Geomembrane liners

As defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), geomembranes are ‘very low permeability synthetic membrane liners or barriers used with any geotechnical engineering related material so as to control fluid migration in a man-made project, structure or system’. They are used exclusively as liquid or vapor barriers and have wide application in broad areas of environmental and transportation engineering practice, as well as in geotechnical engineering. Within the environmental applications area is the containment of solid waste materials which is the focus of this book. Geomembranes, which are the focus of this particular chapter, form an essential part of the overall liner system.