Mining

Professional society and business newsletters are a fantastic way to keep current on international events. Geosynthetica, for example, grew out of I-CORP International’s 1990s newsletter Industry Insight. In the past week, two interesting newsletters have come out. (Continued.)

The closing date for abstract submissions to Waterproof Membranes 2009 is NOW: 17 April 2009. We strongly encourage readers to submit their presentation proposals to Dr. Sally Humphreys (sh@amiplastics.com) at Applied Market Information (AMI), the event organizer. This year’s installment marks the third international conference for the waterproofing industry and will take place from 19-21 October 2009 at the Swissôtel Düsseldorf/Neuss in Düsseldorf, Germany. Additionally, the early bird registration rate of EUR790 (Note: 19% German VAT is added) is available through 24 April 2009. This represents a very significant 20% savings on the full registration price.

On 15 April 2009, US EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced $600 million in new funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the cleanup of hazardous waste (Superfund) sites across the nation. In most cases, this recovery act funding will accelerate the hazardous waste cleanup already underway at the sites and fund new clean-up projects. It will also jumpstart the local economy by creating jobs in the site areas. (Continued.)

When the United States Congress, working with President Obama’s administration, released the massive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the staggering billions it opened for allocation were in part to go to “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects. Whether the nation's most polluted sites would benefit, however, was not clear. On Wednesday, April 15, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced $600 million of the Recovery Act funds would be made available to National Priorities List (NPL) projects—otherwise known as Superfund. Chris Kelsey reports.

Strata Systems has released a new StrataSlope® brochure. The publication offers technical data and application references designed to help civil engineers, site developers and construction firms identify available soil reinforcement technologies that address difficult geotechnical engineering challenges. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is accepting abstracts for its annual conference through May 15. EC10 will be held in Dallas, Texas 14-17 February 2009. IECA organizes its work into 8 technology sections: slopes, stream restoration, vegetative establishment, stormwater management, wetlands, erosion and sediment control, beach and shoreline stabilization, and wind erosion. The "Hot Topics" for 2010 are LEED for new construction, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process. Learn more here.;

Rebecca McWatters from Queens University (Canada) won the 2009 North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) student paper competition. The award was announced in February at the Geosynthetics 2009 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. McWatters' paper, "Diffusive Transport of VOCs through a Co-Extruded Geomembrane with a Nylon Barrier for use in Landfill Cover and Contaminant Barrier Systems," was judged on the content and her presentation at the conference. She is working for a PhD under the direction of Professor R. Kerry Rowe at Queens University. Read more about the award.

The March 2009 issue of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) News is available. IGS News is a semi-annual publication containing chapter reports, event recaps, course announcements, etc. Highlights of the March issue include reports from RemTech, Geosynthetics 2009, and "Lifetime of Geosynthetics"; a German draft on geosynthetic reinforcement recommendations; a call for IGS Council candidates; and much more. Download the issue in PDF today. Learn more here.;

GeoFlorida 2010, the annual geo-congress of the Geo-Institute of ASCE, will be held 20-24 February 2010 and will present a broad perspective on new developments in geotechnical engineering analysis, modeling and design. Technical topics will crosscut all areas of the profession, such as stability analysis, geoenvironmental engineering, and case histories. The deadline for abstracts has been extended to 24 April 2009. Download the Call for Papers in PDF.

Though the global economy has battered construction and construction services companies, Aspect Environmental Lining Ltd of Frankton, Hamilton, New Zealand is a welcomed exception. The fledgling firm--just 16 months old--is run by Craig McMillan and Greg Terrill. They began with only one installer but now employ six. The decorative and agricultural liner markets have largely gone away, but larger, more complicated installations, such as for landfills, remain strong. Read about their success in Nikki Preston's article for the Waikato Times. Learn more here.;

During the Geosynthetics 2009 biennial conference in Salt Lake City, Utah (25-27 February 2009), the former PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) officially launched its new identity as the much more-expansive Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI). The FGI’s inaugural meeting was deemed a great success, and we expect news soon about initial membership and research projects. We now find that within the last seven days the FGI has launched a new website at www.fabricatedgeomembrane.com. Read more.

geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey writes on the benefit of seeing and handling geosynthetic materials up close, whether it's on a project site or at a trade show or seminar. "We receive a great deal in the post each week: short course announcements, industry magazines, and the occasional product sample. As last week closed out, we received…." Continued.

Tensar International Corporation introduces Tensar® TriAx™ Geogrid to North and South America. With its proven performance, TriAx Geogrid offers the engineering and construction industries an advanced solution for lower cost, longer lasting and more reliable trafficked surfaces. This geogrid was released in Europe in 2007 and has won numerous awards. Read the full release on its arrival in the Americas.

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009.

Erosion control specialist North American Green is offering a free technical seminar for engineers who specify erosion control and vegetation establishment products. Three sessions will be offered in April, with one taking place April 8 in Charleston, West Virginia and the other two April 15 and 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attendees will earn 3.0 Professional Development Hours (PDH) as credit and will receive valuable information for immediate use. Every attendee will receive a free, 2-gig USB flash drive, pre-loaded with helpful design and specification data. Learn more here and link to the registration online.

When Robert Koerner and Joe Welsh put together the first hard-bound book on geosynthetics (Construction and Geotechnical Engineering Using Synthetic Fabrics, 1980), neither could truly known the impact this materials sector would have on all of civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering. After witnessing (and contributing to) 30 years of dynamic practice, fascinating designs and product innovation in the geosynthetics field, Dr. Robert Koerner looks back at that first book, which he and Joe began compiling after a chance encounter with a publisher in the late 1970s.

I-CORP INTERNATIONAL's Ian Peggs served as an instructor at the 12th TRI-CORP Liner Integrity Survey and Assessment (LISA) course at the TRI/Environmental campus 23-24 March 2009. He reports that 12 attendees, including one from Chile, took part. The two-day event featured a classroom day and a hands-on, field training day with three test cells on site. Interested attended can then go for the next phase of certification, which involves a one-day field audit during a production geoelectric survey followed by a 90 minute written test. The next course will probably be scheduled for the Fall of 2009. Note: the course can be taken on the road: it has been presented in Albany, NY, at GSE in Houston, and in the Philippines. Read more.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics' Sam Allen and George Koerner have announced that a Geosynthetic Research Institute (GRI) / ASTM Workshop on "Geosynthetic Material Durability: Field and Laboratory Experiences" will be held 29 January 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. This important, new workshop will immediately follow the two days of D35's winter meetings. The four segments of the workshop will focus on long-term field experiences; accelerated weathering studies; polymers and additives packages; and a panel discussion. Abstracts for presentations will be accepted through 30 September 2009. Read more about the event.

The eighth edition of AMERICANA, the International Environmental Technology Trade Show and Conference, initiated and organized by RÉSEAU environnement, welcomed some 8,000 participants from every sector of the environmental industry, 400 exhibitors and more than 230 speakers and delegates from 60 countries. AMERICANA 2009 gave professionals an opportunity to present the latest developments in the areas such as water, air, soil, solid waste, energy and sustainable development, and to discuss subjects ranging from life cycle analysis and biofuels to environmental management and sustainable transportation and development. READ MORE in the release.

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has announced that it is reinstating GRI standard GM18, "Test Methods, Test Properties and Testing Frequencies for Flexible Polypropylene Nonreinforced (fPP) and Reinforced (fPP-R) Geomembranes." This reinstatement follows a four-year absence and significant discussion in the geosynthetic community on the proper testing of and standardization approaches for polypropylene geomembranes and service life estimations. GRI's standards are generic, voluntary and free for use. A copy of the specification is available here.

SKZ's 2nd International Conference - Geosynthetics Middle East will be held in Dubai, UAE (10-11 November 2009). A first announcement and call for papers has been issued with proposals due by 30 March 2009. This year's topics include polymer developments; products (Geomembranes and Geogrids; also, Geotextiles, Geocomposites, Erosion control products, Geopipes); testing, quality assurance, certification; installation, welding; applications, projects, case studies; durability, lifetime. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the call for papers here and send your abstracts to SKZ by March 30.

During the Geosynthetics 2009 gathering in Salt Lake City, Prof. Dennes Bergado, who is the director of the Asian Center for Soil Improvement and Geosynthetics (ACSIG), informed us that from 3 to 4 December 2009 the International Symposium on Geotechnical Engineering, Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics for Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change would be held in Bangkok, Thailand. The brochure for this intriguing gathering can be viewed in PDF here.

Dr. Dennes Bergado writes with news of a gathering in Thailand: Geosynthetics Asia 2012, the 5th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics. The first Call for Abstracts for this event, to be held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and to be hosted by IGS Thailand, can be viewed in PDF here. Geosynthetics Asia 2012 will take place 10-14 December 2012 in Bangkok.

Stormwater industry leaders Craig Beatty, John Moll, and David Mongeau have co-authored an introduction to the newly formed Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association (SWEMA). They write, "The stormwater sector needs to band together for a common cause. We need to support the regulatory and engineering communities, as well as the individual cities and states now grappling with how to implement Clean Water Act and other stormwater regulations." Read more in their message and about SWEMA here.

Meg Griffin of the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has authored a short review of the FGI's inaugural meeting, which was held at Geosynthetics 2009 in Salt Lake City (late February). FGI installed a board of directors. Meg writes, "The main objectives of the new FGI include conducting research on fabricated geomembranes, disseminating technical information, establishing and maintaining a world wide website, and answering technical questions regarding the design, testing, specification, and installation of fabricated geomembranes." Read more.