The most extensive use of the geomembrane liners has been, and remains, in the construction of evaporation ponds and heap leach pads starting in the 1970’s. Tailings impoundments have historically been mostly soil lined, but increasing in their use of geomembrane liners in recent times. Some common uses of geomembranes in the mining industry includes liners for process solution ponds, heap leach facility liner systems, tailings impoundment liner systems, and encapsulation of waste rock to mitigate acid mine drainage
Mining uses geomembrane liners principally for three areas: evaporation (or solar) ponds for recovery of salts, heap leaching of mineral-bearing rock, and disposal of mill tailings (rock that has had most of the mineral value removed). Evaporation ponds and heap leaching are the largest applications of geomembranes in mining, and heap leaching is the most complex.
