JOURNAL ARTICLES

Geosynthetic floating covers provide a highly sustainable and economical method of protecting and treating fresh and potable water. They are designed to protect fresh water from environmental contamination while eliminating water losses due to evaporation. Case in point is the Seattle Public Utilities, Lake Forest potable water storage reservoir. The reservoir was first built in 1962 as an open-top, concrete-lined 60-million-gallon (227-million-l) containment facility for potable water storage.

In some places in the Netherlands, there is an absence of natural clay so groundwater flushes easily through the soil. As soon as excavation starts, groundwater will be present. Groundwater must be removed or taken care of to build roads, tunnels, etc. in dry conditions. This article describes a technique using geosynthetic materials for creating dry building pits.

Lithium, one of the raw materials in various batteries, is the element powering the technological revolution over the past 30 years that has led to people having exponentially more electronic devices in their lives. According to Lopez et al. (2019), lithium prices have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. In 2012, the price for lithium was $9.50 per pound ($4.30/kg). At the end of January 2022, the price reached $110.23 per pound ($50/kg). Projected annual worldwide demand could reach 425,000 tons (386,000 tonness) by 2025.

Factory-fabricated bucket or tapered geomembrane liners in a variety of chemical compositions have become critical in the oil and gas industry for aboveground frac tanks. But which should be used?

Modular construction is a process in which a building or other item is constructed primarily off-site; under controlled factory conditions; and using the same design, materials, equipment, testing and construction quality control and assurance (CQC/CQA) techniques as a field-constructed facility—but usually in about one-half the time (Modular Building Institute). Roof trusses, wood or concrete tilt-up walls, shower enclosures, tile patterns and other items are all examples of products that have adopted modular construction.

Since the first flexible membrane liner (FML) was used as part of an environmental liner system, the geomembrane industry has always looked for innovative solutions for chemical containment applications. Although there have been many innovations over the last 50 years, one of the most significant is the introduction of ketone ethylene ester (KEE), which is a solid plasticizer. KEE is available under the Elvaloy trade or product name and is used to plasticize polyvinyl chloride (PVC) geomembranes, as discussed in detail in this article.