regularly offers short-course and certification professional development opportunities. Currently, GSI is preparing four one-day courses, each of which will be offered twice and worth 8 PDHs. Two new courses on retaining wall failures MSE, berm, and slope monitoring and inspection are included. Also, GSI is offering two certification exams, each of which are also available in conjunction with related courses. Read about them here.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has announced Long Beach, California as the next site for the long-running, bienniel Geosynthetics conference. This event will be co-located with the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) annual Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference. Additionally, the Geosynthetic Institute's (GSI) 25th Geosynthetic Research Institute conference (GRI–25) will be included. Learn more here.;

When SKZ's Geosynthetics Middle East (GSME) event convenes 25-26 October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, it will mark the fourth annual chapter in this conference, which has grown out of a successful series SKZ previously conducted in Germany. SKZ has organized the GSME event with BMC Gulf, and this year it will once again be held under the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi. The program for GSME 2011 has been announced. Read about it.

Pipeline operators are renewing and repairing existing pipes and laying new pipelines to secure energy and water supplies across the world. There are also new applications upcoming including carbon dioxide sequestering. Alongside this there is intense international interest in pipeline integrity and delegates from around 40 nations are expected to meet to discuss current issues and solutions at the AMI conference, Pipeline Coating 2012, which takes place from 27-29 February in Vienna, Austria. Expert consultant Noru Tsalic of AMI will lead the event with a review of market trends.

The 27th International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 11-14 March 2012. Participants are expected from over 40 countries. Topics are expected to include landfill economics, energy recovery, regulations, liners, caps, gas and leachate management, ash containment, and much more. Abstracts due: 31 October 2011. Learn more here.;

Seats are booking fast for the 4th International GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East conference. Attracting over 300 delegates from 25 countries in 2010, the conference has turned out to be the leading event on geosynthetics throughout the Middle East and marked Abu Dhabi on the world map as an excellent meeting place for geotechnical and environment specialists to exchange knowledge, conduct business and build strategic partnerships. Under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Municipality, the event is taking place 25-26 October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Raven Industries, Inc. has announced record second quarter sales and earnings for the three months ended July 31, 2011. Growth in net income was led by profit gains in the Applied Technology Division due to favorable market conditions and continued demand for the company's precision agriculture solutions. The company has also highlighted strong demand for its geomembrane liners and covers.

TenCate Geosynthetics has released the Summer 2011 issue of MiraFACTS. This issue includes a case study video on global projects, Mirafi® 1450BB installation guidelines, the new Mirafi® RS380i woven geosynthetic, and an updated list of market managers. Also, three case studies are included, covering topics of weak subgrade stabilization, commercial parking lot reconstruction, and the utilization of design software and the right material to save 10" of aggregate. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) has published its second issue of IGS News of 2011. Issue 27.2 includes a feature piece on the regional conferences of the IGS, reports on 2011 events and a look at 2012's opportunities, chapter news, a success story profile from South Africa, Daniele Cazzuffi's receipt of the Paolo Scolari UNI Award 2011, and much more. Read the issue here (PDF).