Taking the theme ‘PVC Pipes in Europe: Delivering sustainable performance for more than 80 years’, innovative technical performance and sustainable solutions in the European PVC pipes sector were showcased at the first PVC4Pipes conference.
More than 95 participants from 13 countries attended the event, co-organised with PVC Forum Italia.
Key themes covered by international experts highlighted how the safety in use, cost-competitiveness, proven durability and recyclability of PVC pipes for water, gas and sewer sectors across the infrastructures have made them a sustainable choice for delivering essential services reliably for more than eight decades.
Astrid Aupetit from AMI Consulting said the European PVC pipes market accounted for 5.2 million tonnes in 2018 and is growing at over 4.5 per cent annually to 2023.
In a review of the Circular Economy Network Project exploring the use of recycled plastics in network services, Emilio Caporossi from Gruppo Hera announced the launch of the installation of about 800 m of multi-layer/structured wall PVC sewer pipes including recycled material in Vedrana.
Caporossi also mentioned that break rates in Hera’s water networks amounted to 0.07 break/km/year for the PVC pipes vs. 0.52 for the PE pipes.
Bruce Hollands, from the Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association, shared findings from studies evaluating the cost and sustainability of underground piping that can help municipalities to drive their investment decisions.
He concluded: “A sensible local procurement approach can take advantage of changes in pipe materials not only on a cost basis, but also performance characteristics. The case for considering alternative pipe materials that might perform as good or better than conventional pipes used today, and cost less, is compelling.”
Roger Loop, BureauLeiding outlined how the first operational plastic waste collection scheme in the Netherlands is recycling PVC pipe waste for reuse in three-layer sewage pipes. Capable of being recycled up to seven times with no loss of performance, waste PVC material can be recycled and used in new pipes.
In a last session showcasing PVC pipes innovations, Gianpaulo Contarini from IPM introduced for the first time a game-changing sealing technology which reduces the intrusion of plant roots in PVC sewer pipes. This worldwide patented technology facilitates the use of PVC pipes in highly cultivated and vegetated areas.