Polyurea Geomembranes for Primary Containment over Concrete

Abstract Application of conventional coatings directly to concrete tanks is a common practice for the primary containment of liquids. Substituting the application of polyurea geomembranes in lieu of conventional methods exhibits a significant reduction in application time with regard to certain surface rehabilitation, surface preparation, and priming of substrates. Polyurea geomembranes are high performance liners designed for various reasons that include, but are not limited to, protection of the environment from pollution and hazardous materials or protection of the lining’s contents from vessel contamination. Recent studies [1] have demonstrated the superior properties of polyurea geomembranes over traditional liners, and how the type of geotextile will influence the properties of polyurea geomembranes. This paper will review the properties and installation techniques of a polyurea geomembrane liner used in a primary containment application for concrete tanks.