Soil Reinforcement

Hesco Bastion Ltd., a manufacturer of cellular confinement systems for soils, erosion control, and protective barriers (such as those used by Coalition Force military units in Iraq and Afghanistan), has confirmed that its chairman, Jimi Heselden OBE, has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The company has invited people to leave sympathy notes on a special "In Memoriam" web page. Learn more here.;

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).

With 2010, Canadian Environmental Protection (CEP) redesigned and rebranded its publication as Environmental Solutions Magazine (ESM). The new name, however, was challenged as being too similar to a private company's identity, and after discussion with that firm and readers, the publication has opted to return to its former, well-established identity. As they say, "What's in a name?" The content, editorial direction and design remain the same. Learn more here.;

The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) has selected a team of three companies to develop an offshore wind farm on Lake Erie. It will be the first offshore wind farm built on a fresh water lake in North America. Increasingly, wind farm installations are utilizing geosynthetics. Inland sites use reinforcement geosynthetics for access roads and turbine pads. Off-shore wind farms are beginning to use geosynthetics for stabilization and scour protection of footings. Learn more here.;

Over on the World Bank's blog regarding reducing poverty in Africa, today's post pertains to the role infrastructure can play and the challenges to that idea. A side-event at the United Nations on-going Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) took place on September 22 and focused on "Scaling up Africa’s infrastructure to meet the MDGs." The writer of the post notes that the discussion on infrastructure's potential role was unusual for three reasons. Read more. Learn more here.;

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.

In Auburn, Maine, public works officials want to replace a waterside asphalt turnout with a surface that will provide some infiltration rather than route runoff directly down the shoreline and into the water. Gravel alone has performed poorly before. So the city is testing two gravel-filled systems, each of which can support vehicle weight: GeoPave and GeoWeb. It's a contest of plastics blocks vs. geocells. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 Sustainability in Public Works Conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event location and dates have yet to be announced, but 2010's event in Minneapolis was a great success. APWA's sustainability initiatives include not just this event series but a new APWA Center for Sustainability. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event will be held 18-21 September 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Learn more here.;

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.

One often doesn't think of fish when an oil and gas company is mentioned but the people at BP Canada Energy are doing their part for the continued welfare of aquatic dwellers in the region. BP, working in conjunction with Alberta Environment and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, have been replacing road culverts over streams with fish arches on their access roads. The program, which employs geotextile-reinforced soil structure technology for stream crossings on resource roads, is a state-of-the-art process that strengthens the streambed and removes barriers for fish--barriers that had been created by the culverts. Read more in Ed Moore's article. Learn more here.;

Johannesburg, South Africa's only food-grade plastic recycling plant is run by Extrupet, a company that also operates non-food grade division. The non-food grade division, established in 2005, converts plastic bottles into components, such as fibers, that have been used in road stabilization and separation geotextiles. The company's latest expansion into food-grade recycled products is in response to a spike in demand for recycled content in new products. 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.;

BBI International, a leader in globally recognized bioenergy events and trade magazines, has launched a new magazine and international conference. Biorefining magazine and the aligned International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show will provide a new communications avenue for the emergent global industry of advanced biofuel and biobased chemical production. The International Biorefining Conference & Trade Show will be held 16-18 November 2010, at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It will feature more than 50 speakers within more than a dozen panels. Learn more about this publication and event.

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.

BBI International has released the inaugural issue of Biorefining Magazine. The impressive debut includes articles on the rebirth of industry at a previously bankrupt paper mill site in the woods of Wisconsin, project financing, the bioplastics boom, and much more. Many bioenergy and biorefining operations utilize geosynthetic technologies, such as covers in anaerobic digestion, containment for runoff and processing ponds, and access and storage pad reinforcement. Read the inaugural issue online. Learn more here.;

On September 15, 2010, Propex Operating Company, LLC filed suit against Western Excelsior Corporation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The lawsuit filed alleges both Patent and Trade dress infringement as well as Unfair Competition by Western Excelsior. Propex is seeking an injunction and damages.

TMP Geosynthetics will attend and participate in the exhibit hall at the 6th China International Exhibition of Geosynthetics & Equipment, to be held at the Shanghai Mart in Shanghai, China 13-15 October 2010. TMP's booth number is A16. The Exhibition is being hosted by the Chinese Technical Association on Geosynthetics. Shanghai Besway Exhibition Co., Ltd is serving as the organizer. The scope of the Exhibition covers raw materials for geosynthetic production, including methods and equipment for manufacture; testing equipment; technical consulting; and all matters of technical services, including the utilization of geosynthetics in construction. Learn 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.

A national infrastructure bank would serve to make federal infrastructure investment a question of national economics rather than local politics, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. The bank would also help pair private capital with public funds. With the cost of bringing the country's infrastructure up to date now exceeding $2 trillion, according to American Society of Civil Engineers, the bank could raise billions through bonds and self-financing mechanisms to help bridge the gap. Learn more here.;

President Obama's proposal to create a National Infrastructure Bank has certainly generated strong response both for and against. The wide-ranging vision includes roads, rails, airport runways and more. The bank would create a source for bond sales, in part funding public projects with private funds. The non-partisan National Journal is hosting a debate on the project on its Transportation Blog. Learn more here.;

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.

AMI is pleased to announce the 3rd edition of PVC FORMULATION conference, which will take place from 15-17 February 2011 at the Maritim Hotel, Düsseldorf, Germany. Don’t miss out on this unique conference opportunity. Last year's PVC Formulation event attracted over 230 attendees from across the world. Learn more in the program (PDF). Learn more here.;