Patent ID: 7575682

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a geocomposite article capable of sorbing, reacting with, or neutralizing a liquid-contained contaminant comprising: providing a pre-formed geotextile mat formed by needlepunching non-woven geotextile fibers to a lower water-pervious geotextile cover sheet at a concentration of about 300 to about 450 grams of fibers per square meter of cover sheet surface area prior to adding a powdered or granular reactive material thereto; said needlepunching being pre-formed to a degree sufficient to provide the needlepunched mat with an apparent opening size in the range of about 0.2 mm to about 6 mm; contacting an uncovered upper major surface of the geotextile mat with a powdered or granular material capable of sorbing, reacting with, or neutralizing the liquid-contained contaminant, and causing the powdered or granular material to flow into the pre-formed, needlepunched geotextile mat to fill at least a portion of the pre-formed needlepunched geotextile mat within openings of the mat; and heat-sealing a water-pervious upper geotextile cover sheet to the uncovered major surface of the pre-formed, needlepunched geotextile mat after the mat has received the powdered or granular material.