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THE STORY: CETCO is launching a new geosynthetic clay liner called ContinuumTM which was designed for improved chemical resistance against high salt containing leachates. These development efforts were undertaken as a response to proposed stricter government regulations on the handling of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from coal-burning power plant. The ContinuumTM GCL technology is able to provide orders of magnitude lower hydraulic conductivity (compared to traditional GCLs) when exposed to chemically aggressive saline-rich CCRs. The new governmental regulations, if imposed, will require coal-ash storage facilities to include a liner system, similar to municipal solid-waste landfills. These new federal storage regulations come at a time when some states are imposing tighter air pollution limits. Since the power plants must reduce the sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury emissions, more stringent scrubbing techniques must be used. As a result, the byproducts from these facilities are anticipated to become more enriched in salts such as sodium and calcium from the scrubbers. Of the expected 80 million tons of CCRs generated annually, greater than 30% will be too “salty” to store using a traditional bentonite based GCLs.