Long-term performance of bituminous geomembranes for waste containment and mining applications

土工膜(可以是聚合物或沥青的薄片)被用作废物容器和矿物提取设施的衬里，以保护周围环境免受污染物的迁移。环保意识和对矿产资源的高需求增加了对土工膜的需求，并为加拿大公司创造了经济机会，预计2022年土工膜市场收入将达到4.17亿美元。此外，采矿业具有战略重要性，因为加拿大是世界上最大的采矿业国家之一，生产了60多种矿物/金属，直接雇用了377,000多名工人，2020年为加拿大的GDP贡献了700亿美元。尽管沥青土工膜(BGM；由防水沥青粘结剂和土工布层组合而成的多组分产品)已经使用了20-30年，但在历史上，它们的使用在很大程度上仅限于用于运河、饮用水水库和其他低环境风险应用。最近，BGM被认为是废物遏制和采矿应用中衬里材料的有力候选者，因为它们声称具有高的抗穿刺性和耐久性，尽管对它们的行为缺乏了解。该项目旨在通过检测BGM的耐久性、污染物扩散和界面抗剪切性，了解BGM将如何与地质环境应用中发现的侵略性现场条件相互作用。拟议的工作旨在减少与目前关于BGM长期业绩的不确定性有关的风险，以提供更有效和可靠的地下水和地表水保护。皇后大学拥有在实验室模拟野外暴露条件所需的独特专业知识和设备。与一家领先的土工合成材料安装商合作，将确保实验条件反映常见的现场条件，并将研究成果应用于该行业目前面临的现实挑战。这项研究将涉及三个HQP的培训。

Geomembranes (thin sheets that can be either polymeric or bituminous), are used as the liners in waste containment and mineral extraction facilities to protect the surrounding environment from the migration of the contaminants. Environmental awareness and high demand for mineral resources increased the demand for geomembranes and have created economic opportunities for Canadian companies with an estimated revenue of the geomembrane market reaching $417 million in 2022. Additionally, the mining sector is of strategic importance since Canada is one of the largest mining nations in the world, producing more than 60 minerals/metals that directly employs more than 377,000 workers and contributed $70B to Canada's GDP in 2020. Although bituminous geomembranes (BGM; multicomponent products comprised of a combination of a waterproof bituminous binder with a geotextile layer) have been used for 20-30 years, historically their use has been largely limited to use in canals, potable water reservoirs, and other low environmental risk applications. Recently, BGMs are considered as a strong candidate for the liner materials in waste containment and mining applications due to their claimed high puncture resistance and durability despite a lack of knowledge of their behaviour. This project seeks to understand how BGMs will interact with aggressive field conditions found in geoenvironmental application by examining their durability, contaminant diffusion, and interface shear resistance. The proposed work aims to reduce the risks associated with the current uncertainty regarding BGMs' long-term performance to provide more effective and reliable groundwater and surface water protection. Queen's University has the unique expertise and equipment necessary for simulating the field exposure conditions in the laboratory. Collaboration with a leading geosynthetic installer will ensure experimental conditions reflect common field conditions and that the research findings are applied to real life challenges that are currently facing the industry. The research will involve training of three HQP.