Special Series

Earlier this month, Nonwovens Industry launched its new website. The new site offers a strong visual redesign, and several important new services. Also available is Nonwoven Industry's 2007 International Buyers' Guide (38th annual edition) which lists nearly every supplier and producer of nonwovens around the globe. Learn more here.;

Landfill siting is rarely a calm public process, but landfills are, of course, a necessity. Too often, the safety in their design and engineering is ignored in popular accounts. The Courier Press, however, has published a nice piece on Laubscher Meadows, identifying not just the common issues of reducing waste and finding land for burial but the installation of liners and geotextile cushions that provide vital, long-term support to these facilities. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society runs a series of high-level workshops that are organized by the IGS Technical Committees. Two of the major TCs are TC – Soil Reinforcement and...

An Ohio landfill continues to accept waste even though a fire has been suspected in a waste cell for months. Now the US Environmental Protection Agency has told operators Countrywide to install a firebreak. The company must use only a 13-acre cell removed from the fire so as to minimize risk of the fire spreading. The company insists it is not a fire. Neither the liner nor venting pipes show signs of damage. Learn more here.;

SABIC has taken over the petrochemical activities of DSM: with effect from 1st January 2002. From the 1st October, 2002, the company name will be SABIC Polyolefine GmbH. The new company takes over all responsibilities of the DSM Polyolefine GmbH. Address and telephone extensions remain unchanged.

In Saint-Damien de Brandon, Quebec, a green municipal fund has been tapped to conduct a brownfield study. The city hopes to find a remediation strategy that will enable residential use of the land once occupied by a sawmill and wood preserving plant. The site covers 416,000 square feet. Read about it at HazMat Management. Learn more here.;

A reminder that today is the deadline for sending in proposals for short courses, technical training lectures and technical sessions for GeoAmericas in March 2008. Call for technical papers/abstracts opens September 15th 2006 and closes January 31st 2007. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced work item WK32897, "Standard Guide for Selecting Test Methods for Experimental Evaluation of Geosynthetic Durability." This is a work item revision to existing standard D5819-05. Learn more here.;

Trelleborg continues its long-term strategy to invest in markets with favorable growth potential. Today, Trelleborg Automotive will inaugurate its new Research and Development center in Shanghai. As previously communicated, the new center offers state-of-the-art technology relating primarily to noise and vibration-damping brake solutions for passenger vehicles.

Tensar has released SpectraPave3, the latest in the company's line of successful design-analysis software tools. The software evaluates service lives for paved and unpaved surfaces, draws upon the performance-based Giroud-Han Design Methodology for subgrade improvement, and much more. Download the product at the link below. Learn more here.;

Following the Geotextiles and Geomembranes Editorial Board meeting held in Yokohama in September 2006, it was decided to give recognition to some of the best papers published in Geotextiles and Geomembranes. The Editorial Board was charged with selecting what they considered to be the “Best Paper” published in the Journal in 2005… Learn more here.;

During a recent trip to Europe we heard that HDPE is being designed to line oil storage tanks. Ian D. Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL cautions that this is not an appropriate use of HDPE without a fluorine surface treatment or without incorporation in a multilayer composite liner.

SOLVAY SA announced on April 3rd that it has closed on March 31st the sale of its Industrial Foils business to RENOLIT AG, following the relevant social procedures and approval of the European competition authorities (see press release of February 23, 2006). The activities concerned include the production, marketing and sales of plastic foils. As already announced, the agreed price of the transaction between SOLVAY and RENOLIT is EUR 330 million. RENOLIT A.G. is an international leader in the manufacture of high-quality thermoplastic films for the purpose of surface finishing and for other technical applications. This independent family-run business, which has been setting benchmarks for quality and innovation for 60 years, now employs a workforce of 4,000 employees at its 30 locations. The RENOLIT brand enjoys a worldwide reputation for technical expertise, modern product design and customer-orientated service. (www.renolit.com) SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 30,000 people in 50 countries. In 2005 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.6 billion generated by its three activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. SOLVAY is listed on the Euronext 100 index of top European companies. Details are available at www.solvay.com. For further information please contact: Martial Tardy at the "continued" link below. (Please note that with the acquisition, Solvay's Nicolas de Walque can be reached at the e-mail address nicolas.dewalque@renolit.com.) Learn more here.;

Written by Peter Grkinic: Design Provisions Required for Protecting Membrane Baffle Curtains Within Reservoirs, Contact Tanks, or Other Water Retaining Structures.

"Minneapolis resembles greatly so many other bridges in the country. The roads leading to these bridges have their problems. The cities connected by these roads have their problems." Read Chris Kelsey's editorial on the recent bridge collapse and infrastructure problems in the US.

A task force is currently working on the Standard Guide for Design and Construction of Geotechnical Projects Incorporating RCPS Geofoam. Learn more here.;

Hurricane Humberto hit the Texas coastline recently, but some of the coast was preserved by geotextile tubes. The tubes along Bolivar Peninsula were punctured in the storm, but residents there believe the tubes have expanded the beaches and provided protection during storms such as 2005's Hurricane Claudette. Some geotextile tube providers can be found in the Buyer's Guide (click the yellow box on the top right hand side of this page above the advertising banner) . Learn more here.;

Throughout 2020, Geosynthetica has been celebrating Pan-American contributions to geosynthetics, both in terms of practitioners and companies located in the Americans and events held in the Americas. No event...

In Monterey County, California, farm fields have been the scene of considerable theft and field vandalism. Joyriders have ripped up a number of fields causing erosion issues. Might there perhaps be geosynthetic solutions that help provide not only erosion protection but some security along field edges? Read about it in the Californian. Learn more here.;

The D35 (06-02) Committee Ballot is now posted on the ASTM web site. To access the ballot, please go to the link below and login. This will give you access to your personalized 'My ASTM' page. The minutes, rosters and agendas (where available) are also posted in this area. Learn more here.;

Netherlands-based Royal Ten Cate--of which TenCate Geosynthetics in North America is part--has reported significant growth for 2008. Learn more here.;

Plastemart's weekly update on the North American resin market is available. The US market had held off on spending for some time in order to resist cost increases, but the domestic market has finally accepted them and that has led to the domestic market outpacing the export market (rare these days). A polyethylene update and a polypropylene update are also available. Learn more here.;

A new net-testing method out of Germany may have future geosynthetic testing applicability. The device and method's initial use is thought to be for safety net and transportation netting test, but geosynthetics remain a possibility too. Learn more here.;

Union City, Michigan is looking for answers to a cracked and brittle pond liner at its wastewater treatment facility. According to the Daily Reporter, the manufacturer and installer have been contacted about the issue. The city is seeking solutions from the companies involved. Learn more here.;

The latest episode of Land & Water's Erosion and Sediment Control Network (ESCN.tv) is now available. This week's stories include the resignation of IECA's executive director and the placement of silt fencing. Watch it online today. Learn more here.;