By Catrin Tarnowski, senior technical manager, Solmax

Polyethylene (PE) geomembranes are used by engineers and regulators around the world to line landfills, ponds, mining heap leach pads and other applications. Prolonged exposure to highly elevated temperatures can make liners weaken rapidly. Specialized high-temperature liners can help resolve both these challenges.

Prolonged exposure to highly elevated temperatures—above 140°F (60°C)—can cause the liner’s mechanical properties to begin to break down. In response, leading geosynthetics manufacturers are developing specialized liners made of high-temperature resins that can withstand almost double these temperatures. In addition to increasing the service life of the liner, high-temperature liners are resistant to heat and provide strength, even at high temperatures.

In extreme temperatures, stress cracking and oxidation of PE liners is accelerated, weakening the liner. The liner thus needs to be replaced more frequently if it is to maintain continuous barrier performance. Solmax’s innovative team of engineers have developed a solution to address this. They have combined high temperature resins with the company’s proprietary formula of carbon black, UV stabilizers and antioxidants to develop a liner that withstands the effects of extreme temperatures. 

Beat the heat

Solmax’s High Temperature Liner delivers the same durability and chemical resistance as standard liners but additionally retains its physical properties in applications with sustained elevated temperatures of up to 203°F (95°C).

In laboratory tests, the geomembrane showed improved tensile strength and superior resistance to stress cracking, punctures and oxidation at elevated temperatures. This liner’s raw materials have also been approved for high temperature liquid conveying, meeting U.S. PPI TR4 and European EN ISO 9080 regulations. While this liner exceeds the international standard GM13, it remains fully compatible with existing GM13 geomembranes.

This makes it ideal for high temperature applications, such as heat storage, bioreactor landfills, mining heap leach pads, secondary containment, oil and gas operations, industrial ponds, food processing systems, hot liquid storage tanks, process water containment, and wastewater treatment—all applications where liner integrity and long service life are required.

This article originally appeared on the Solmax blog, www.solmax.com/en/blog.