Soil Reinforcement

During the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Royal Ten Cate, which was held on 9 April 2009, the dividend for the 2008 financial year was declared at €0.85 (2007: €0.80) per ordinary share of €2.50 par value. (Continued.)

Applied Market Information (AMI) has published the first issue of Film and Sheet Extrusion magazine, a new bi-monthly publication. The entire April/May 2009 edition is available for viewing online. This inaugural issue's stories include an analysis of global PE film markets; new developments in bioplastics; control systems for better extrusion; new lines from W&H, Berstorff and Pti; a Plast show review and Chinaplas preview; and more. Learn more here.;

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 India-based Business Coordination House (BCH), which is involved in, among other things, the creation and promotion of geotextile and geosynthetic seminars, has released its April - June 2009 newsletter. This issue includes an article on page 35 on "Textiles for a Built Environment." This includes a section on landscaping materials, such as root barriers, soil stabilization materials, and greenroof support. Read it in PDF today. 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.;

Dr. David J. Elton reports from the annual ASCE / Geo-Institute MSE Wall GeoCompetition, which pits numerous university engineering student teams against one another in an MSE load-test model competition. This year's winning team hails from the University of Missouri - Columbia. We congratulate them and invite our readers to learn more about this event in Dr. Elton's write up.

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 highly-anticipated Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program and website from the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has been released. Products bearing the QDOR seal have been manufactured and tested according to industry standards, and the data on those products has been compiled, submitted, and reviewed in accordance with QDOR's guidelines. Engineers, specifiers and government agencies should benefit considerably from this innovative quality check in what has been a rapidly changing, technology-driven erosion control product landscape. Learn more here.;

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.

Defiance County, Ohio, was in the news frequently for a landfill fire last year and concerns about the damage the fire may be doing to the geosynthetic containment system. This year, the county is becoming known for a more positive geosynthetic issue: construction of a bridge with geosynthetic reinforcement on the abutments. The 130-foot-long steel beam construction bridge over the Tiffin River will cost under $1 million. It has received federal dollars due to its use of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS). The footprint for GRS use is larger than conventionally used. Learn more here.;

AMI's magazine Compounding World has released its April 2009 issue online. The current issue contains articles on new developments in titanium dioxide, an analysis of PVC Compounding market trends, a listing of Europe's Top 20 PVC compounders, faster formulation with combinatorial compounding, advances in extruder technology for recycling plastics, and a look ahead to this year's big Masterbatch event. View it online today. Learn more here.;

Scott Barker of the Knoxville News Sentinel has published a nice update to the Kingston, Tennessee coal ash spill from December 2008. That reservoir break released 5.4 million cubic yards of contaminated fly ash. Some 25,000 pages of TVA records from the facility have been released and tell an interesting story of a dredge pond suffering continual leaks and breaks for decades. Cleanup may exceed $800 million. Learn more here.;

United Kingdom-based geosynthetics firm ABG Ltd. Has been cited and fined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for improper equipment guards that led to two employees suffering hand injuries. Learn more here.;

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.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student conference opens on Saturday in Helena, Montana, and one of the teams competing in this year's concrete canoe competition is using geogrid reinforcement within their team's design. The host school, Carroll College, is entering a 300-lb canoe that uses sealant over an acid-based stain, concrete, two layers of geogrid reinforcement, and Styrofoam sheets. The team's canoe split in half last year. They hope the addition of geosynthetic reinforcement will keep it together (and afloat). Learn more here.;

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is entering into a $50 million agreement with the state of Louisiana to repair the Grand Isle storm-surge protection barriers. Governor Bobby Jindal signed the agreement on Thursday, April 2. The project is to be fast-tracked and will use geotextile tubes packed with sand to form the core flood defense measure along much of a seven mile stretch. The previous storm-surge defenses were destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) and Gustav and Ike (2008). The barrier system will be 13 feet high and will be composed of central, sand-filled, six-foot-diameter geotextile tubes with additional sand packed around them.

The 3.2km walkway in Dunedin, New Zealand is being rebuilt with geotextile separators, geogrid reinforcement and gravel. Delays to a track realignment project have interrupted the timeline for the walkway's completion, which was originally intended to be completed ahead of an anniversary week celebration. (That took place last week.) But the final stages have been initiated and completion should follow shortly. Learn more here.;

Frank Achelpoehler wants to expand to a 2500-head dairy operation in Liberty, Indiana; but the state's environment officials are wary of mega-farm construction. Liner and waste management problems in the past year have been the cause of significant concern among citizens, public debate, and slower approvals. Achelpoehler's farm is also located within the New Madrid fault line. He's filed a new proposal, though, that includes two smaller lagoons, rather than one massive one, and additional emergency runoff collection zones in the event of seismic disturbance. Learn more here.;

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.

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.

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.

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.