Borouge and Borealis, providers of innovative plastics solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, have highlighted the positive contribution that plastics are making to potable water distribution.

At the IWA World Water Exhibition and Congress in Beijing held last month (September), they underlined the role that plastics, such as polyethylene (PE), are playing in preserving and distributing drinking water. In an environment where drinkable water is a vital and costly resource set to become even scarcer as the world’s population expands, the problem is being exacerbated by water leakages from limited lifetime pipe systems that run through hundreds or thousands of kilometres in major cities.
Pipe systems made from traditional materials such as steel and ductile iron, fail primarily, because of poor jointing and corrosion, the two companies said. These systems build up internal deposits that degrade water and reduce flow over time, they added.
Many measures are necessary to address future water shortages and pipe leakage. Such measures include pipe standardisation initiatives, good pipe design and installation practices and the selection of PE materials passing the most stringent requirements. PE100+ Association, created in 1999 to highlight the best PE100 materials available on the market along with promotional activities, helps the members of the value chain to work with a framework that guarantees consistency and quality and ensures longlasting pipe systems. Borouge, leading the industry in pioneering pipe standardisation initiatives, joined the PE100+ Association in early 2006.
“PE pipes play an important role in water distribution networks – the pipes made out of PE are easily weldable, flexible and tough, and meet the needs of developing countries which demand low-cost installation and leak-free, maintenance-free systems,” a Borouge-Borealis statement said.