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In the 1950's, European countries were among the first to benefit from the many advantages offered by plastic pipe systems.
Plastic was invented more than 150 years ago and became a popular material for pipe systems during the 1950's. During the past decades and as the many benefits offered by plastic pipes became known, their applications proliferated.
Plastic Pipe Systems soon became a popular solution for drinking water distribution, sewer applications and cable protection.
Over the last 50 years, plastic pipes have gained popularity and are today the preferred material in many countries. Today, Plastic Pipe Systems are very essential in building up Infrastructure - in private Housing as well as in public infrastructure. Plastic Pipe Systems make life convenient and sanitary. Transport of Energy, water supply and water disposal are the main of human necessities.
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A projected life span of more than 50 years makes plastic pipe systems a very long lasting solution.
Plastic pipe systems are the ultimate when it comes to durability. They do not corrode and they are resistant to most chemicals. Their inherent flexibility means that they are more able to accommodate ground movement without cracking or breaking. Furthermore, unlike most other materials, they will perform leak-free even under extreme conditions.
Some variation in lifetime expectancy exists for different plastic pipe materials. For example, PVC pipe systems have a projected lifetime of well over 100 years for drinking water distribution and sewers. PEX and PE-RT systems, which are used in heating and cooling applications, are expected to last for at least 50 years. But these are very conservative projections. In reality, most pipe systems will most likely last considerably longer than that.
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Plastic pipes are generally lighter than other pipe materials. Clearly, lower transport and manpower costs are convincing arguments for their use. And the unit cost of pipes is generally only a small fraction of the total installation costs. Lightweight also means they are easier to handle and install. For some sizes of buried pipes for drainage or sewer, it requires only one person to handle, position and achieve jointing. Mechanical lifting is only likely to be necessary for the larger diameter pipes.
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Plastic pipe systems are an excellent solution for distributing drinking water and for sewer systems.
Transporting liquids or gases from one place to another is the main task of a pipe system. Along the way, the pipe system must protect the contents from loss, through leakage inside out. It must also protect the contents from leakage outside in!
In the case of water distribution lines, it is a matter of protecting valuable drinking water from leaking out as well as avoiding outside-in pollution. For sewer systems, it is about preventing system overload by protecting the system from incoming ground water. Overload can lead to spillage into surface water and consequent overloading of treatment plants. Leaking out of sewer water potentially contaminates groundwater.
The ability to offer jointing solutions with virtually leak-free performance is clearly a significant advantage. In addition, their inherent flexibility means that plastic pipes are less likely to leak than other pipe materials because they are able to accommodate ground movements that might cause other materials to crack or even break. Optimum protection for valuable resources such as drinking water is thus assured.
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Plastic pipes systems offer an energy efficient piping solution, mainly due to their low weight.
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Rising energy prices and growing awareness of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are making energy-efficiency a key parameter when politicians, companies, organisations and people make decisions for the future. Pipe systems are no exception and plastic pipes stand out as the most energy efficient choice for a wide range of applications.
Plastic pipes require less energy in production than alternative materials. Because plastic pipes are lightweight, they require less energy for transportation, handling and installation.
The energy efficiency of a product is best described from a life cycle perspective. This includes manufacturing, use and a product’s end-of-life phase.
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Being oil based, plastics use more energy per kilo than most other materials. However, compared to pipes made from alternative materials, plastic pipes are highly energy-efficient due to the low weight required per pipe metre. In fact, many more metres of pipe can be made from one kilo of plastics than from any other material. Per metre of pipe, plastic pipes therefore have a lower energy use than most alternative pipe materials.
Plastic pipes are energy neutral during use. But when it comes to the end-of-life phase, they become energy positive. Since plastics are mainly made from oil, gas or coal, this energy can be recovered when the product is recycled or used as feed in an energy recovery plant.
Energy Recovery
Most plastics have a high-energy content. If for some reason recycling is not an option, then used plastic pipes present an excellent source of energy. At the end of their service life, plastic pipes may therefore be collected and fed into an energy recovery plant. Valuable energy may thus be released for heating purposes or generating electricity.
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Low Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
When it comes to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), plastic offers an environmentally attractive alternative to other piping materials. The only greenhouse gas emissions involved in pipe production are those relating to energy use in the manufacturing process.
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Plastic pipe systems can be recycled. Collection and recycling schemes have thus been set up in many European countries. The material processed can be used to make new pipes. The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) has made a commitment to recycle available collectable pipe and fittings waste. |
Used pipe systems are collected through sales depots, municipal waste centres, utility companies, construction companies, building merchants or DIY chains. The waste is then sorted before grinding, sifting and re-extrusion.
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Most recycled PVC is used to produce multilayer non-pressure pipes for sewers. Often sewer pipes are constructed with an inner layer of recycled plastic and an outer layer of virgin material. |
Most other recycled plastics, such as PE or PP are used to produce cable protection pipes. Today, PVC makes up approximately two thirds of the collection. The share of other materials is increasing.
The material properties of plastic pipe systems remain intact through several generations of use. In fact, research has shown that plastic pipes can be recycled at least seven times without notable loss of quality. With a normal expected life time of more than 50 years, this means that plastic pipe systems have a potential life expectancy of several hundred years.
Recycling for the Future
The long lifetime of plastic pipes means that the volumes available for recycling are rather small. Recycling is therefore rather costly. However, as volumes are expected to rise in the future, the plastic pipe manufacturers have decided to invest in setting up and running the recycling schemes. Having recycling schemes in working order now will benefit generations in the future.
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Plastic pipe systems ensure the transportation of clean drinking water. In every aspect of this involvement and responsibility, the question of health is of prime importance. Clean drinking water is a vital and scarce resource requiring the best protection on its journey from source to the consumer.
Plastic pipe systems are used by water supply companies for transporting this valuable water right to the home. Inside the home, they are used to transport water to kitchen and bathroom taps, showers, baths, washing machines etc.
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Over the last 50 years, plastic pipes have gained popularity and are today the preferred material for drinking water supply in many countries. Plastic pipe systems used for the supply and distribution of drinking water are mostly made from PVC, C-PVC, PE, PP, PB, PEX and PE-RT.
To qualify for use with drinking water supply and distribution, all plastic piping systems, need to comply with very strict and legal requirements. These requirements are stringent and relate to human health criteria. Detailed assessment procedures are also applied.
Testing for Taste & Odour is the first and basic requirement for the approval of materials for drinking water application. This means that all legally approved materials for drinking water application in the market have met the stringent requirements of this test.
Many countries are using a so-called “Positive List” (PL) where all chemical substances used in the plastic piping system are listed. In the event that these substances migrate into the drinking water, they do not cause harm to human health - provided that the defined limit values are not exceeded. These PL limits are established with high safety factors.
Suppliers of materials for drinking water distribution have to meet these strict requirements. Legally approved plastic materials for drinking water application are therefore classified as not harming human health with respect to listed substances of the Positive List. In several EU countries, various tests are used to secure the highest quality level regarding the potential migration of substances into the drinking water.
Conclusions from long term experience and the application of modern analytical techniques testing are clear. Legally approved plastic pipes do not negatively affect the quality of drinking water and thus contribute strongly to its safe supply for human consumption.
Today, the responsibility of approving water pipe systems lies with the national authorities of individual countries. Steps are being taken to establish a common European Acceptance Scheme (EAS) for construction materials and products in contact with drinking water.
The EAS will replace the present national approval systems, ensuring a high and uniform level of protection and safety for all European citizens.
A recent study of plastic pipes and drinking water by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that plastic pipe systems pose no health problems.
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