- Location: Western Australia,
- Product: COLETANCHE® SC1,
- Surface: 230,000 m²,
- Installation date: 2020.
BACKGROUND
A large Mineral Sands Mine operates in Western Australia. This mine produces a fine sand by-product which is very suitable for geomembrane capping. The project designers were called on to develop a remediation solution to bring the site to a long-term sustainable condition.
SOLUTION
An impermeable membrane cap can be used to cover waste and prevent rainwater infiltration into the waste material. Once the membrane cap is in place, it can be buried with local soil and revegetated to return the site to its natural form. Capping is a common solution for solid waste such as mine tailings or landfill.
REASONS OF CHOICE
The fine sand by-product produce at the site is a forgiving material to interface with the membrane. Therefore, a light grade of Coletanche called SC1 was suitable for use. SC1 has an average thickness of 2.2mm, contains a 250gsm polyester reinforcing geotextile and has a permeability of 6*10-14 m/s. At part of the facility the Coletanche was joined to an older HDPE installation.
This was done using Hyrene Spot, a 0.5m wide specialty membrane which facilitates bonding between various different geomembranes. Due to the slopes and high heat conditions, both the wrinkle free nature of Coletanche BGM as well as its high friction characteristics were important to achieving a quality installation.
