Mining

Registration is now open for Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), the next annual conference of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). Don't miss your chance to attend industry-leading education sessions, take advantage of the extensive networking opportunities, and see technologies and service providers in the largest expo of its kind. It's the world's largest soil and water event, and it's taking place 20-23 February 2011 in Orlando, Florida. Register by 10 December 2010 to receive the early-bird registration rate. Learn more here.;

When the Germany-based organization SKZ first brought its renowned "Lifetime of Geosynthetics" seminar to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, it may have been tough to envision it becoming more than just a seminar filling a void in the region's professional development opportunities. This year, the event--3rd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East--marks its gathering with strong international and domestic support, including the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. The impressive program has been announced. Read more.

Tensar Corporation announced today that President and Chief Executive Officer Phillip D. Egan has decided to retire from his positions. He will relinquish his duties effective immediately and will leave Tensar later this year. Don Meltzer will serve as interim President and CEO of Tensar Corporation while a search for a permanent replacement is conducted. Don has served as a Tensar Board member for the past year and has recently worked closely with the Tensar leadership team to prepare the company for growth and profitability expansion as the world recovers from the recent recession. Learn more.

Pacific Gold Corp. announced today that it has ordered the Geotextile tubes for dewatering tailings from the mine screening plant in October. The geotextile tubes and polymer required for the plant testing should be on site before October 15. During the testing period the Company also plans to meet on site with various mining contractors to begin the process of selecting a contractor for the hauling and extraction of gravels once the plant is operational.

The AMI conference on Waterproof Membranes looks at the trends and technical developments in the international roofing and geomembrane industry. It takes place from 30 November-2 December 2010 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany. This year the markets will be reviewed by an international panel of specialists commencing with Jon Nash of AMI Consulting on European construction developments. This is followed by NTC "Gidrol-Krovlja" with an overview of trends in the Russian arena, then Polaris International (Bahrain) on Middle East single-ply roofing strategies and challenges, and Arab Water Seal (UAE) on MENA market trends.

Excerpt from Joint News Conference, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, 30 September 2010, Marshall, Michigan. Read comments from Enbridge Inc.'s president and CEO Patrick Daniel and executive vice president (liquids pipelines) Steve Wuori. They report that the spilled oil and sediment is being pumped into large geotextile tubes on shore. The water will be drained and treated and the sediment will be allowed to dry and then will be hauled away to an appropriate waste facility.

Raven's geosynthetics experts regularly publish Geo Team Updates. The September 2010 issue outlines Geo Team contacts, the new website, and a summation of the year's developments. This includes a glimpse at what is forthcoming from Raven, such as an upgrade to the scrim reinforcement on the company's already-successful 36-mil and 45-mil Heavy Duty J-Series Reinforced LLDPE materials. Learn more here.;

Colbond has long been known for manufacturing high-performance materials for some of civil engineering's toughest applications, such as for new levee designs, as well as specialty markets such as green roofing. In support of the company's established product lines and markets, a new website has been launched. The new-look www.Colbond.us focuses on North American business and separates out markets concisely with product solutions targeted to each of them. Literature and media links under each product/application section provide detailed information, from case studies to product data, on prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), erosion control materials, reinforcement geogrids, drainage geocomposites, and much more.

The fast and outstanding development and growth of the United Arab Emirates has shown not just significant recognition among top-tier international companies in the long-term strength of business in the United Arab Emirates but deep commitment and effort by the UAE government in ensuring and providing a competitive infrastructure to support and enable the overall vision of success for the United Arab Emirates. When SKZ convenes the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East, it will do so with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City as a headline supporter. Geosynthetics Middle East 2010 will take place 9-10 November 2010 in Abu Dhabi under the theme of "Waterproofing Systems and Reinforced Structures." Learn more.

Tri-Tech Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIT), a premier Chinese company that provides leading turn-key solutions in China for water resources, water and wastewater treatment, industrial safety and pollution control markets, announced today that its affiliate, Beijing Satellite Science and Technology Co. (BSST), has won a RMB 7.8 million (approximately $1.15 million) Phase II bid from the China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) for an automated monitoring and communication system in the Puguang gas field in Sichuan Province. Phase II represents an expansion of the information gathering and monitoring Phase I project, which includes the 48-station system implemented by BSST in September 2010 at the Puguang field.

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA) seeks nominations for its next committee. The current terms end 10 Novembe 2010 during the annual general meeting of GIGSA, which is the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) South Africa chapter. GIGSA seeks 10 new member nominees before 8 October 2010. If more than 10 nominees are accepted, an online election will be held. Read more.

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA) seeks nominations for its next committee. The current terms end 10 Novembe 2010 during the annual general meeting of GIGSA, which is the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) South Africa chapter. GIGSA seeks 10 new member nominees before 8 October 2010. If more than 10 nominees are accepted, an online election will be held. Download the informational document here (PDF).

Geovic Mining Corp. ("Geovic" or "the Company"), on behalf of its 60.5%-owned subsidiary Geovic Cameroon PLC, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Phillip R. Mason as General Manager of Geovic Cameroon PLC. Mr. Mason is a 30-year mining industry veteran, including 20 years experience in Africa. The Nkamouna Project has an approved Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) in conformity with both Cameroon regulations and international environmental standards. The new tailings facility incorporates a two-celled, fully engineered containment system. The acidic leach tailings will be stored in a separate tailings cell with a geosynthetic liner, isolating the leach tailings from the inert physical upgrade tailings.

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) is pleased to announce the third class of GSI Fellows for the academic year 2010-2011. Four new proposals were approved and three proposals from the previous two years were awarded additional funds to continue research. New proposals includes research regarding temperature effects and shear behavior, vertical drains in railway stabilization, protection of buried pipes in fault zones, and improving water quality and filtration in stormwater runoff. Read more about GSI's fellowship program.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) is pleased to offer "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes -- Flexibility and Superior Performance," its popular short course, on 15 October 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The course organizers have added a presentation on the geomembranes used in the Gulf oil spill clean up. Dr. Timothy Stark will present on the geomembrane technology that was used to assist experts in the Gulf during the clean up and contaminant containment.

Pacific Gold Corp. announced today that the Black Rock Canyon Mine will begin testing geotextile tubes for dewatering tailings from the mine screening plant in October. Previously the Company tested geotextile tubes in a lab setting, with gravel ore from the mine, to test the ability of the Geotextile tubes to contain tailings while allowing clean water to pass through the tubes for reuse. These lab tests were successful and the next step is a full scale field test. The mine plans to run its on-site stockpile of approximately 9,000 tons of gravel (approximately 1/4 of a month of anticipated normal production) in order to test the geotextile tubes on site in preparation for beginning full scale mining operations. The Company expects to complete the field testing of the geotextile tubes by the end of October.

Geo-Frontiers 2011 brings together the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute (GI) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). It will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Current tracks include Soil/Rock Mechanics and Modeling; Geotechnical Testing and Site Characterization; Foundations and Ground Improvement; Slopes, Embankments, and Earth Retaining Structures; Geosynthetics; Geoenvironmental Engineering; Geo-Hazards (Earthquakes, Landslides, Erosions, Others); Transportation Materials and Pavements; and Other Geotechnical Related Issues. Registration for this key event is now open.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today announced plans to change its organizational structure. The reorganization, effective 1 October 2010, will align the organizational structure with the agency's primary functional areas: statistics, analysis, communication, and management. It also will streamline EIA by reducing the number of organizations reporting directly to the EIA Administrator from eight to four, headed by Assistant Administrators.

A resurgence of oil drilling in North Dakota is bringing a number of land management issues to light. The mineral rights to 75% of the oil in North Dakota are owned by energy and mining companies; not the private property owners under whose land the oil is often found. This is because mineral rights may have been sold long ago; whereas, the property purchased by a private owner only recently. The drillers and property owners are squaring off against one another over site use, burial of pit liners, remediation, and other issues. Minnesota Public Radio reports. Learn more here.;

In his final report from the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, I-CORP International's Ian Peggs recaps the day's contributions, from Patrick Fox's opening keynote lecture to Peter Davies' review of GIGSA standards from South Africa. Other presentations dealt with GCL shear tests, material "greenness" versus compacted clay liners, ion exchange, deformation in puncture tests, and more. Read Ian's write-up here.

The September 2010 issue of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) Newsletter is available. This month's stories include updates on GSI's numerous research projects (e.g., UV exposure of geomembranes and field behavior and flexible polypropylene [fPP] geomembranes), updates to the information accessibility on GSI's websites, forthcoming short courses, fellowship awards for 2010-2011, and much more. Read the issue here (PDF). Learn more here.;

Raven, an expert manufacturer of geomembranes, announces the release of their new geomembrane website: www.RavenGeo.com. The new site includes a significant expansion in geomembrane application, product data, and affiliated information. Raven's site includes product resources right at your fingertips, along with featured menu items, such as Liner and Sandbag Calculators, to easily determine approximate material sizes and quantities for your projects. Read more about the website's offerings, from technical resources to product testing information to interactive elements.

Day two in Würzburg, Germany and day one of the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners was excellent. Yet again while we met inside Würzburg's historic Fortress Marienberg, the The Three Musketeers remake went on filming in the adjacent building, which is to serve, ostensibly, as Paris. Nevertheless, Kerry Rowe (Queens University, Canada) and Craig Benson (University of Wisconsin, USA) gave excellent keynote lectures. Read more.

After three successful years at the helm, NAUE America Inc.'s President Carsten Lesny has announced his intention to leave the company and return to Germany, where he will continue to work in the geotechnics field. We would like to thank Carsten for all his hard work and effort over the last three years. Everyone at NAUE would like to wish him and his family every success upon their return. Read more.

Ian D. Peggs, Ph.D., P.E., of I-CORP International is currently in Würzburg, Germany for the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, September 15-16. The event has been spearheaded by three key independent organizations on its scientific committee: SKZ (Germany), Cemagref (France) and the Geosynthetic Institute (USA). Time permitting during the conference, Ian has agreed to share updates from Germany with Geosynthetica's readers. He filed the following on the evening of September 14. Read more.