Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of August 24. WORK SMARTER. BIG PROJECTS Wow. After what seemed to be a near certainty that the massive Pebble Mine proposal in Alaska would go forth, a sudden and very unexpected change in environmental protection and restoration criteria may scuttle the endeavor. Highways...

August 19 is National Aviation Day in the United States. The day marks the impact and wonder of flight on the world. Here, we revisit a runway reinforcement story that shows one of the many ways geosynthetics help bring aviators back to earth safely. The national airport in Minsk has been undergoing significant construction as it prepares to decommission what...

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of August 17. WORK SMARTER. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT The Trump administration has rolled back methane emissions rules for the oil and gas industry. We've previously noted the problem of bankruptcies in the fracking industry and the massive challenge of methane-emitting, abandoned wells. ...

Much of the international development dialogue is now centered around the idea of a Green Recovery. Cities around the world are using Covid-related lockdowns and quieter economies to experiment with new infrastructure development and utilization plans. Some of the more common strategies have included converting more road space to cycling- and pedestrian-only spaces, transitioning to more renewable energy generation,...

The movement for greater open sharing of engineering technical information, particularly in geosynthetics, continues to grow. One of the champions has been the Australasian Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (ACIGS). The group’s July 2020 technical lecture on the challenging topics of PFAS stands as a strong example. The hour-long lecture from Prof. Malek Bouzza, “PFAS and Geosynthetic Liners: Current...

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of August 10. WORK SMARTER. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Northern Illinois University and Argonne have engineered liquid fuel (ethanol) from carbon dioxide. Related: Carbon-capture company Carbon Engineering and supersonic jet producer Aerion have signed an MoU to work on carbon-neutral supersonic flights. ICYMI: Geosynthetics...

In June, the results of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Council elections were announced. Since that announcement, the IGS Council has officially passed tasks and responsibilities from the 18th IGS Council to the 19th. Part of this business has included the naming of additional co-opted and invited members to this essential panel of international leaders for the field of...

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) have a tremendous record as hydraulic barriers in engineered lining and capping systems. Still, they are not necessarily well understood by the larger geotechnical design community. They require knowledge not only of geosynthetics but of sodium bentonite types, behavior, and suitability in certain applications. Dr. Craig Benson, Dean of the School of Engineering at the...

With COVID-19 concerns impacting travel around the world, large and small events alike have rescheduled to protect their participants. Some events move on the calendar; others, like GeoAmericas 2020, are keeping their dates but moving online. The Brazil Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS Brasil) has announced that the 4th Pan-American Regional Conference on Geosynthetics will be held 26...

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of August 3. WORK SMARTER. BIG PROJECTS The 6.5-mile-long rainwater drainage tunnel in Hong Kong began construction in 2007. The nearly $4 billion investment wasn't designed with today's climate channel modeling, though, and some are questioning its capacity. Mining giant Anglo American has ramped...