Mining

Applied Market Information (AMI) reminds all that the call for proposals for Waterproof Membranes 2009 close on 17 April 2009. The event will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 19-21 October 2009 and will be the third installment in this series. Contact the conference organizers for more information. Learn more here.;

A final look at the bienniel Geosynthetics conference, which convened in Salt Lake City, Utah 25-27 February 2009. Geosynthetics 2009 operated under the theme “Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering,” two subjects key to Western states like Utah. But those certainly weren't the only subjects discussed in the sessions, keynote lectures, and on the exhibit hall floor. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you've some "reading" to do in our photo essay from Geosynthetics 2009.

Registration continues for September's GeoAfrica 2009! But the early-bird discount is available only through 31 March 2009, so be sure to register now. Fees increase ZAR 600 thereafter (USD $60). The conference is shaping up to be a grand one, with more than 100 papers over three days, a sold-out exhibit hall and plenty of networking opportunities. This is the first African regional conference on geosynthetics. GeoAfrica 2009 will take place 2-5 September 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Geosynthetica is proud to announce two new media partnerships with conferences: CanBuild09 and Geosynthetics Middle East 2009. The Canadian Brownfield Urban and Industrial Land Development conference (CanBUILD) 2009 takes place in April in Toronto. SKZ's Geosynthetics Middle East 2009 is the 2nd installment in this international series and will take place in November in Dubai. Read more about these events and download the brochures and/or call for papers 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.;

Tensar International's Blackburn, United Kingdom office is profiled in Lancashire Telegraph article on the economic downtown and businesses finding a way to succeed. Tensar's Tim Oliver is interviewed in the article. He cites the pound's weakness as increasing the UK office's competitiveness in Europe, the success of the new China facility, and the growing announcements of government spending on infrastructure around the world as positive forces for Tensar and the industry. Learn more here.;

Dr. Ian D. Peggs, P.E., P.Eng., has authored an introduction to ISO/TS 13434, "Geosynthetics: Guidelines for the Assessment of Durability." We publish here the sections on historical development, geotextiles, geosynthetic barriers and geogrids. For online readability, we've broken the sections into four pages, but all references have been repeated on each page for convenience of use. Links to the subsequent sections on geotextiles, geosynthetic barriers and geogrids can be found at the end of each part under "Related Sections." Begin here with the section on "Historical Development."

Earthmate Geosynthetics has taken the next step to facilitate its expansion in the European market by earning the CE Mark for its geogrids. Testing was conducted by the independent laboratory BTTG, which is based in the United Kingdom. The current testing values and certification is good until 23 December 2011. Learn more here.;

SKZ announces the 2nd International Conference of Geosynthetics Middle East to be held in Dubai, UAE (10-11 November 2009). A call for papers has been issued with abstracts due by 30 March 2009. This year's topics include polymer developments; products (Geomembranes, Geotextiles, Geogrids, 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.

Solmax International advocates a safe process, from the geomembrane’s fabrication to its installation. To ensure safe container unloading of its products, Solmax now presents its method on video. With this process, the company aims to improve the effectiveness of the operations of its clients; and to reveal some economical options versus truck delivery (particularly in the western United States). A copy of the video of the safe unloading process is available on Solmax's website. A DVD copy can be sent by mail to customers. Learn more here.;

While we await the open of Geosynthetics 2009 and to report all the news and innovations that are revealed from the gathering, we want to take a moment to remind our readers of a number of key opportunities coming up in the geosynthetics community. Of note, the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) is holding another GMA Lobby Day in Washington DC; T-CLIC returns with more training, short course, and certification events; and the Geosynthetic Institute is offering public and private-focused infrastructure courses.

It's late Wednesday evening as I post this from Salt Lake City where IFAI's Geosynthetics 2009 conference opened. Day one proved to be full and engaging. A keynote lecture, technical sessions, a fiery polypropylene geomembranes panel discussion, short courses and a reception. The first of a series of reports from the event is posted here.

It’s Tuesday and attendees and exhibitors are arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah for the biennial Geosynthetics conference. Geosynthetics 2009, managed by the Roseville, Minnesota-based Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), is being held under the theme “Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering,” two subjects key to Western states like Utah. Geosynthetica is a cooperating organization for this year’s event. We’re proud to be part of this seminal gathering for North America’s geosynthetics practice. Reports from the conference will be published daily (Wednesday – Friday, February 25-27) and a wrap-up will be published next week.

The latest short courses and accreditation exams from T-CLIC (TRI-CORP Liner Integrity Center) have been anounced. The line up is as follows: March 23-24, Training for the Performance of Liner Integrity Surveys (LIS) ** March 25-26, CQC/CQA of Geosynthetic, Compacted Clay Liner and GCL Systems ** April 7, Interface Friction/Direct Shear Testing and Slope Stability Issues ** April 8, Structure, Testing, Performance and Application of Drainage Geocomposites in Landfills. Learn more at TRI's website. Learn more here.;

A man in British Columbia, Canada is calling a public meeting at which he intends to make his case for using a slurry of fine ground limestone and calcium hydroxide to treat a heavily polluted former copper mine on Vancouver Island rather than the bituminous geomembrane capping system that has been selected. The man, Cliff Rennie, is president of Clibetre Exploration Ltd., and has been a frequent vocal critic of government remediation policies. Learn more here.;

An abandoned mining in Canada's Yukon will take 40 years and $500 million to properly close, the government estimates. The Faro mine project will undergo a 15-year-construction phase that is expected to cost $30 million per year, and an additional $10 million is thought to be needed for the last 25 years of closure operations. Learn more here.;

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is encouraging all members to call their Congressional representatives and senators to push for greater infrastructure dollars in the current stimulus proposals. The roughly $800 billion proposal, as it currently stands, does not have nearly as much infrastructure money as expected. For example, senators such as Barbara Boxer (D-CA) are proposing to use $50 billion not spent in the first year of stimulus for future transportation and water infrastructure improvement. Read more in ASCE's alert. Learn more here.;

Tensar's main United Kingdom office has been awarded the North West Greater China Business Award. The Blackburn-based firm was presented with the award at the North West Greater China Business Awards at a banquet hosted by UK Trade and Investment and the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The awards recognize businesses and organizations that are cultivating strong trade links with China. Learn more here.;

Peak Engineering Technologies has changed its name to Peak GeoSolutions to better reflect the company's impressive growth in services. The February 2009 newsletter from the company reveals the name change, a new logo, and new service offerings, including geoelectric liner integrity surveys and technical tailgate training. Also, Peak is offering short courses: ** CQA/QC Short Courses for Compacted Clay Liner and Geosynthetic Installations, which features proctorship for the Geosynthetic Certification Institute - Inspector Certification Program (GCI-ICP); and ** a Peak-exclusive short course on total landfill construction and CQA. Learn more in the February newsletter.

St. Patrick's Day 2009 (March 17) is also the next Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) Lobby Day. This important annual event brings industry, lobbyists, government agency representatives and Congressional offices and committees together. With important water, coal ash management, and transportation issues to address (and in the context of an economic crisis sorely in need of infrastructure spending), this year's event holds great importance. Read an invitation from GMA Executive Director Andrew Aho and learn about how to be part of this gathering.

The Freedonia Institute's latest geosynthetics market report ("Geosynthetics to 2012") indicates that demand for these materials will advance 2.5 percent annually to over 900 million square yards in 2012. This projects a value in excess of $2 billion. Freedonia expects that gains will be promoted by rebounding road and highway construction spending. In the near term, demand is also expected to be promoted by components of the Obama Administration’s economic stimulus program that involve public works. Geosynthetics can be used to stabilize foundations, promote drainage and prevent erosion, generally at a lower cost than alternative products. Demand for high-performance geosynthetics, such as geomembranes, geogrids and preformed geocomposites, will outpace demand for less costly geosynthetics. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica's Tech Note series publishes concise questions and observations from the practice. The latest, "Are you testing the reinforcement or the polymer?" comes from frequent contributor Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL. His question is important, for the durability and degradation of the polymer is just as important to a material's service life suitability as its reinforcement component.

Plastics in Underground Pipes 2009 will take place at the Radisson Resort Orlando - Celebration, Florida, from 6-7 May 2009. With underground pipes, installation time and costs are critical and plastics--by offering flexibility, durability and chemical resistance--are increasingly being used to overcome many of the issues with traditional materials. A program for the event is now available. One of the speakers featured will be Rick Thomas of TRI/Environmental, who will speak on the subject of "The development of HDPE corrugated drainage pipe containing recycled HDPE for highway applications." View the program in PDF. Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) has announced the dates and a call for proposals for Waterproof Membranes 2009. The event will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 19-21 October 2009. AMI's Dr. Sally Humphreys invites presentation proposals through 17 April 2009. Also, an early-bird registration and exhibition opportunities are available. Contact the conference organizers for more information. Geosynthetica was a media partner for Waterproof Membranes 2008 and encourages its readers to consider the 2009 installment of the event. Learn more here.;

Iryna Popova, Director of EcoInform, has announced that a draft program is now available for the 6th Cooperation for Waste Issues conference, which will take place 8-9 April 2009 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Key topics at the event include municipal and industrial waste, radioactive waste, environmental compliance, biomass, energy generation, and much more. View the program today. Geosynthetica.net is a cooperating organization to the event. Learn more here.;