What Is a Geomembrane Liner?
A geomembrane liner is an impermeable membrane used to line man-made structures like ponds, canals, landfills, and reservoirs. It is usually made from a durable, cost-efficient, chemical resistant material such as High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and can be bonded with permeable geotextiles.
This allows for easy inspection and maintenance. However, liners are vulnerable to puncture from rocks and other debris.
Strength
A geomembrane liner, also known as a geosynthetic barrier, is a planar sheet of material impermeable to liquids. These liners can be made of different materials including high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). Manufacturing methods like extrusion and calendering flatten the resin into thin sheets that are then welded together.
Choosing the right liner for your project is important. You want a membrane that is strong enough to resist cracking under stress, and will hold up to long-term exposure to UV light. The strength and durability of a geomembrane depends on its thickness, chemical resistance, rate of oxidation, and other factors.
HDPE is the preferred choice for many lining projects because of its low initial material cost and robust chemical resistance. In particular, it has a wide tolerance for acids, bases, oxidizers, organic chemicals, and saline solutions.
During the production process, HDPE geomembrane liners are treated with UV inhibitors and other additives that prevent damage from UV radiation. In addition, these liners are made to withstand the stresses that occur during construction and operation. Underlying drainage and leak detection systems can be integrated with these barriers to ensure that any spills or seepage are detected quickly, so they can be repaired before major failure occurs. These technologies also enable proactive maintenance to maximize the lifespan of your geomembrane.
Durability
BPM brand geomembrane liner is manufactured with high-quality, weather and UV resistant high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin by state of the art automatic production lines. This ensures that the product will maintain its strength and longevity under a wide range of environmental conditions. It is also able to withstand various chemical solvents making it a preferred choice for landfill liners.
In order to guarantee the lifespan of a geomembrane, the design engineer must consider all factors that could affect its performance, geomembrane liner including the rate of oxidation. While most geomembranes contain antioxidants that help to prevent the deterioration of their physical properties, they are still susceptible to oxidation, which is determined by the temperature and oxygen concentration in the surrounding environment.
For the best results, it is important to have a professional install your geomembrane liner. They will be able to seam the HDPE liner together by heat welding or solvent Green 3D Geomat welding depending on the resin make up of the product you choose. They will also ensure that the liner is anchored properly so it can withstand the load applied to it.
Geomembranes are used in many different applications. From animal and environmental waste containments to mining lagoons, these synthetic liners can be found in the agricultural industry as well as in golf course water holes and sand bunkers. They are often the most cost-effective way to contain fluids and gasses in large areas such as chemical tank farms, mine reclamation ponds, sewage treatment plants, landfill liners, and evaporation pond lining.
Chemical Resistance
In some containment applications, a geomembrane liner must be able to stand up to a wide range of chemicals. This property is particularly important in the oil and gas industry where the risk of deterioration from exposure to chemicals is high. Reactions between certain liner materials and the chemicals stored beneath them can lead to cracked seams and shortened lifespan. To ensure that the chemical resistance of a geomembrane liner is appropriate for an application, engineers can conduct thorough mechanical testing.
BTL liners are made from some of the most resilient and chemically resistant geomembranes available. Our RPP (Reinforced Polypropylene) and XR-5 liner products are commonly used in industrial waste containment, aircraft de-icing impoundments, petroleum tank lining, mine tailings containment and more.
The chemically resistant properties of BTL liners are a result of the specialized blend of polymers that make up the liner. These polymers are formulated to have good tensile strength, puncture resistance and UV stability, while also having high chemical resistance. They are then reinforced with nylon scrim to improve their strength, durability and flexibility.
In addition to being chemically resistant, HDPE (high-density polyethylene) geomembranes are also highly durable. They have a high level of abrasion resistance, which is critical because they are typically installed on bare ground where rocks and sharp roots can easily snag the membrane. This feature is especially useful in landfills and hazardous materials containment, where a durable liner is crucial to maintaining impermeability over decades of use.
Water Resistance
Most geomembrane liner applications involve water in some way. For example, geomembranes line landfills and sewage treatment ponds. They are also used for mining heap leach pads, dissolving tanks, and storage tanks, among other things. These projects can experience considerable fluctuations in water levels that stress seams over time. If these seams don’t hold up, large loss of water, contaminated soil, or toxic chemicals can result.
In addition to strength and durability, a quality liner must be resistant to abrasion. It’s important to remember that most lines are stretched over bare soil, so rocks and sharp roots left behind by construction can easily snag the liner material. Choosing a high-quality liner that has good abrasion resistance can help reduce maintenance and repair costs and ensure that the project stays on schedule without delays due to leaks.
HDPE liners offer excellent flexibility across a wide temperature range, and they can be joined into large liners using thermal fusion or extrusion welding techniques. They are designed to last decades, and extensive QA/QC testing ensures that the manufactured materials meet high standards. These features make HDPE geomembrane liners the preferred option for many critical containment and protection applications. They are especially useful where the loss of water, wastewater, soil, or other contaminants is unacceptable. Without a liner, it would be significantly more difficult and expensive to build a pond, tank, or other structure that holds liquids.