We have a great team here at Presto Geosystems, so we thought it would be fun to share a bit more about each member through a new blog series. For our inaugural Meet the Presto Geosystems Team blog post, we are thrilled to introduce José Pablo George—Presto Geosystem’s International Business Manager (BDM). Let’s get to know JP… How long have you been with Presto Geosystems? Time slides and blurs in a funny way. It seems so natural for me to be doing what I do with GEO, as if I’ve always been here and can draw deeply on decades of experiences, yet at the same time I still have the positive outlook and optimism of a freshly minted graduate. The year-over-year calendar and the bits of chrome in my hair suggest a compromise: this year marks my eighth year with GEO; call me a well-seasoned new-ish guy. Can you tell us a bit about your background? My specialty is in establishing, culturing, and maintaining business relationships, especially with our international clients. My former life and experiences pre-Presto support this well. I was a Spanish teacher (secondary schools and technical colleges) for 17 years, and have the linguistic skills and cross-cultural… Read more »
Posts By: Ashley Beyer
Solar Installations on Closed Landfills: Using Geosynthetics to Overcome Redevelopment Challenges
Written by: Michael Dickey, P.E. (WI, FL, GA, NC), Director Redevelopment of closed landfills and capped solid waste sites represent a unique opportunity for landfill owners, solar developers, and communities to work together to put underutilized properties back into productive use. Moreover, many such sites are conveniently located near existing transmission infrastructure and may be easier and more economical from an interconnection standpoint than rural greenfield sites. However, building over a closed landfill poses unique challenges because most landfills are covered by an engineered cap not typically designed to support loads from permanent foundations or heavy equipment. Additionally, state and federal regulations generally prohibit any activity that could potentially breach or damage the cap. Therefore, retrofitting a closed landfill for utility-scale or community solar projects requires careful planning. Ultimately, the project must not jeopardize the intent of the original cap design; that is, to protect human health and the environment. Selecting a Suitable Foundation Concrete slabs and pre-cast ballast footings are both foundation options for solar system installations on landfill caps. In general, concrete slab foundations are heavier than ballast footings and pose a higher risk of creating landfill settlement and side-slope stability issues. Ballasted footings are a lighter-weight option… Read more »
The History of Geocells
Geocell technology has come a long way over the past four decades. In its early days of development, the geocellular soil confinement system consisted of wax-coated craft paper; a plastic drainage pipe matrix fastened with staples; paper-thin, hexagon-shaped, glued aluminum; low- and medium-density recycled materials; pure polyethylene without UV stabilization; and square cells similar to old-fashioned egg carton separators. The Invention of Modern Geocell Technology In the late 1970s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) contacted Presto Products Company—a private-label consumer packaging manufacturer—to develop a more robust honeycomb-shaped confinement system that would maintain load-bearing strength under heavy vehicle loads. Working with Steve Webster at the Waterways Experiment Station (WES), Presto’s Gary Bach devised a method to weld polyethylene strips to form a cellular structure. This innovative system became known as Sandgrid and was used by the military primarily for road applications. After the development of Sandgrid, Presto Products created a new business unit to focus solely on the geosynthetics business. With this expansion, Presto Geosystems® was established. Presto Geosystems and the USACE tested various resin blends and concluded that virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) provided superior weld consistency and structural strength. Presto Geosystems introduced the GEOWEB® Cellular Confinement System (CCS)… Read more »
Innovative Design of Sludge Drying Beds Using 3D GEOWEB® Geocells
Wastewater treatment facilities have long had to contend with the challenge of dewatering sludge to minimize waste and achieve overall cost efficiency for disposal. Large-scale facilities commonly use mechanical filter presses or centrifuges to dewater sludge. This equipment is often too cumbersome and expensive for many smaller facilities, so they rely on sand filter drying beds for sludge dewatering. Because small tractors or loaders cannot be operated on the loose sands of a conventional drying bed, a system must be implemented to stabilize the sand and improve load distribution for routine cleanout operations. Transforming Infill Material with the GEOWEB® Geocells Through an interconnected honeycomb-like network, 3D geocells confine and stabilize soils that would otherwise be unstable under loading conditions. Geocells are efficient and economical for fast-built unpaved roadways and retaining walls, erosion control of slopes, and stormwater channel protection. The GEOWEB® 3D Stabilization System is the industry’s most complete geocell system, designed with fully engineered components to withstand the most challenging site problems. Made from robust high-density polyethylene (HDPE) since conception, GEOWEB geocells offer the highest, longest-lasting, and most proven performance of any geocell system in civil applications. The GEOWEB® System Improves Clean-Up System for Solid Waste Treatment Facility A… Read more »
Building Energy Roads in Harsh Conditions With the GEOWEB® System
Energy sites are often located in remote and difficult-to-access sites in environments with poor soils, limited road-building resources, and extreme weather conditions. Site Challenges in Western Canada In Western Canada’s Oil Sands region, transporting construction equipment, drilling rigs, and completions apparatus – all with heavy wheel loads (typical loads exceeding 125,000 lbs.) is the challenge. It can be extremely difficult to accomplish this over the soft, wet ground (thick muskeg and saturated clays) typical of this region. Add the challenge of working in the dead of winter in below-zero temperatures and on frozen ground, with limited road building materials, and the scenario makes accessing the sites extremely difficult. In the wettest months, muddy conditions can make access by heavy trucks and equipment nearly impossible. So, energy companies typically wait for the ground to freeze before ramping back up construction. Even in winter, access to remote oil sites creates challenges including undeveloped roads, soft ground, and scarce materials suitable for constructing roads. A Road Solution Built for Extreme Conditions The GEOWEB® 3D Soil Confinement System is built for these challenges. The all-weather HDPE material is fast to install and isn’t hindered by soft ground or extreme temperatures. GEOWEB® 3D technology allows… Read more »
Women in Engineering: Meet Sam Justice, P.E., Design Engineer at Presto Geosystems
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) takes place every year on June 23 to celebrate the work and achievements of women in the field of engineering. INWED provides an opportunity to raise the profile of women engineers and highlight the career opportunities available in this industry. Historically, women have been under-represented in the academic and professional engineering fields; however, numbers have increased over the years. In 1960, about 1% of all engineers were women. In 2019, women made up approximately 20% of the engineering workforce. Organizations like the UK’s Women’s Engineering Society (WES) hope to see these numbers grow even more as they work to provide young women with resources and opportunities that encourage them to pursue careers in engineering. The organization launched Women in Engineering Day in 2014, and the holiday became globally recognized in 2017. Each year, people participate in hundreds of INWED events across the globe. In honor of INWED 2021, we’re sitting down with Presto Geosystems’ very own Civil Design Engineer, Sam Justice. Backed by a decade of specialized engineering experience, Sam is an accomplished civil engineer with a proven history of guiding complex projects to successful outcomes. She holds a geotechnical engineering degree from… Read more »
Innovative Solutions for Designing & Constructing Transmission Line Roads & Substations
When natural disasters, power surges, accidents, or general equipment failures threaten the reliability of the power grid, maintenance crews must be able to quickly and safely access transmission lines and substations to make repairs. Designing resilient energy infrastructure that ensures power companies have a reliable, regular supply of energy and contingency measures in place in the event of a power failure is crucial to their business and the communities they serve. Build Sustainable Roads for Utility Transmission & Substation Access Accessing sites in remote or undeveloped areas can present several challenges for the energy industry when it comes to building, operating, and maintaining power transmission lines and substations. Soft soils and low-water crossings can make it difficult for utility vehicles to safely and effectively reach sites for routine maintenance and emergency repairs. The GEOWEB® 3D Soil Stabilization System is ideal for shallow ground improvement applications and can easily be incorporated into unpaved access roads for transmission lines and substations. The GEOWEB geocells, made from an all-weather high-density polyethylene (HDPE) material, are durable, chemical resistant, and outperform standard two-dimensional geosynthetics through lateral confinement of infill materials, facilitating what is known as the “mattress effect” for distributing loads across weak subgrades. The… Read more »
Presto Geosystems’ Mission Statement and Philosophy
Our mission is to give the world a strong foundation to build on. Geosynthetics play a tremendous role in preserving the environment and building toward a more sustainable planet Earth. This Earth Day, we wanted to recognize this fact by sharing our updated mission statement and philosophy. Over the past several months, the team at Presto Geosystems met to discuss our mission, goals, and role in overcoming challenges related to climate change and environmental protection. Every day, we strive to lead the way for sustainable development that will improve the quality of life and foster opportunities for communities around the world. From these conversations, we tried to encapsulate this idea into a simple mission statement and philosophy that we can build upon as we continue to challenge ourselves and our industry. With the introduction of geocell soil confinement technology in the early 1980s, Presto Geosystems made history as one of the early pioneers in the world of geosynthetics. Four decades later, that innovative spirit is as alive today as it was at the beginning of our journey. Our products have been used on every continent and on thousands of projects to improve infrastructure reliability and environmental quality for communities around… Read more »
Designing and Building Sustainable Multi-Use Trails Using 3D Soil Confinement
Trails and greenways play a vital role in communities by preserving and creating open spaces for low or no-cost outdoor recreation. They encourage people to get outside and safely explore environmentally sensitive areas that would otherwise be difficult or dangerous to access. Trails also function as a safe transportation corridor for those who commute by foot or bicycle. When talking about recreational trails, it’s also important to acknowledge the economic impact they have on communities. Many recreational trails across the country are revenue-generating tourist destinations that positively impact local economies. Fundamentals of Good Recreational Trail Design There are three key considerations to good trail design: reinforcement, drainage, and confinement of surface materials. These are critical components required to withstand repeated traffic loading, resist degradation from erosion, and minimize environmental impact. Finding economical and low-maintenance solutions to stabilize trails and greenways can be difficult. It is even more challenging in poor soil environments or environmentally sensitive areas where minimal disturbance is allowed, or where paving or filling within an existing floodplain or coastal area is limited by local, state, or federal regulations. Presto Geosystems’ soil stabilization solutions overcome these challenges by providing low environmental impact options that offer long-term stability for… Read more »
ASCE Releases the 2021 Infrastructure Report Card
The grades are in, and they’re not great. On Wednesday, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released their quadrennial Infrastructure Report Card. America’s infrastructure earned an overall grade of C-minus. While this is a minor improvement over 2017’s Infrastructure Report card, which revealed a dismal grade of D-plus, there’s still a lot of work to be done. The report card assigns grades to 17 categories of American infrastructure. A staggering 11 out of these 17 categories received a grade in the “D” range, including Roads, Stormwater, Dams, and Levees. This means that the civil engineers who evaluated these categories determined that the infrastructure is “poor, at risk.” According to the report card, this means, “The infrastructure is in poor to fair condition and mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life. A large portion of the system exhibits significant deterioration. Condition and capacity are of serious concern with strong risk of failure.” These systems are critical to the overall health and wellbeing of our communities, and vital to commerce and economic stability at local, regional, and national levels. Solutions to Improve America’s Infrastructure Grade The ASCE identifies three major factors when exploring how to… Read more »
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