When Traditional Sand Bunds Fail: A GEOTUBE Marine Solution for Land Reclamation
When traditional sand bund construction failed on an extremely soft marine clay seabed, GEOTUBE® Marine systems provided a stable containment solution that helped advance a land reclamation project for 112 acres.
GSE HD geomembrane lined salt ponds ensure long-term brine containment
GSE® HD geomembrane lined over 3.4 million m² of evaporation ponds to prevent brine seepage under extreme heat and UV exposure. This continuous barrier eliminated salt discharge and protected the surrounding environment.
Ensuring secure tailings containment at Saudi Arabia’s Umm Wu’al Phosphate Project
Solmax supplied 900,000 m² of double-sided GSE® HD FrictionFlex geomembrane for Maaden’s Umm Wu’al tailings ponds in Saudi Arabia, meeting strict quality controls and ensuring flawless containment in extreme conditions.
In 2020, Xcel Energy faced a fast-approaching deadline to close Sherco Pond No.1, a large coal combustion residuals (CCR) pond in Becker, Minnesota. To maintain continuous service to the energy plant, Xcel Energy had to construct a second pond.
The new Sherco Pond No.2 would need to meet newer, more stringent CCR storage regulations and requirements than its predecessor.
To meet the new regulations and to fulfil the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources requirements, the project required excavation and movement of 458,733 m³ (600,000 yd³) of soil, while also addressing various environmental and wildlife sensitivities.
The challenge was to find a readily available product, that could be installed quickly and meet the performance permeability metric of 1.03 x 10-9 cm/sec. To meet these requirements, the engineers at Carlson McCain chose Solmax to supply geosynthetic clay liners (GCL).
Due to the aggressive nature of the ash leachate, a standard bentonite GCL would not meet the project's permeability requirements. The project required a polymer enhanced product and proof that the GCL would meet the regulatory requirements for permeability.
Dr Craig Benson conducted hydraulic conductivity testing following ASTM D6766 on BENTOLINER® Coal Ash Resistant (CAR) polymer enhanced GCL to test the compatibility with the Xcel Sherco bottom ash leachate. The test results concluded that the hydraulic conductivity of the BENTOLINER CAR was 8.3 x 10-10 cm/sec. The samples had successfully reached hydraulic and chemical equilibrium with the leachate, meeting the new CCR storage regulations.
The testing and proof of performance on the BENTOLINER CAR in the harsh environment played a crucial role in the project's success. The work was completed in time to maintain continuous service with minimal impact on the environment. The latest and most stringent CCR regulations were also met for the new landfill.