During the International Geosynthetics Society’s (IGS) quadrennial GeoAfrica event (November 2013, Ghana), Geosynthetica’s Elizabeth Peggs sat down with Peter Assinder and Prof. Neil Dixon to discuss an important sustainability study that is underway in the United Kingdom.
Assinder is the Chairman of the UK Chapter of the IGS and the Area Manager of Africa for HUESKER Synthetic GmbH. Neil Dixon is Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at Loughborough University and a longtime member and contributor to the IGS.
In the interview, Assinder notes that following a successful conference, IGS UK found itself with some extra funds. Ideas for what to do with the money were exchanged.
“By far the best preferred idea was to invest in research for the good of the IGS in the UK and beyond,” he says. “Therefore, we set up a research project with an engineering doctor–Professor Dixon–at Loughborough University.”
SUSTAINABILITY & GEOSYNTHETICS
The “Sustainability in Geosynthetics” subject builds nicely upon similar though less thorough research introduced in the UK in 2010 by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) research project.
“We’re just about to enter the fourth year,” Professor Dixon says. “We’ve done all the basic work….”
Case studies have been built. CO2 calculations have been established. Articles are heading into journals.
As both men note, various stakeholders will be present at the 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10 ICG) in Berlin, Germany (21 – 25 September 2014), where some results will be available.
RELATED LINKS
DOWNLOAD THE WRAP REPORT “Sustainable geosystems in civil engineering applications” (PDF)
IGS UK – www.igs-uk.org
Loughborough University Civil Engineering Department – www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/cv
