Sewerage pipe systems that work

Sanitation has always been somewhat a dirty matter – a topic that is taboo for some cultures and countries. And while we purposefully avoid open dialogues about sanitation, nearly half of humanity lives without access to adequate sanitation which is a major cause of disease and water-borne illnesses. The impact of this unspoken global crisis is alarming when we consider the widespread damage to human health and child survival prospects, as well as the pollution to our environment and water resources.

Without sanitation facilities to safely contain and dispose of human wastes, which are the primary source of diarrhoeal pathogens, the health of a community, especially its children who are most vulnerable to disease, is put at risk. In fact, poor hygiene and lack of access to sanitation together contribute to 88 percent of all deaths from diarrhoeal disease, with children paying the highest price.

Amid the UN General Assembly decision to declare 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation, the cycle of silence has broken as governments and companies alike are beginning to raise the awareness of this global challenge to accelerate improvements to sanitation systems by 2015.

Rising demand leads to greater opportunity

For sewage pipe producers and waste management companies, the opportunities are far and wide as the demand for basic and complex sewerage systems increases in the coming years. The challenge will then be to find suitable materials to develop sewage pipe networks which provide the ease of installation, long-term stability, leak-tightness and physical properties which are required for urban and rural sanitation networks.

While polyethylene (PE) is sometimes used as a material for sewerage pipe systems, it often implies heavier pipes which impose limitations to installation time and bear higher transportation costs. Polypropylene (PP) solid wall pipes carry 30 % less weight, allowing cost reductions through a faster and easier installation, lower transportation costs, and lower CO ₂ emissions during the transport.

BorECO™ PP:  durable solutions for cost-effective sewage systems

BorECO™ PP is a line of polypropylene resins which have been developed to improve the stiffness / impact property balance of pipes while retaining their positive long-term performance and expected lifetime of more than 100 years. These materials have been especially designed for non-pressure sewage systems, particularly for non-pressure gravity sewage installations.

One of the main benefits of fully welded solid wall pipes made from BorECO PP is that the material enables an absolute leak-tightness which is an important factor contributing to environmental protection. These PP pipe systems have structural integrity and are flexible enough to support ground movements.

Further benefits of BorECO PP include:

• Considerably lower failure rates compared with non-plastic materials,
• Total avoidance of root penetration if fully welded systems are installed,
• Fully recyclable as any PP for pipe, alternatively as energy via incineration.

It is clear that the increased attention to our sanitation needs will force positive action to rapidly develop proper sanitation systems. To keep pace with the growing demand of reliable, highly performant sewage systems, it is important that modern, technologically advanced pipe materials are selected. BorECO PP will impact the future of sanitation and will support the UN in its efforts for sustainable sewage systems during and after the International Year of Sanitation.