Geomembranes Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028, Segmented By Raw Material (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Others), By Technology (Extrusion, Calendaring, Others), By Application (Water Management, Marine, Mining, Waste Management, Others), By Region, and Competition

Global Geomembranes market is anticipated to grow significantly through 2028 due to increasing demand from the mining sector. In 2022, China produced an estimated 1.9 million metric tons of copper from mines. 

Global Geomembranes Market is expected to expand during the projected period due to rise of construction and mining sector along with favorable rules for water and waste management activities and help in reducing the spending for infrastructure development. Furthermore, rapid urbanization and industrialization in developing nation has spurred the demand for minerals and metals as well as strict rule by government regarding the implementation of waste management services in industrial and municipal sector contributing to market growth. Moreover, geomembranes are thin continuous sheet created by injection of geotextiles with polymer sprays, elastomer, and asphalt which have a variety of uses in the geotechnical engineering sector as they have enormous properties such as high durability, chemical, temperature & UV resistance, resulting in high demand from various sectors including marine, waste management, water treatment, etc.

Additionally, geomembrane is used as waterproofing liners within pipelines and tunnels, liners for waste conveyance canals, agriculture industry, as well as liners for solid waste landfills and primary, secondary, and tertiary waste piles. They are used as a substitute for soil covers on the landfill which help to restrict smell, fires, scavenging, littering which further fuel the growth of the market.

For instance, the World Bank estimates that waste generation will increase from 2.01 billion tonnes in 2016 to 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050.

Growing Demand from Mining Sector

During the past several years, the use of geomembranes in different mining operations has grown quickly. They are often used in mining operations to mitigate environmental contamination risks from leaching solutions as well as to halt seepage and loss of solutions containing precious metals. Geomembranes are used in mining's heap leach process to prevent chemical liquid from leaking into the environment because of their low permeability, high chemical resistance, temperature resistance, tensile strength and elongation, puncture resistance, durability, and interface friction properties. Geomembranes are used in the mining sector as they help to build compact, safe retaining walls and barriers, and stronger access roads.

They are primarily employed as basal liners in the mining industry. For tropical locations, process residue impoundments and tailings as well as acid mine drainage (AMD) mitigation from tailings or waste rock dumps, the basal liners are momentarily exposed or used as "raincoats." Moreover, they are utilised in solar (or evaporation) ponds for salt recovery, heap leaching pads, tank liners, and concrete basins. To preserve chemical solutions that dissolve ore minerals, they gather and purify the leachate. Correspondingly, there is less chemical waste and more potential for reuse.

Furthermore, lithium is the lightest metal and has a density less than water as well as high specific heat characteristics and due to increasing demand of electric vehicles resulting in the demand of lithium as it is used as electrode in battery of EVs is one of the key factors driving the growth of mining sector.

For instance, in 2021 the tailings storage facility, or TSF, in northern Nevada has now selected the AGRU MicroSpike geomembrane liner for three phases of its expansion and almost 9 million square feet of AGRU liner has been included.

Furthermore, in 2023, Bluegrace Energy Bolivia Srl, signed a new Joint Undertaking with Metalpro Srl, to carry out green mining and sustainable development operations and use geomembrane for the construction of reservoirs and water treatment plants.

Therefore, growing demand from the mining sector result in the growth of the Global Geomembranes Market in the projected years.

Increasing Demand for Water Management System

Recently, the water management application dominated the global market. Geomembranes are used in ponds, canals, and reservoirs, among other places. Geomembranes are widely used for water preservation, globally with more than 50,000 dams built or under development. Since the freshwater resources are running out, water management is more important than ever. A significant cause of water loss in conveyance systems is seepage but by using right and proper lining, this loss can be considerably reduced. As the conservation of water is priority, the demand for geomembrane is anticipated to increase rapidly during the projected period.

Additionally, in various developing countries, the need for geomembranes is rising in canal lining applications which helps to grow demand for the effective usage of water and the remediate of groundwater levels.

For instance, in 2021, Khadakwasla Irrigation division, India has decided to use the bituminous geomembrane (BGM) technique to stop leakage from the Mutha right bank canal of the Khadakwasla dam.

In 2020, Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir (PABR), used ‘PVC Geo Membrane Pack’ to seize water leakage and store water which help for irrigation as well as  drinking water demand Ananthapuramu District, India.

Therefore, all these factors dominate the demand for geomembranes in the forecast period.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) will be the Key Raw Material

High UV/temperature resistance, durability, cheap material cost, good stability, weather aging resistance, inherent flexibility, and chemical resistance are the defining characteristics of HDPE. Due to its greater thickness compared to other geomembranes, HDPE is in higher demand. The HDPE geomembrane is a cost-effective choice since it has a greater specific strength and can withstand higher temperature. Farmers cover dams and ponds with HDPE liners because these materials are a stable and affordable solution for containment. HDPE liners are used to line secondary containment tanks for fertilizer and chemical storage because of the material's versatility and durability. In addition, HDPE geomembrane is preferred over other materials as a waterproofing liner due to its negligible operational and economic benefits. Simple production process of HDPE geomembranes has improved supply while maintaining low pricing with respect to other geomembranes.

For instance, Atarfil, S. L. produces HDPE High-density polyethylene which is used for high responsibility applications such as ponds, pipelines, and water treatment.

Additionally, PVC geomembrane is a highly flexible thermoplastic waterproofing geomembrane that is made from a mixture of vinyl compounds, stabilizers, and plasticizers. These geomembranes may also be produced in a variety of thickness and widths. These geomembranes are easily seamed using adhesives, solvent welding, heat, dielectric technology, and other methods. PVC geomembranes are a type of geomembrane that contain up to 40% or more plasticizers, which help to produce flexible sheets. Several plasticizers can be used with PVC geomembranes, depending on the applications, and required service life. PVC geomembranes providing great tear abrasion, puncture resistance, and protect drinkable water sources by hindering pollutants from groundwater.

For instance, in 2021, Deploy use concrete canvas hydro with extra layer of PVC geomembrane for the manufacturing of water tank use for water storage in rural area.

Thus, increasing demand for these materials from various sectors anticipated the growth of Global Geomembranes Market in the upcoming years.  

Since, geomembranes possess lowest permeability, utilized as liners for the primary and secondary containment of hazardous substances. For specialized locations, such as refineries and airports, secondary containment strategies must be in place to fortify storage systems for dangerous, combustible, reactive, corrosive, or explosive substances.

However, most of the raw materials for geomembranes are petroleum based and they are prone to fluctuation in the price of crude oil which causes volatility in raw material costs result in restraining the growth of market. Additionally, availability of other substitutes such as use of geosynthetic clay liner in lining systems and landfill can slow down the market growth.

Recent Developments

• In August 2022, Dajin Geosynthetics published an open proposal to start working on the enhancement of a new GSI standard for the EIA geomembrane.
• HK Solutions and AGRU America use geomembranes to improve maintenance hole technology in January 2022.
• In December 2021, Seaman Corp. produced XR-FR fire-retardant geomembrane which was introduced in its XR Geomembranes product line.
• AGRU America introduced a product named CleanSeam which is integrated on the welded edges of geomembranes to reduce the penetration of waste material and fine soils in February 2020.

Download Free Sample Report

Market Segmentation

Global Geomembranes Market is segmented based on raw material, technology, application, and region. Based on raw material, the market is categorized into ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and others. Based on technology, the market is segmented into extrusion, calendaring, and others. Based on application, the market is fragmented into water management, marine, mining, waste management, and others. Based on region, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.

Company Profiles

Officine Maccaferri S.p.A., Solmax Inc., Naue GmbH & Co. KG, AGRU America, Inc., Atarfil, S. L., Environmental Protection, Inc., Seaman Corp., Plastika Kritis SA, Nilex Inc, Shanghai Yingfan Engineering Material Co. Ltd are some of the key players of Global Geomembranes Market.

Report Scope:

In this report, global Geomembranes market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends, which have also been detailed below:

• Geomembranes Market, By Raw Material:
• Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM)
• High-Density   Polyethylene (HDPE)
• Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
• Others
• Geomembranes Market, By Technology:
• Extrusion
• Calendaring
• Others
• Geomembranes Market, By Application:
• Water Management
• Marine
• Mining
• Waste Management
• Others
• Geomembranes Market, By Region:
• North America
• United States
• Mexico
• Canada
• Europe
• France
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Italy
• Asia-Pacific
• China
• India
• South Korea
• Japan
• Australia
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE

Competitive landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the global Geomembranes market.

Available Customizations:

With the given market data, TechSci Research offers customizations according to a company’s specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

Company Information

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

Global Geomembranes Market is an upcoming report to be released soon. If you wish an early delivery of this report or want to confirm the date of release, please contact us at [email protected].