Bituminous geomembranes in mining applications in the Americas
At a Glance
Section titled âAt a Glanceâ| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2024-01-01 |
| Journal | E3S Web of Conferences |
| Authors | N. Daly, Ted Aguirre, Emilio Escobar, Bertrand Breul |
Abstract
Section titled âAbstractâBituminous geomembranes (BGM) have been used over the last 20 years in mining applications in innovative ways, to reduce the hazards of mining in the environment. BGM is a reinforced geomembrane made of a geotextile from 250 gr/m² to 400 gr/m 2 impregnated by elastomeric bitumen. This gives the geomembrane unique features that enables their use in demanding weather conditions of low temperatures (- 45°C or -49°F in Northern Canada or Europe) or high temperatures (+40°C in Brazil) due to its low thermal expansion coefficient that avoids the formation of wrinkles. This allows the installation and welding at high temperatures in the countries of Latin America. This paper will describe how several unique characteristics have been used for challenging and environmentally sensitive mining projects throughout the Americas, including treatment of solid waste spoil dumps (heap leach pads, closure, and encapsulation of mining facilities) of different types of ore: gold, diamonds, lithium, copper, silver, rare earth: niobium and in hydraulic applications for tailings or clear water dams and reservoirs.