Bentotex® Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL)

Very. A ~1cm thick Bentotex in conjunction with 300mm suitable surcharge material typically provides the hydraulic containment as ~1m of compacted clay.

With suitable anchoring, yes. However, care should be taken to ensure that the surcharge material will stay at the desired slope angle, typically up to 1:3 slopes. For steeper slopes further measures must be considered. (maximum 1:1 slope)

The sodium bentonite confined between the two geotextile layers has a swell index typically 15-20x it’s original volume if hydrated when unconfined. As such, where the carrier geotextiles are penetrated or torn, the sodium bentonite will swell at the site to fill any minor gaps, hence why GCL’s are said to be self-healing. For larger gaps, loose bentonite can be applied, or for larger tears, a patch can be applied.

Sodium bentonite is volcanic ash which has been weathered in seawater and so altered to a swellable clay over time. A long time. I.e. Between 5 and 350 million years ago! The standards allow a declaration of 100years, but under normal service, they will last much longer.

It happens all the time. For landfills, space is money, so choosing a 1cm GCL over 1m of compacted clay is a complete no-brainer. It’s faster, cheaper, and saves massive amounts of void space. It’s a similar story with brownfield projects; when you’re looking at £1,200–£1,500 per wagon to haul away contaminated soil, encapsulating it in place makes much more financial sense. It solves the problem right there by breaking the source-pathway-receptor link

Yes, and it’s often used in the containment and treatment of waste liquids.

Yes. It is just natural clay encapsulated between two chemically and biologically inert geotextiles.

Yes, and carries relevant CE certification.