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All types of geosynthetics are experiencing heightened interest from a spectrum of industries that are seeking out and using these solutions. This is happening mainly in response to environmental pressures but also due to increased infrastructure activity that has sharpened the need for geogrids, geomembranes, geotextiles and other formats used to stabilize terrain, provide drainage and filtration, or serve as containment barriers, among other purposes.
Although geosynthetics have found solid acceptance across the globe, activity is especially strong in the U.S., making this one of the largest markets, says Anurag Shah, vice president of business development for SKAPS Industries. He provides figures indicating that growth typically is coming in at 2%-3% every year because of federal, state or local governments tapping these products for use in projects such as roads and landfills. As he explains, there also is good awareness overall about the underlying benefits as well as geosynthetics’ ability to lower the costs associated with such applications—an understanding contributing to their popularity.
There are a handful of industry trends, some of which currently are more impactful than others. For example, although manufacturers are taking notice of artificial intelligence, smart geosynthetics, nanotechnology and automation, the trend drawing the greatest attention at this point is the emphasis placed by engineers, designers and other project stakeholders on sustainability. As such, it’s important for the industry to clarify to end users the environmental advantages geosynthetics offer.
As Shah explains, even though geosynthetics are made using plastics—a potential hot button given the negative focus on microplastics—they nevertheless help conserve natural resources such as sand, gravel and clay by reducing their use. These solutions also lessen the environmental impact resulting from the extraction and transportation of those more conventional raw materials. Add to this the durability and longevity of geosynthetics, minimizing the need for replacement or repair, and the value of these products comes more sharply into focus.
Related to sustainability, another “key trend” Joe Heintz, director of global product management for Tensar, a division of CMC, says the company is paying attention to is the increased use of recycled materials in construction projects.
“As sustainability becomes a greater priority across the industry, engineers and project owners are seeking innovative ways to incorporate recycled aggregates and other materials without compromising performance or reliability,” he says, adding that Tensar is “closely monitoring this shift,” with the intent of providing products supporting those objectives.
“This trend underscores the growing emphasis on balancing environmental responsibility with cost-effectiveness and efficiency in construction,” Heintz says. “We now have environmental product declarations—EPDs—for the majority of our geogrid products, which summarizes the overall environmental impact the product has throughout its lifecycle.”
Three geosynthetic manufacturers share their insights into the activity they’re seeing and their anticipations for the year ahead as well as what their companies offer.
An important role
Athens, Ga., serves as the U.S. headquarters for SKAPS, which manufactures a range of geosynthetic products, including geogrids, geonets, geocomposites and geomembranes. The company also offers nonwoven products for industrial applications such as agriculture and horticulture, automotive, furniture and bedding.
“Geotextiles are primarily used in roads, bridges, construction sites, landfills and mining,” Shah says. “Geocomposites and geonets are primarily used in landfills and mining sectors; geomembranes are primarily used in landfills and mining for the containment of waste.”
One of SKAPS’ geotextile products is the GT180. Manufactured from polypropylene staple fiber that meets AASHTO M288 Class 1 and FHWA Class 1 specifications, this 8-ounce/square-yard nonwoven is being used on many federal highway and state DOT-funded projects.
“This geotextile acts as a separator, filtration and drainage media and provides the stabilization on a construction site,” Shah says. “[It] helps in reducing the thickness of aggregates and minimizes the use of natural resources.”
Another drainage geocomposite solution, TRANSNET™ 350-2-6 combines a geonet and a geotextile. The former is an extruded product constructed from a high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE); the latter is manufactured using a polypropylene staple fiber. The two are laminated to create a geocomposite product that serves as a “high-flow drainage system” enabling leachate wastewater to course down the slope of a landfill, where it is collected in a sump, says Shah, adding that this product enables the flow of leachate without using natural resources such as aggregates and sand.
Due to the federal government’s focus on various infrastructure projects around the country, Shah feels quite optimistic about the demand for these products, describing the future for geosynthetics as “immensely bright.” He singles out the bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in 2021, as an indication of this commitment.
“As the funds are released, there will be huge uplift on infrastructure improvements,” he predicts. “Geosynthetics will play an important role as new roads, bridges, rails, landfills and other similar structures are built.”
Advancing insights and utilization
Specializing in providing soil stabilization and earth reinforcement solutions for a wide range of markets, including transportation, infrastructure, commercial and residential development, Alpharetta, Ga.-based Tensar also provides tools such as Tensar+. This cloud-based software creates side-by-side comparisons between geogrid designs and conventional methods, enabling users such as engineers, contractors and project owners to calculate cost, time and carbon-emissions savings—data-driven information helping them make decisions that will maximize value across a project’s lifecycle, says Heintz.
One of the company’s “highest performing” geogrid products so far is the InterAx. Launched in 2020, the geogrid is designed for demanding applications such as railways, foundations, working platforms and heavily trafficked areas. It also reduces the risks associated with those projects where the use of low-quality or recycled aggregates is a priority, says Heintz.
“Made primarily from polypropylene, InterAx is designed to improve the compaction of aggregates and to minimize particle movement over time, maintaining the integrity and stiffness of the mechanically stabilized layer [MSL],” he says. “The optimized geometry of InterAx maximizes the confinement of granular fill, creating the most efficient MSL possible.”
Heintz is especially enthusiastic about Tensar’s efforts to quantify and improve the performance of substrates such as concrete, asphalt and other low-quality or recycled aggregates when used in combination with the company’s products. Their investigations, conducted at the company’s “state-of-the-art research facility,” have enabled them to gain better insights into how these kinds of materials respond when paired with the InterAx geogrid. This knowledge, along with the understanding gleaned from the Tensar+ software about the various tradeoffs involved in using alternative aggregates, may not only encourage greater use of recycled materials, but can help reduce costs while not sacrificing performance, he says.
Although in 2024, the market overall saw growth temporarily slow—probably due to uncertainty around U.S. elections, says Heintz—it seems this year is getting off to a good start, activity he expects to persist. But even though demand for geosynthetics continues to increase, compared to established construction materials and methods, these products are still “vastly underutilized,” he says. However, this situation could improve.
“One trend that continues to have a positive impact on growth is owners and designers making decisions based on lifecycle cost and long-term cost of ownership,” Heintz says. “If funding continues to increase to support minimizing a project’s overall lifecycle cost, and project stakeholders continue to become more knowledgeable on the available options, the demand for geogrids will continue to grow.”
Rebounding growth predicted
Constructed from high-density polyethylene and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), the GSE® White Leak Location Conductive geomembrane from Solmax is intended for situations where minimizing the potential for leaks and protecting the surrounding environment, animals and people from contamination is of the utmost concern, says Jimmy Youngblood, director of products and applications for the company.
Installed on soil, applications could include construction such as a landfill or mining site where waste is put on top of the barrier, or a waste or industrial pond where it is used as a liner to prevent seepage. Under such conditions, the need for a barrier/containment system providing an easy way to check for leaks—as this one is designed to do—is heightened. (It is also used for freshwater ponds, says Youngblood, adding in that case, the objective isn’t to prevent contamination.)
The Leak Location geomembrane comes in panels that are welded together using Solmax’s patented Iso-wedge installation tool to ensure proper readings across the weld, Youngblood says. The panels are laid down with either soil or some other solid substance or liquid placed over it.
“The beauty of this product is that if the barrier is damaged during the construction process, it is possible to conduct an electrical leak detection survey to easily identify and repair any holes or tears that might compromise the geomembrane’s integrity, allowing liquid to escape,” says Youngblood, describing this as an additional quality control measure.
With headquarters in Varennes, Quebec, Canada, and in Houston, Texas, Solmax manufactures geosynthetics including geomembranes, geogrids, geotextiles and geonets along with other specialty products for the environmental, infrastructure, industrial and civil markets. These include mining, agriculture, waste management, water management, oil and gas and energy/alternative energy.
Youngblood also says 2024 saw a slight contraction in growth, adding that he expects a rebound in activity this year. He anticipates this recovery will be fueled in part by new opportunities in energy as well as by those in emerging markets. One of the latter he points to is that of lithium mining, explaining this activity has been on the upswing due to the burgeoning need for lithium batteries, making this “a new market within an existing market,” he says.
There are other factors impacting the demand for geosynthetics they pay attention to, Youngblood continues. Consider gold, for example. When gold prices rise, mining does as well. Ditto for copper. And when oil/gas prices jump, oil companies may find it lucrative to drill in areas where they have not previously done so, increasing the necessity for these solutions.
Youngblood says Solmax is exploring many of the current trends in play throughout the industry, such as smart geosynthetics and niche applications. Sustainability is another one. “This is a big topic for our industry since geosynthetics improve sustainability at the project level,” he says. “We’re in the process of evaluating the technology for improving performance and driving our sustainability goals.”
“I am also excited about the interest and improvements in electrical leak surveys as more are being required,” Youngblood continues. “This is something the industry should move to as a standard due to the knowledge we have about the damage [that can be caused] during construction.”
Pamela Mills-Senn is a freelance writer based in Seal Beach, Calif.