Durability of Three HDPE Geomembranes Immersed in Different Fluids at 85°C

Abstract

Abstract The long-term performance of three different high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes (GMBs) is investigated at 85°C using immersion tests. By comparing the degradation behavior of the three GMBs in different synthetic leachates, it is shown that different chemical constituents in the leachate affected different stages of the degradation, with surfactant having the greatest effect on antioxidant depletion (Stage I) and salts having the greatest effect on the degradation after antioxidant depletion (Stages II and III). The magnitude of the effect of these chemical constituents differed from one GMB to another. Thus, for the purpose of comparing the relative long-term performance of the three GMBs for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications, the GMBs were immersed in a synthetic leachate (Leachate A), which contained the primary constituents (i.e., salts, volatile fatty acids, surfactant, and trace metals under reduced conditions) present in the leachate from a large MSW landfill lea...