Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 16

PVC geomembranes for South American lithium mining
scenarios: when the geomembrane is in
storage, when it is installed and, finally,
when it is in service.
To save installation time, the geomembrane
is delivered in large rolls,
which can weigh 2.5 tons (2.3 tonnes)
depending on the dimensions. The
packaging of the rolls protects the geomembrane
from UV degradation.
The rolled geomembrane has numerFIGURE
2 Open-sky mining: typical view for a covered pond with a black PVC geomembrane
that complies with FGI specifications
the risk of a geomembrane failure. If the
plasticizer level decreases rapidly because
of high wind speed, the elongation will
decrease and the geomembrane could
rupture easily.
Depending on the geographic area
of the Lithium Triangle, the UV index
can range from 6 to 12, which is considered
quite high. A site's UV index
is an important consideration in PVC
geomembrane design to avoid failure due
to UV degradation.
Possible failures in PVC
geomembranes in arid climates
Once environmental conditions are
known, it is important to analyze the
varying performance of PVC geomembranes
when exposed to a cold,
arid climate. Such analysis optimally
exposes the PVC geomembrane in three
16
Geosynthetics | June July 2022
ous folds and, therefore, some wrinkles.
So, the pressure on the film is high, especially
in the external inferior winding
turns. When the temperature rises, the
geomembrane becomes softer and dilates
in the transverse direction and contracts
in the machine direction. The geomembrane
must withstand these dimensional
changes without breakage and with
minimal internal tension. At this point the
dimensional stability of the geomembrane
is important. If the geomembrane shrinks
a lot, internal tensions can occur.
As the temperature decreases at
night, the geomembrane must be flexible
enough to allow the folding and
wrinkled areas to keep the film intact
without promoting fracture, particularly
in wrinkled areas (Rowe 2018). The lower
the nighttime temperature, the higher
the performance that is required of the
geomembrane. At low temperatures,
dimensional stability, elongation and
impact resistance play a relevant role in
the performance of a PVC geomembrane
(Figure 2).
Once the lithium evaporation pond
has been covered but is not yet filled,
changes in temperature, UV radiation
and wind negatively influence the performance
of the geomembrane.
During day/night cycles, a wrinklefree
surface is desirable (Berube et al.
2007). Once the geomembrane has been
installed, it should be flat with minimal
wrinkles. Ideally, the geomembrane must
adapt to fluctuations in temperature.
It is essential for the geomembrane to

Geosynthetics June/July 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics June/July 2022

Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - Cover1
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - Cover2
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 1
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 2
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 3
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 4
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 5
Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - 6
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Geosynthetics June/July 2022 - Cover3
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