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Polypropylene Materials for Sewerage & Drainage Pipes with Reduced Energy and Carbon Footprints



Author(s)

Jeroen Wassenaar

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DOI:10.17265/2161-6221/2016.11-12.003

Total Research & Technology Feluy, B-7181 Seneffe, Belgium

Driven by a growing global conscience about our influence on the planet’s current and future climate and the scarcity of resources to satisfy a growing global population, product design that takes into account the product’s impact on both these factors is becoming increasingly important. In this paper a life cycle analysis is presented that looks specifically at two recently developed PP materials for S&D pipes, PP-MD and PP-HM, that have been designed to lower the energy and carbon footprint of the resulting pipes. The LCA focuses on plain wall S&D pipes with a minimum ring stiffness SN > 8 kN/m² and pipe diameters between 110 and 800 mm. The NRED and GWP of these new PP materials are compared to pipes based on conventional PP-B and concrete. It was found that PP-MD is able to provide the lowest GWP of all materials investigated and the lowest NRED of all plastic materials. PP-HM is able to lower the GWP and NRED compared to PP-B by 7% and 9%, respectively. Comparison of the results from this study to existing LCA’s on PP-B and concrete pipes, demonstrates a very good agreement thus underlining its accuracy and significance.

Life cycle analysis, sewerage & drainage pipes, carbon footprint, polypropylene, mineral modified pipe.