Geomembrane barrier protects farmland from landfill contamination in Jiangyou

Overview

Jiangyou City in Sichuan Province is an important commodity grain producing area in China. However, pollutants from the waste landfill in Hanzeng Town, a subdistrict of Jiangyou, were contaminating the surrounding farmlands, with the heavy metal cadmium content in local cultivated land soil exceeding the standard. With safety and sustainable development an important factor in agriculture, this not only posed a health risk, but put local people's livelihood in danger. Sichuan Province needed an effective solution to prevent seepage from the landfill contaminating the unprotected soil and ground water.

Challenge

The landfill lacked effective containment, allowing contaminated leachates to migrate laterally into farmland and groundwater. Rainfall and surface runoff increased infiltration, accelerating pollutant spread. Without a barrier system, surrounding soils remained exposed to heavy metal contamination, undermining both agricultural productivity and food safety. The challenge required a system capable of isolating the landfill body from external water inputs while also blocking the lateral diffusion of leachates. Excavations up to 15 m deep were needed, and the barrier had to withstand soil movement, resist deformation, and maintain impermeability over the long term.

Solution

A two-part geosynthetic solution was designed and installed by Beijing GeoEnviron Engineering (BGE) using GSE^® geomembranes. The horizontal anti-seepage measure involved 37,500 m² of Solmax’s 1.5 mm GSE HD FrictionFlex geomembrane. This double-sided spray-on textured geomembrane was applied as a cover system, similar to landfill closure practice, to prevent rainwater and runoff from entering the waste mass and increasing leachate volumes.

For vertical containment, GSE CurtainWall vertical barrier system was specified. GSE HD FrictionFlex panels were installed in excavations up to 15 m deep around the landfill perimeter. The installation covered 5,600 m² and incorporated 6,840 meters of interlocks. GSE Curtainwall’s interlock system creates uninterrupted seals between panels, ensuring continuous barrier integrity.

GSE Curtainwall provides an integral and continuous barrier with excellent environmental applicability and deformation resistance. With no leakage points, it systematically solved the diffusion of landfill pollutants and eliminated the risk of further contamination of surrounding soils and groundwater. The barrier also created safe conditions for soil remediation on already polluted plots.