Mining

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.

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.;

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.

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.;

ASTM International has announced its candidates for the organization's 2010 Board of Directors. Nominees were selected by the Nominating Committee. ASTM International's active members, such as participating members of Committee D35 on Geosynthetics, will receive voting instructions and biographies in the September/October issue of Standardization News. Also, along with electing the 2010 Board of Directors, ASTM members will be asked to recommend candidates from the ASTM International membership to serve on the 2011 Nominating Committee. Read the nominee list here.

Dennes Bergado writes on the forthcoming symposium "Geotechnical Engineering, Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics for Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change including Global Warming." A list of speakers has been released and is contained in Dr. Bergado's write up. Of note, more than 30 technical speakers will be part of the event. They are coming to the conference from more than 15 countries. Also, a comprehensive technical exhibition will accompany the discussions. The symposium takes place 2-3 December 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East will be held in Dubai, UAE, 10-11 November 2009. The speaker and topic line up is certainly an impressive list. Ian Peggs of I-CORP will present on predicting end-of-life for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and the incorporation of flexible solar cells on exposed landfill caps; Carl De Leon of Solmax will present on geomembrane liners in harsh, petrochemical containment operations; Detlef Schramm of Dow will present a geomembrane global review; Silke Schwöbken of SENSOR will present on drainage detection systems; and much more. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the program in PDF. Learn more here.;

Net profit second quarter well over € 13 million. In advance of the publication of the half-year figures on Wednesday 26 August 2009 and on the basis of provisional results, it is announced that net profit for the second quarter fell back by approximately 26% compared with the second quarter of 2008. With a stringent cost reduction policy and a tight liquidity management, as of 30 June 2009 TenCate remained well within the covenants agreed with the banks. The debt / EBITDA ratio improved compared to the previous quarter to approximately 2.5 (covenant 3.0). Read more.

From coal ash disposal to landfill cell construction to mining processing controls, we're seeing renewed activity in the role regulation is playing around the world for ensuring the right envrionmental protection technologies are in place. Peter Garrett, the Australian government's Mininster of Environment, Heritage and the Arts, has issued a media statement on stringent, exemplary protections being implemented at a new uranium mine in South Australia. It's an appropriate addition to discussion, especially as global markets show signs of life and long-term mining forecasts are beginning to edge up.

The Charleston Gazette out of West Virginia has posted a new entry in its sustainability and environmental watch blog. This time around, the blog includes notes on changes expected to be made in pit fluid storage rules. Changes include: requiring all pits used to store contaminated water from drilling to have synthetic liners; forcing operators to remove all solid wastes, including liners, during reclamation of pits and impoundments; new design and construction standards for these pits; and requiring inspection of the pits by a registered professional engineer. Learn more here.;

The early registration deadline for GeoHalifax 2009 is 17 July 2009. Full conference registration includes membership in either the Canadian Geosynthetics Society (CGS) or the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) - Canada National Chapter (CNC). Take advantage of the preferential pricing and membership offer. Conference fees increase $100 after 17 July. Secure registration for this 20-24 September 2009 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) event is available online. Learn more here.;

EcoInform has announced dates for the 7th Cooperation for Waste Issues forum. It will be held 7-8 April 2010 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Papers are being solicited through 1 December 2009. Key topics sought include environmental issues of waste management, new technologies, landfill construction and operation, sludge management, waste to energy, and more. Learn more at the conference website. Learn more here.;

The U.S. EPA has identified the hardrock mining industry as its priority for developing financial assurance requirements. Financial assurance requirements help ensure that owners and operators of these facilities, not taxpayers, foot the bill for environmental cleanup. These requirements will be developed under section 108(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly called "Superfund." EPA plans to propose the rule by spring of 2011. The agency will publish a notice of this priority in the Federal Register, which is the first step toward developing the requirements.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has experienced dramatic membership growth since the kick-off in February at the Geosynthetics 2009 event. The next teleconference meeting for members will be 14 August 2009. Visit the FGI website for membership and activity information. Learn more here.;

In the late 1990s, selenium became a pollutant in mining that companies needed to start monitoring. So it's a fairly recent issue. Selenium, when oxidized, can leach into groundwater. Mansanto has spent more than $6 million developing its selenium storage and geosynthetic capping system for the Blackfoot Bridge mining project in Oregon. Learn more here.;

Presenters and paper topics for GeoAfrica 2009 (2-5 September 2009, Cape Town, South Africa) have been posted at the conference website. It is an interesting mix and bodes well for discussion. View it online today. Learn more here.;

The massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is having a considerable (and beneficial) impact on construction markets and the environment. Approximately $7.22 billion is moving into these key areas with water-related projects receiving the lionshare. (CONTINUED.)

DuPont Performance Elastomers, manufacturers of the long-successful Hypalon® chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE), released a short statement in May this year that it would exit the Hypalon® market. The exit was abrupt, with an end of June 2009 target set for ceasing production. The move will affect many industries, including geosynthetics.

The Mt. Washington mine remediation project is progressing steadily in Canada's Comox Valley. The site has long been a source of severe pollution for Tsolum River, but work is now in motion to prepare the area for the installation of a drainage system and bituminous geomembrane cap. Learn more here.;

The Dow Chemical Company has announced that Victor Dean, Global Marketing and Business Development Director for Building & Construction of Dow Building Solutions, has also been named General Manager of Dow Roofing Systems, LLC (DRS) in addition to his current responsibilities. Dow acquired Stevens Roofing Systems and created DRS so that we could combine Stevens' expertise and know-how in commercial roofing with Dow Building Solutions' expertise in building science, insulation, and polymer technology expertise to advance our energy efficiency leadership.

SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East will be held in Dubai, UAE, 10-11 November 2009. The speaker and topic line up has been announced and it is certainly an impressive list. Ian Peggs of I-CORP will present on predicting end-of-life for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and the incorporation of flexible solar cells on exposed landfill caps; Carl De Leon of Solmax will present on geomembrane liners in harsh, petrochemical containment operations; Detlef Schramm of Dow will present a geomembrane global review; Silke Schwöbken of SENSOR will present on drainage detection systems; and much more. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the program in PDF.

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA) invites its members to a tour of the multi-layered, geosynthetic-reinforced embankment at Snake Valley for the Gauteng Rapid Rail Link. The tour will be held on 22 July 2009 at 13:00. Bombela JV has been the contractor for this intriguing project and materials have been supplied by Kaytech. Interested attendees shoulod contact Jo-Ann Hechter, (011) 8798400, or e-mail adminjhb@kaytech.co.za, and ask for a map to the site office. GIGSA is the host chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) for the forthcoming GeoAfrica 2009 conference (2-5 September 2009, Cape Town). Learn more here.;

Plastemart has published something of a mashup on the waterproof membrane market based upon the presentations planned for the forthcoming Waterproof Membranes 2009, 19-21 October 2009, Duesseldorf, Germany. Some highlights: John Nash of Applied Market Information (AMI), based in the United Kingdom, has just completed a study on the market; Dow will discuss market expansion; the International Green Roof Association will speak; and geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey will speak about flexible solar cells in geotechnical applications. Learn more here.;

SCS Engineers (SCS) is pleased to announce that John J. Kendall, P.E., has joined the firm's new Denver, Colorado, office, where he will lead environmental projects for government and private clients. Mr. Kendall is a Mining/Environmental Engineer with technical, business management and international experience in solid waste design and permitting, surface water design, mine tailings remediation, and a wide variety of environmental and compliance related projects.