Mining

Waterproof Membranes 2014 brings together geotechnical and architectural users, manufacturers and researchers of materials such as roofing membranes and geomembranes. The diverse audience, with representatives from all levels in...

NAUE's geosynthetics are on full display in the latest issue of GEONEWS, published by Global Synthetics out of Australia. The April 2012 issue includes stories on the utilization of a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) cap for the closure of a landfill, tunnel works in Brisbane, prefabricated drainage modules, biplanar drainage products in remediation applications, a new information series on GCLs, and more. Read the latest issue here (PDF).

The Canadian Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP) Board of Directors has introduced Thomas Esakin as CIELAP's new Executive Director. Most recently Tom worked as a Profesor Asignatura at the Universidad del Caribe, the public university in Cancun, México, where he was cross-appointed to the university's Sustainable Tourism Department and English Departments. During his career Tom has also been the Executive Director and Director of Development for JUMP Math; Inaugural Executive Director for the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust - the administrative arm for the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; and a senior aide and policy advisor on Parliament Hill.

According to a new report titled “Mine- Back to the Boom” from Pricewaterhouse- Coopers, it was a tale of two halves in 2009 for the global mining industry. The trends seen at the end of 2008 continued into the beginning of 2009, with commodity prices continuing to fall, tough price negotiations with customers an issue and challenging market conditions overall. As the year went on, however, companies responded by restructuring their balance sheets, closing mines and cutting production to reduce costs. As a result, the market capitalization of the top 40 global mining companies increased 118%, returning to the heights of 2007. Learn more here.;

BC Local has published an update on the Mount Washington Mine remediation work. The former copper mine has received a grant of $4.5 million from the provincial government of British Columbia. Part of the money is going towards the installation of a bituminous geomembrane capping system. Work is now underway. Learn more here.;

Coastal roads and harbours are traditionally protected from sea erosion by giant blocks of rock or geosynthetic bags filled with material, all locally sourced where possible. In the Arctic and other cold northern regions, where good quality material is often scarce, the prohibitive economic and environmental cost of importing suitable matter has led to a demand for solutions that make use of whatever low quality soil or other material is available.

25 March 2013 – Varennes, QC – Solmax, positioned among the top three worldwide leaders in the manufacturing of geomembranes, introduces its WHITE GEOMEMBRANE SERIES—a product with the particularity of...

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a special geosynthetics seminar and associated committee meetings to held in Mumbia, India 2 - 4 December 2015 at the...

TenCate Geosynthetics has announced the addition of Ashley MacMillan, PE as Engineering Business Manager – Northwest (United States). MacMillan is a 7-year veteran with a strong background in geotechnical...

India-based publication MasterBuilder has released a special issue on geosynthetics in the world's largest democracy. Artilces from Ian Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Lance Carter of Strata Systems, and many others are included. Subjects covered include high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes, geogrid soil reinforcement, geotextile applications (e.g., road construction), landfills, waterproofing, and more. Read the electronic version of the magazine. Learn more here.;

Coffey Geotechnics' Richard Kelly and Thevaragavan Muttuvel have shared project details from the construction of the Ballina Bypass, a route which traverses a floodplain in which the soils comprise soft clays up to 25m depth. Stabilizing embankment and construction platforms over such highly compressible, low strength clays and ensuring proper erosion and sediment control in this sensitive floodplain required an extensive utilization of geosynthetics. Read about the project here.

The 11th International Conference on Geosynthetics (11ICG) will be held 16 – 21 September 2018 at the COEX in Seoul, Korea. The program will feature 1,000 geotechnical engineering experts...

The annual terrafix® Winter Seminar Series delivers updated engineering and geosynthetic product information in a concise, free-to-attend seminar in multiple cities across Canada. This year's program involves substantial updates,...

Chicago-based DePaul University has announced that it will offer the nation's first master's degree in predictive analysis. IBM has signed on to provide resources for the program. But this isn't intended to be theoretical statistics; it is a hands-on application of data analytics. A great many sectors might benefit from these advanced data management and analysis techniques. Learn more here.;

Waterproof Membranes 2017 will be held November 14 - 16 in Cologne, Germany. The event is the 11th annual installment from AMI. Organizers remind interested attendees that the early...

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson shares her memo to the agency regarding her first year at the helm and the now-expanded list of priorities for going forward.

Machina-TST is one of the fastest-growing geosynthetics companies in Europe. The company has expanded its production space for geogrids, geotextiles, geocomposite reinforcement materials, and turf reinforcement mats. Part of...

Effective 1 January 2011 Colbond will raise prices 6-10% in Europe and Asia for their entire product range due to the continued escalation of raw material costs. Similar price increases will be implemented in North America. The company is in the process of informing customers. The company states that the need for price increases has been further reinforced by rising manufacturing components and transportation costs, which have also escalated with no downward trend projected for the foreseeable future.

During the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG), which was held in May 2010 in Brazil, the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) announced results of its most recent election cycle. The IGS Council met so that the expiring council could conclude business and hand over control to the new council, which welcomed both new and returning council members. This includes both those elected and those co-opted.

Meg Griffin of the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has authored a short review of the FGI's inaugural meeting, which was held at Geosynthetics 2009 in Salt Lake City (late February). FGI installed a board of directors. Meg writes, "The main objectives of the new FGI include conducting research on fabricated geomembranes, disseminating technical information, establishing and maintaining a world wide website, and answering technical questions regarding the design, testing, specification, and installation of fabricated geomembranes." Read more.

Ian Peggs writes from Dubai: "One resin manufacturer, a geomembrane manufacturer, a design engineering representative, and a liner installer attended and participated in lively discussion during the day-long post-conference workshop on HDPE geomembrane. These workshop participants came from Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates and the workshop was led by Dr. Ian D. Peggs (I-CORP). Key topics included liner leak statistics, consequences of leakage, action leakage rates, finding the responsible leaks, and estimating the remaining exposed geomembrane lifetime." Read more.

Peak Engineering Technologies has changed its name to Peak GeoSolutions to better reflect the company's impressive growth in services. The February 2009 newsletter from the company reveals the name change, a new logo, and new service offerings, including geoelectric liner integrity surveys and technical tailgate training. Also, Peak is offering short courses: ** CQA/QC Short Courses for Compacted Clay Liner and Geosynthetic Installations, which features proctorship for the Geosynthetic Certification Institute - Inspector Certification Program (GCI-ICP); and ** a Peak-exclusive short course on total landfill construction and CQA. Learn more in the February newsletter.

Barrick Gold's North Mara mine in Tanzania has encountered some leakage problems that villagers believe is the cause of some cattle and fish deaths. In a May 14 statement, the company notes that theft at the site involved vandalism and damage to key geomembrane liners. Rains have also caused increased acidic runoff from a temporary ore stockpile. Learn more here.;

Tensar International recently installed a magnetic fuel treatment system from Maxsys to one of their gas-fired, steam-raising boilers. The project has reported cut gas consumption by 5.78%--a considerable financial savings in the manufacturing process and an admirable environmental benefit. Also, extensive analysis by the Blackburn-United Kingdom facility's chief engineer has found that boiler efficiency has improved by 5.46%. Read more in the release.

TenCate Geosynthetics (Booth 607) will release new products, design software and details of their new paving warranty during Geo-Frontiers 2011. To learn more, visit one of their many mini-sessions, to be held in the TenCate exhibit hall booth on March 15 and 16. The schedule includes GeoDetect® (Tues. 1:00-1:30 pm, Wed. 10:00-10:30 am), RSi Intro (Tues. 2:00-2:30 pm, Wed. 11:00-11:30 am), MiraSpec (Tues. 3:00-3:30 pm, Wed. 12:00-12:30pm), and Warranty (Tues. 4:00-4:30pm, Wed. 1:00-1:30 pm). Learn more here.;