Innovative geosynthetic solution saves 106-year-old Panama Canal structures
August 1st, 2020
By Tom Stephens and Nicolas Ruiz FIGURE 1 Preparing to place a 65-cubic-yard (50-m3) geotextile bag container into 66 feet (20 m) of water at the Gatun Locks dividing wall The Panama Canal opened for business 106 years ago and was hailed as the eighth wonder of the world and an engineering marvel. It has […]
The GMA Techline
August 1st, 2020
Seaming dissimilar geomembranes Q: I kindly request your technical support in the questions below: A nonpolyethylene geomembrane was used in phase 1 of the tailings dam waterproofing system of a gold mine. For the expansion (phase 2), the use of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane is being evaluated. How can the HDPE geomembrane join the bituminous […]
High-strength geocell and geogrid hybrid reinforcement
June 1st, 2020
Compressor station gravel pad on soft subgrade By Sanat Pokharel, Timothy Yii, Marc Breault and Meisam Norouzi Infrastructure development in natural resources rich Alberta, Canada, often encounters very soft ground conditions that pose several construction and sustainability challenges to transportation infrastructure, such as roads, rails and pipelines. As the conventional construction practices may not always […]
Stabilization and reinforcement of wind farm access roads with geosynthetics
October 1st, 2019
This project is the construction of the first commercial-scale wind farm in North Carolina. It was for a renewable power generation facility providing clean energy. Constructing the wind farm required subgrade stabilization and reinforcement for more than 60 miles (97 km) of access roads that needed to be built in order to erect 104 turbines […]
Lessons learned in alternative coal ash pond closure design and construction
October 1st, 2019
By Anna M. Saindon Coal ash pond closures often face unique challenges due to location, available borrow soils and construction constraints. These challenges can lead to alternative methods of closure to comply with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D and coal combustion residuals (CCR) regulations. This article summarizes the construction of the first […]
CETCO launches FLUORO-SORB adsorbent for the remediation of PFAS
June 3rd, 2019
Amid a deeper awareness of the health and environmental impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), CETCO is pleased to announce the launch of FLUORO-SORB® adsorbent, a proprietary, NSF-certified product that effectively treats multiple variants of PFAS. Unlike other sorbent products that are selective and unpredictable in adsorbing PFAS, FLUORO-SORB adsorbent binds the entire spectrum […]
Expanding a lakeside road with a reinforced soil slope
April 1st, 2019
Reconstruction of Hennepin County State Aid Highway 112 is a multi-phase project. Phase 1 was completed in fall 2018. Phase 1 included reconstruction and widening of the existing roadway as well as the construction of a bike trail between the road and the lake. The roadway/trail alignment is adjacent to the shoreline of Minnesota’s Long […]
Geocomposite waterproofing for Washington weather
April 1st, 2019
The wet weather in Washington state is a bane to the region’s travel infrastructure, plaguing the pavement with perpetual problems. The westbound 3-mile (5-km) stretch across the US 2/I-5 interchange from Bickford Avenue in Everett, Wash., was in particular need of repair. A valuable pipeline for business and commuting, the bridged area transported an average […]
The GMA Techline
April 1st, 2019
Vegetation causing gases under geomembrane? Q: I have a site where we are installing a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liner in an existing pond. Because of some residual heavy metals in the top layer of soil, I would like to strip off the top 3–6 inches (7.6–15.2 cm) of soil and vegetation. Alternatively, we could mow and […]
Tenax presents GRAVEL LOCK, a composite for retaining gravel
March 21st, 2019
Italian company Tenax’s new product GRAVEL LOCK is a geocomposite made up of a cuspated, rolled high-density polyethylene geogrid coupled with a polypropylene nonwoven fabric. It is ideal for creating draining and stable gravel floors for pedestrian and vehicular passage, the shape in rolls and the reduced amount of gravel required for filling (less than […]