Work in progress on installing the specilist plastic membrane for the 1.4million square metre waste liquid lagoon for an oil plant in Kazakhstan, a project managed by Geosynthetic Technology of Nayland

A COMPANY based on the Suffolk-Essex border has completed the installation of what is thought to be the world’s largest artificial lagoon lining.

Geosynthetic Technology Ltd, which is based at Nayland, near Colchester, managed the project of laying 1.4million square metres (about 350 acres) of polypropylene geomembrane to contain liquid waste for an oil company in Kazakhstan.

The company’s role included specifying the type and size of material used, to demonstrate its cost-benefit advantage and ensure the most efficient use of container space during transit, and overseeing the installation process on site.

John Alexander, chairman of Geosynthetic Technology, said: “This geomembrane lining project was ground breaking in many respects.

“Its sheer scale of 1,400,000 square metres is awesome and is, by any standards, the largest lagoon lining ever undertaken anywhere in the world.

“The speed of lining installation together with the high quality standards maintained throughout the work has set new standards in geomembrane engineering.”

Mr Alexander, a qualified Chartered Engineer, was a pioneer in the use of plastic sheeting, as an alternative to traditional clay linings, in the 1970s.

Although most of its projects seldom come to public attention, one high-profile job involved the creation of a temporary lake in the middle of the Olympic Stadium in Athens which featured in the opening ceremony for the 2008 games.