TPi July 2009

developments products & PE below-ground barrier pipes score on sustainability

Any residual risk of tainting to drinking water supplies can be avoided in treated (or untreated) land by installing protected water pipes. systems dominating this market are (a) polyethylene barrier pipe, such as the GPS PE Pipe Systems’ Protecta- Line, which incorporates an impermeable aluminium barrier layer within the The two

Polyethylene barrier pipe systems will have an increasing influence on the way the UK treats contaminated land for brownfield developments. Their ability to deliver clean, untainted drinking water and offer relatively high sustainability is well suited to growing reclamation technologies that treat contamination on-site. The latest market analysis predicts that excavation and removal will remain the most common approach to contaminated land remediation for the next five years. However, the market for other remediation methods is expected to grow by 37% over the same period, marking the rise of techniques that are more environmentally responsible than ‘dig and dump’. A landfill tax for contaminated land waste, if imposed, could swing the balance of costs away from removal and in favour of on-site remediation. Contractors will then find it easier to promote the environmental advantages of containment techniques, which, by treating land in situ, cut out transportation costs and prepare the area for development more quickly than soil removal.

Protecta-Line incorporates an impermeable aluminium S S barrier layer within the polyethylene

of owning a pipe system, PE offers advantages.

polyethylene, and (b) wrapped metal pipes. The only UK industry standard for potable water pipe systems in contaminated land isWIS 4-32-19, which defines performance characteristics and specifies contaminant protection limits for the polyethylene barrier pipe and compatible fittings. The GPS Protecta- Line system gives the peace of mind of complying with this standard. AlthoughPEbarrier pipeswerepreviously only available in sizes up to 180mm, the Protecta-Line range now extends to 355mm, adding choice where previously there was only wrapped metallic pipe. In terms of energy efficiency, carbon footprint and the whole-life costs

Even considering the fossil fuel used as raw material, PE systems are less demanding of energy and resources than metallic equivalents. Being light in weight and available coiled or straight, PE pipes are easy to transport and install. In many instances, trenchless installation technologies, such as slip lining, can be used to reduce disruption to traffic and infrastructure. Freedom from corrosion ensures good hydraulic characteristics, minimising water losses and pumping costs over the lifetime of the system. At the end of its useful service life a PE barrier pipe system can be recycled using approximately a third of the energy required to rework metal pipes. Comparative calculations show that using a polyethylene pipe system reduces typical installed costs by as much as 70% and whole life costs by at least 45%. When these benefits are considered alongside theadvantagesof containment techniques over dig and dump, the combination weighs heavily in favour of adopting a more sustainable approach to brownfield development. Information supplied by Richard Graty, marketing manager, GPS PE Pipe Systems

GPS PE Pipe Systems – UK richard.graty@gpsuk.com www.gpsuk.com

Products from the Protecta-Line range from GPS PE Pipe Systems S S

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Tube Products International July 2009

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