Performance plastics have been instrumental in reclaiming wastewater into safe water for more than seven decades. Plastics are also put to work anywhere there's a need for durable, long-lasting, maintenance-free water transport systems.
Applications
- Potable water systems (valve and pump components)
- Irrigation systems (bearings, nozzles, pivot bushings)
- Aquaculture
- Specialized chemical delivery systems
- Reclamation process piping
- Sprinkler/water aeration systems
- Hot and cold water distribution systems
- Plumbing pipes and fittings
- Double contained piping systems
- Water and sewage treatment — paddles, weirs, wear shoes, sprockets, chain guides
- Gravity and force main industrial and municipal sewer systems
- Ultra-pure water systems
- Submerged marine installations
- Ocean thermal energy conversion projects
- Desalinization
- Grating and stair systems
Advantages May Include
- Lightweight
- Impact resistant
- Weather resistant
- Chemical and corrosion resistant
- Easy to fabricate
- Excellent weatherability
- Quieter than metal pipes (no "water hammer")
- Easy and safer to install
- Low maintenance
- Easy to weld, install and operate
- Excellent flexibility and bending radius (eliminates need for custom fittings)
- Surge-resistant
- Superior public-health protection in water treatment applications
- On-site fabrication with simple hand tools — no torches or heavy equipment
- Energy savings with dynamic systems (lighter weight, lower specific gravity)
Materials
- Acetal (POM)
- Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)
- Cast Nylon (PA)
- Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC)
- Ethylene-Chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE)
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA)
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
- Polymethyl Pentene (PMP)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- PVC/Acrylic Alloy
- Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF)
- Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
- Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW-PE)
Sustainability Advantages of Performance Plastics
PVC pipe manufacturing is extremely efficient — virtually 100% of the compound is used — and far less energy-intensive than the alternatives:
4x Less
Energy vs concrete pipe
50% Less
Energy vs iron pipe
Source: uni-bell.org
2.6 Trillion
PVC pipe's ultra-smooth surface and leak-free joints eliminate water loss — up to 40% in corrosion-prone networks. The ASCE estimates 2.6 trillion gallons of potable water are lost yearly to leaks — 17% of all U.S. water pumped.
Source: uni-bell.org
52% Less
Recycled HDPE pipe emits 52% less greenhouse gas emissions than concrete and steel pipe — and its allowable water leakage is 0 vs 10-20% for ductile iron.
Source: sustainability.ads-pipe.com
110+ Years
A study by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation put the life expectancy of PVC pipe at more than 110 years.
Source: uni-bell.org
Pipe Delivery Efficiency
320 ft
Corrugated HDPE pipe per truck
vs
64 ft
Reinforced concrete pipe per truck
For 640 linear ft of pipe, plastic takes just 2 trips versus 10 for RCP. PVC facilities have no smokestacks and the product is 100% recyclable. | Source: plasticpipe.org / uni-bell.org
iapd
the performance plastics association
Sustainability
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