The world has never been the same. Developments here and there continue to overwhelm the environment which was previously a haven because of its serene setting, crystal clear bodies of water, blooming flowers and trees, and lovely creatures that guest on earth’s landscape. Population escalated globally. Human’s continued quest for knowledge and research has led them to do some modifications and made this place fit for their needs and wants as well.
Part of the so-called modification is to modernize everything from homes, buildings, infrastructures, and even nature. And because industrialization quickly set in, factories and other similar big businesses became so prominent and were hailed due to its contribution to the economy. These companies make sure that they continue to protect the environment by proper handling of their wastes and other hazardous materials.
One way of environmental protection system being used nowadays is geomembrane. They are proven effective in landfills, securing toxic waste ponds and chemical spills, mining- to protect the soil, and in the enhancement of dikes and repair of concrete linings. Geomembrane also has its aging mechanism and could eventually affect its durability and can result in leaks. It is the worst nightmare that this earth could ever experience if leaks happen. There is a great concern between the manufacturer and consumers because of confusion on methods to detect leaks. It is not an easy task as there are slipups on the method as well as a misunderstanding on the limitations.
The advancement of technology gave much relief to this issue. Nowadays, we can resort to electrical leak detection. So far, there are no concerns about this variation, its performance, application, and accuracy. Geomembrane’s target of almost zero leaks must be satisfied because there are countries especially the US where even a small amount of leak can halt the issuance of the permit to operate. Zero leaks, although very ambitious will always be the target. This goal is dependent on the ability to locate the leak site and electrical leak detection can definitely do the job.
Degradation of geomembrane can happen as there are several properties involved like thickness, type of material, chemical and physical properties, and strength. Its integrity had also been discussed by several groups in different forums and somehow providing an opportunity to the manufacturers to explore more options to make their products more credible. In fact, trainings and workshops are also being done to equip the people with the necessary information about this technique.
