Reliance Bio-Energy Project, Case Study

Product supplied: Ocean Non Woven Geotextile, 3 mm
Quantity supplied: 29,000 m²
Client: Reliance Bioenergy (project details withheld)

Project summary

Ocean Non Wovens supplied 29,000 square metres of 3 mm non woven geotextile for a Reliance Bio-Energy project, where it forms part of the facility’s containment, filtration and drainage layers. Reliance is building compressed biogas (CBG) plants that turn agricultural residue and other organic waste into gas, and these plants need lined, drained ground under digesters, feedstock yards and effluent areas. A needle-punched non woven geotextile does three jobs in those layers: it filters, it separates, and it cushions geomembranes.

Why geotextile matters in bio-energy facilities

Plants that process organic waste generate leachate and process water that has to be collected and sent for treatment, not allowed into the ground. That calls for geomembrane liners with drainage layers above them, and both need protecting.

• Filtration: wrapped around or laid over drainage media, the geotextile lets liquid through but holds back fines, so drains and pipes do not clog.
• Separation: it keeps different fill materials from mixing, so each layer keeps the properties it was designed with.
• Protection: placed against a geomembrane, it spreads point loads from stones and plant so the liner is not punctured.

Reliance’s programme is built around repeatable, modular plants, so the materials in them need to perform the same way from site to site.

Why the 3 mm grade was specified

• Filtration: a needle-punched non woven passes water readily, both through its thickness and along its plane, while retaining soil fines.
• Mechanical protection: at 3 mm thickness the fabric is a heavy grade, giving the puncture and tear resistance needed to cushion geomembranes and geocomposites under construction plant and local loads, while staying flexible enough to follow the subgrade. (3 mm is a thickness, not a weight per square metre.)
• Installation: Ocean supplies non wovens from 1 to 3 mm in large rolls that a small crew can handle, so an area of 29,000 m² can be covered with a manageable number of overlaps and backfilled quickly, limiting UV exposure.

How the geotextile was used

The 3 mm non woven geotextile was used in three main roles:

1. Filter layer in the drainage system: between soil and drainage media (including drainage geonets) to stop fines migrating into the drains that carry leachate or process water to the collection sumps.
2. Protective cushion for liners: over HDPE geomembranes and composite liners near process tanks and access routes, shielding the membrane from point loads and construction traffic until final surfacing.
3. Separation in stockpile and handling zones: keeping excavated fill apart from engineered layers during civil works, so the finished layers match the design.

Installation and quality control

On an area this size, the geotextile’s performance depends on site controls as much as on the product. The practices that matter for this kind of installation:

• Roll handling and overlaps: lay rolls in a consistent direction, with specified overlap widths and pinning or anchor trenches on slopes. Overlaps should be checked before backfill so none are short or pulled apart.
• Limited exposure: cover the fabric within the time the manufacturer or specification allows. Sunlight degrades polypropylene and polyester, and wind can lift uncovered panels. Fabric left out too long should be replaced.
• Matching filter to soil: the geotextile’s opening size and permittivity (ASTM D4751 and D4491) should suit the gradation of the soil it retains, rather than relying on a catalogue default.
• Load sequencing: where areas will later carry heavy plant, place cover and compact in stages, and route plant so no single spot over the geomembrane takes repeated point loads before final protection is in place.
• Traceability: keep certificates of conformance linked to roll batch numbers, so material provenance can be checked if a question comes up years later.

What a working geotextile layer delivers

When the filter is matched to the soil and the cushion is heavy enough, drains keep flowing without clogging, the liner avoids abrasion and puncture during construction and operation, and drainage media keep their designed geometry, so cleaning and maintenance can be planned. Getting the product right is only half of it; roll handling, exposure control and documented checks decide whether the layer lasts.

Ocean Non Wovens supplies geosynthetics and on-site technical support for bio-energy, waste-to-energy and environmental containment projects. For product data sheets and site-specific recommendations, contact our technical team, or see more projects on our case studies page.