Containment

Colombia 2013 - We present Geosoft® Version 3.0, software inspired by American civil engineering, as the only software available in Spanish ideal to design...

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) held its first short course ("Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes") on 23 October in Denver, Colorado. Tim Stark reports that 66 attendees took part and numerous industry experts presented on topics from secondary containment to EIA geomembranes to welding and much more. Course participants were eligible for up to 6 PDHs. Read a write-up from Dr. Stark.

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) had trouble fitting all of its content into IGS News, Volume 32, Issue 2. The 62-page, just-released digital...

Tensar North American Green is releasing more information on the latest addition to the VMax® turf reinforcement mat (TRM) product line: VMax® W3000™. Billed...

The South African geosynthetics industry has steadily grown, in no small part due to the activities of the country’s International Geosynthetics Society Chapter:...

Geosynthetics magazine editor Ron Bygness reports that the new magazine website will incorporate archives going back to 1998. This is excellent news. Thanks, Ron! Learn more here.;

As April 2009 opened, waste management corporation Republic Services unveiled its impressive combination of solar cell on an exposed landfill cap outside San Antonio, Texas. Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL visited the site a week before the ceremony that marked this innovative addition to waste management practice. Peggs has provided geosynthetica with a write-up about the visit, the technology he found there, and the promise of this application in other applications and around the world.

The Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS) is an international forum for the peer-reviewed presentation of both applied and fundamental research and case studies on solid waste management, policy, and regulation and includes networking opportunities for technical interaction and discussion among all participants. The GWMS is a biennial event that was launched in 2008 and attended by over 500 participants from 26 countries. GWMS 2010 will be held 3-6 October 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. Read more.

Presentations from the Sixth AgSTAR National Conference are now available on the event website. Learn more here.;

The recently launched StrataPro™ geotechnical software platform from Strata Systems, Inc. is a welcomed addition to the tools engineers can use to improve GRS...

SKZ announces the 2nd International Conference of Geosynthetics Middle East to be held in Dubai, UAE (10-11 November 2009). A call for papers has been issued with abstracts due by 30 March 2009. This year's topics include polymer developments; products (Geomembranes, Geotextiles, Geogrids, 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.

Jessica Barran's piece at the University for Peace website is firmly against the mining of gold in Costa Rica's northern Crusitas mine, but it may be worth reading for understanding the ways in which communities where resources lay do not see their presence as welcomed. The environmental concerns are real and should be heard--but so should decent science and technology. The right containment materials, facility design, operations and environmental remediation plan can be done responsible. Just as a failure in one country can be cited, so too can a great many successfully managed sites. Learn more here.;

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) today published offshore wind energy statistics for the first half year of 2011, showing a comfortable 4.5% increase in installations of offshore capacity compared to the first half of 2010. EWEA reports that 101 new offshore wind turbines, with a total capacity of 348 Megawatt (MW), were connected to the power grids in the UK, Germany and Norway during the first six months of 2011. Read more and download the report.

The Geo-Institute's 2012 annual congress will focus on the "State of the Art and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering." The event will be held 25-29 March 2012 in Oakland, California and will feature numerous state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice presentations. Among the many topics to be explored is geosynthetics. This conference represents a unique opportunity for geotechnical engineers from around the globe to advance their professional career and goals and uncover the latest and most beneficial knowledge and technologies. A call for abstracts is expected shortly. Learn more in the first flyer (PDF). Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA Region One) rarely enjoys a quiet moment. The organization is very active in education, event management, and general...

A new economic study conducted by the University of Tennessee's Bio-Based Energy Analysis Group has determined that there are significant market opportunities for agriculture if Congress enacts a national renewable energy standard (RES) policy. Preliminary results from the study also show that the increased demand for biomass feedstock is substantial under all RES policy cases considered. However, the size of the new market will vary by state and by level of the RES target, with higher targets typically resulting in a larger market for biomass.

Stay up-to-date on AgSTAR News and Technical Documents via the EPA AgSTAR Program's Newsroom. Learn more here.;

EDANA, a Europe-base association for the nonwovens industry (which includes nonwoven geotextiles), has relaunched its website with a new look and organization. Visit the main site or visit one of the relevant subpages, such as Civil and Engineering Geotextiles. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is offering a new benefit for members: Expert Chats. The first offering of this online-hosted, interactive event will be held 29 May 2009 from 2:00-3:00 pm (MDT). Phil Handley, REM, CPESC, of the San Antonio Water System will serve as the first expert in the informal chat series. (Continued.)

A trio of hog operations have been awarded funding from North Carolina's Lagoon Conversion Program. The program, which was established in 2007, offers up to $500,000 for innovation in manure lagoon management. The three winning companies from this initial phase are all based in Sampson County. No details have yet been reported regarding the type of systems they've proposed. Learn more here.;

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in California has awarded $39 million for environmental improvements in farming. Among the beneficial uses of the money are riparian stabilization and the lining of ditches for water conservation, according to the release. Learn more here.;

The explosion in Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) structures designed and installed in the last 20 years has revolutionized the grade separation solutions used in site development construction. Accompanying this dramatic growth (or because of it) there has been an increasing frequency of MSE structure failure (excessive deformation and collapse) despite the fact that we know properly engineered and constructed MSE structures are capable of achieving what we are designing them to do. A new MSE Inspector Training and Optional Certification Exam will be held May 22 at TRI Environmental's Denver Downs Research Facility in Anderson, South Carolina. Read more in this preview.

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.

Industries around the world have danced with nanotechnology for years, trying to create commercially scalable materials, such as with the addition of graphene to...

The next short course from the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) will be held 14 May 2010, the FGI's website indicates. Details of the events and location have yet to be announced. The FGI held its first short course on "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes" in October 2009 in Denver. That event was well-received and attended and featured speakers from across the industry. Learn more here.;