Case Study: Bioenergy Project in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra

For a bioenergy facility in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, Ocean Non Wovens supplied and installed Ocean HDPE Liner-1500 micron across 8000 square meters. The liner forms the plant’s waste containment system: a leak-proof barrier between the organic waste and digestate the plant handles and the soil and groundwater beneath it.

Project overview

• Location: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra
• Project: Bioenergy facility, waste containment system
• Product: Ocean HDPE Liner-1500 micron (1.5 mm)
• Quantity: 8000 Sqm, supplied and installed by Ocean Non Wovens

Why bioenergy plants need lined containment

Bioenergy plants turn organic material such as agricultural residue, press mud, food waste or manure into energy, usually through anaerobic digestion that produces biogas. Feedstock storage, digestion and waste management areas all hold liquids with a high organic and nutrient load. If those liquids seep into the ground, they contaminate soil and groundwater. A welded geomembrane under these areas keeps them contained and protects the surrounding land.

The bottom liner contains liquids and solids. Capturing the methane-rich biogas itself is the job of the digester’s gas-tight cover or dome, which works together with the liner below.

Ocean HDPE Liner-1500 micron

Ocean HDPE Liner-1500 micron is a 1.5 mm high-density polyethylene geomembrane for industrial containment. At 1500 microns it is among the thicker standard grades, combining strength and puncture resistance with enough flexibility to follow an uneven base. It falls within the thickness range covered by both IS 16352 and GRI-GM13.

• Chemical resistance: HDPE resists the organic acids, ammonia and salts found in digestate and organic waste.
• UV and weather resistance: carbon-black stabilisation for exposed slopes and Maharashtra’s hot, dry summers and monsoon.
• Tear and puncture resistance: the thicker sheet tolerates handling and an imperfect subgrade better than thin grades.

Organic content, temperature and microbes

High organic content, fluctuating temperatures and microbial activity can break down some lining materials over time. HDPE is not biodegradable, and microbes do not attack it. Anaerobic digesters typically run in the mesophilic range of roughly 35–40 °C, well within HDPE’s service temperature. Ocean states that its 1500 micron liner has been tested for these conditions.

Two installation points matter on organic-waste sites. First, gas generated in organic soils beneath the liner can lift it, so gas venting under the geomembrane is common. Second, digestate pits are often emptied and cleaned with machinery, so protecting the liner on the floor and slopes (with a geotextile cushion, concrete or sacrificial layer) prevents mechanical damage.

Installation

Ocean’s team carried out the installation in line with applicable environmental standards and regulations. The site was uneven and the conditions harsh, and the liner’s flexibility and tear resistance helped it follow the terrain without damage. On a 1.5 mm liner, panels are normally joined by dual hot-wedge welding with air-pressure testing of each seam, and details and patches are extrusion welded and vacuum-box tested.

Benefits for the plant

• Environmental safety: contaminants stay inside the containment system.
• Lower running costs: less maintenance and lower leakage risk.
• Longer service life: a durable liner keeps the containment areas in service for longer.

Ocean Non Wovens supplies HDPE Liner grades and installation for bioenergy, industrial and waste management projects. See also Ocean nonwoven geotextiles for liner protection and other case studies, or contact our team to discuss your project.