USF researchers have developed geomembranes enriched with different percentages of phenolic antioxidants, hindered amine light stabilizers (HALSs), and small size carbon blacks. This invention lays out the process to determine the amount of each within the membrane and the other production parameters to produce a thermal-oxidative degradation resistant geomembrane with a desired yield and break strength and elongation properties. This development enables using enhanced geomembranes in fluid barrier applications for different kinds of civil and agricultural engineering projects such as landfills, wastewater lagoons, dams, canals and reservoirs that was not very effective with unstable geomembranes.
Absorbance of Enhanced Geomembranes After 6 Months of Fluid Barrier Usage