I-CORP: 20 Highlights from 20 Years

On 21 March 2011, I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc. marks 20 years of international geosynthetic materials performance consulting work that has taken us to more than 35 countries–from Alaska to Australia, India to Israel, China, Namibia, South Africa and elsewhere.

Now that we can look back with 20/20 vision, we’ve identified 20 defining moments in those 20 years:

• After Sardinia 1991, invited by Alberto Scuero to visit some of Carpi’s canal, landfill, and dam lining projects. Also the restaurants he would have liked to eat at when doing projects but that the budget would not then allow. Amazing helicopter trip high in the Alps to see 13-year-old exposed PVC dam liner.
• CQA guidance and instruction on WENT and NENT (1993/4) strategic valley landfills in Hong Kong.
• 1993 – Started EPRI-funded research on infrared thermography (IRT) for the 100% nondestructive evaluation of seam bond strength and internal flaws. Extended by USEPA for a while. IRT will avoid destructive seam testing.
• In 1993 started monthly newsletter, Industry Insight (I²), with abstracted news items, sources, technology updates and more. Industry Insight evolved into the international website www.geosynthetica.net
• Ian Peggs received an International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Special Recognition Award in 1994 (Third IGS Conference, Singapore) for the influence of polymer microstructure on the performance of geomembranes.
• Also in 1994, I-CORP made the first proposal of a website for the industry (Geosynthetica.net). The idea was not yet accepted. In 1998, a renewed effort for an industry website was made. Elizabeth Peggs joined I-CORP’s new Geosynthetica venture (2000), 10 brave underwriters provided the charter sponsorshiops (most of those companies remain actively involved in Geosynthetica). Elizabeth said GSA could not be pitched in its “then condition,” but she came on board anyway! The website now has more than 300,000 annual users.
• Performed what was at the time (1998) the largest liner leak survey: wading and water lance surveys on 635,000 m² of LLDPE on peat in a zinc mine tailings pond in Ireland. Demonstrating the power of liner integrity surveys and how they have ultimately improved the overall practice, that particular survey identified 131 holes, ranging from 1 mm to >1m.
• Awarded US Patent 5,788,413 in August 1998 for integrated geomembrane/bentonite composite liner.
• 1997 – Invited to South Africa to present two-day workshop on liner materials and their performance characteristics, to help resolve initial sparring between HDPE and PP. Visited several lined facilities by helicopter, and honored to meet Alan Lever, one of the first liner installers.
• 1997 – India trip where everything went wrong. No visa, but needed one. Side trip to Kathmandu to get visa. Three days late for conference, missed presenting papers, wrote an article for GFR (now Geosynthetics Magazine), and got more response from that than from any technical paper/article written to date!
• 1999 – World Bank asked me to visit two HDPE geomembrane manufacturers/installers in China to rate their capabilities for work on lining irrigation canals in Tarim Basin. Must have given non-PC answer as I was never invited again!
• 2001 – First use of infrared spectroscopy for very rapid location of leaks in landfill caps. 100% coverage, >20 acres per day.
• Two interesting forensic investigation/expert witness projects in 2002 and 2003 on blistered/cracked concrete protection liners in copper and uranium mine SX/EW mixers and settlers, Australia.
• 2003 – Performed first natural/streaming potential (NP/SP) leak location survey on GCL-only liner. NP/SP on conductive liners complements applied potential surveys on nonconductive liners or when boundary conditions for conventional applied potential surveys are not met.
• Formed T-CLIC (TRI I-CORP Liner Integrity Center) with TRI/Environmental. In 2004, organized first Liner Integrity Survey (LIS) certification course. To date, we have taught more than 200 people, approximately 40 have subsequently pursued certification, and 20 have succeeded.
• 2006 – Requested to specify HDPE industrial waste cap for 400 year, preferably 1000 year lifetime, Australia.
• In 2009, honored to meet Clifford Gundle and Glen Lawson in South Africa
• In 2010, sold geosynthetica.net (GSA) to Minerva Resources, Information and Technology to facilitate the next stage of GSA’s growth. This fits the core philosophy that has guided I-CORP’s Ian Peggs: find new technology, develop it, provide it as service, teach others how to do it, and move on to next new technology.
• In mid-2010, made strategic alliance with J.P. Giroud to integrate his geotechnical expertise with Peggs’ materials expertise for lawyers and insurance company expert witness projects and for geosynthetic systems peer review.
• 2011 – Great opportunity to assess degradation and remaining lifetime in exposed 30 year old HDPE liner in Florida.

Our relationships with clients, material manufacturers, engineers, regulators and others internationally have been a source of great satisfaction and inspiration for our team. And I-CORP’s team is eager to enter our third decade of operation and to see what new technologies and design issues emerge.

Ian D. Peggs, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng., is president of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL Inc., www.geosynthetic.com. He can be reached at icorp@geosynthetic.com, +1 561 369 0795.