Eloor Municipality has started work on strengthening the banks of ponds and rivers using eco-friendly coir ‘geotextile’ ahead of monsoon.
Geotextile
- Geotextiles are woven, stitched or non-woven textile materials made from synthetic or natural polymers.
- It has applications in geotechnical and civil engineering, such as infrastructure works, roads, railways, coastal protection, landfills, erosion control.
- When used together with soil, it has the ability to separate, filter, strengthen, preserve and dry the soil layer.
Types of geotextiles: Geotextiles are made from polymers such as polyester or polypropylene. Based on the method of preparation, they are divided into 3 categories:
- Woven Geotextile: The most commonly found geotextiles are of the woven type and are manufactured with techniques that are similar to the weaving of normal fabrics. It has the distinctive appearance of two sets of parallel threads. The lengthwise yarn is called warp and the perpendicular yarn is called weft.
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- Non-Woven Geotextile: In such geotextile the fibers are intertwined using a combination of thermal, chemical or mechanical techniques. Geo-fibers obtained by mechanical interlocking or chemical or thermal bonding have a thickness of 0.5–1 mm, while chemically bonded non-woven fibers are typically 3 mm. Are comparatively thick in the order of.
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- Knitted Geotextile: These are manufactured by the process of joining together a series of loops of thread.
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- Apart from these three geotextiles, other geosynthetics used include geonet, geogrid, geocell, geomembrane, geocomposite etc. Each of these has its own characteristics and specific applications.
Benefits of geotextile
- Geotextile products have been improving geotechnical designs over the years, offering many benefits over traditional technologies.
- Geotextiles are helpful in reducing environmental impacts. Using them as a filter layer in place of conventional materials can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% and energy demands by up to 80%.
- Geotextiles are often used as filter fabric in subsurface drainage and erosion control applications. Their filtration properties can be enhanced depending on the size of the particles transported into the adjacent soil.
- Adding geotextile to the soil increases the tensile strength of the soil in the same way as steel in concrete. This is why geotextiles are widely used in road construction.
- Geotextiles protect river banks from erosion caused by currents or waves. When used in combination with natural or artificial enrichment, they act as a filter.