HDPE Geomembranes for Environmental Protection: Two Case Studies

Abstract

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes have been used for different applications in engineering including sanitation, such as landfills and waste liquid ponds. For these applications, the material can be exposed to aging mechanisms as thermal and chemical degradation, even to UV radiation and biological contact, which can degrade the geomembrane and decrease the material’s durability. This paper aims to present an experimental evaluation of two exhumed HDPE geomembranes, the first was used for 2.75 years in a sewage treatment aeration pond (LTE sample) and another was used for 5.17 years in a municipal landfill leachate pond (LCH sample). Physical and thermal analyses were used such as thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanic analysis (DMA). The thermogravimetric analyses showed significant changes in the LCH sample’s thermal decomposition probably caused by the interaction reactions between the polymer and the leachate. For the DSC analyses, the behavior seen in the LTE sample was not observed in the LCH sample. In the DMA analyses, the behavior of the LTE sample storage module shows which LCH sample is less brittle. The LTE sample presented low stress cracking resistance and low tensile elongation at break, following the DMA results.

Accelerated Aging Ultraviolet of a PET Nonwoven Geotextile and Thermoanalytical Evaluation

“…Thomas and Verschoor [12], for example, used thermal analyses (differential scanning calorimetry-DSC, thermomechanical analysis-TMA, and dynamical mechanical analysis-DMA) and physical property testing to study the chemical aging of nonwoven polyester geotextiles. Some studies assessed thermal analyses in different applications in other geosynthetics, such as geomembranes used in environmental works [14][15][16][17]. However, despite their potential, these techniques have still not been used to evaluate the effects of UV radiation on nonwoven PET geotextiles, which is the focus of this study.…”

Sustainability in Geotechnics through the Use of Environmentally Friendly Materials

“…The use of recycled materials replacing the soils or natural quarry materials in geotechnical works was presented by various researchers [12][13][14][15][16]. Sustainable solutions using geosynthetics to prevent soil contamination [17,18], to treat the sludge generated in different industries and avoid ground contamination [19] and to reinforce alternative filling materials [12,16,20] are also discussed in the Special Issue.…”

“…Lavoie et al [18] evaluate the performance of two high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes used, for several years, in a sewage treatment aeration pond and in a municipal landfill leachate pond. The experimental study shows that these geomembranes perform adequately for environmental protection.…”

Semi-Rigid Erosion Control Techniques with Geotextiles Applied to Reservoir Margins in Hydroelectric Power Plants, Brazil

“…As seen in Figure 8a, the melting process occurs in a single stage and during the cooling process, the material crystallizes. This information is essential as it shows that the material remains in the crystalline condition because if there were no fusion/crystallization, there would be an amorphous material, which would show that the material would lose its original characteristics [42][43][44]. The data regarding the melting and crystallization peaks are shown in Table 6.…”