Plastic Pipe Environmental Impact Study Released

Tag : plastic manufacturing

The LCI (a component of a Life Cycle Analysis) is the first phaseof three planned for a complete Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) onplastic plumbing pipe. It evaluated the environmental profiles ofselected pipes most commonly used in three plumbing applications:service lines, water distribution, and drain, waste and vent (DWV)applications. Plastic pipe manufacturing data was modeled byFranklin Associates, using resin production data released in 2007and published in the U.S. LCI Database www.nrel.gov/lci . Current plastic pipe fabrication data were collected for thisstudy and averaged from plastic pipe producers, a majority of whichwere PPFA members.
The PPFA LCI will be submitted to LCI databases and to the Buildingfor Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) program. BEESis a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) programand an ISO compliant LCA- based selection tool. LCA-based productselection tools are critical for unbiased green and sustainablebuilding material and product decision making. PPFA encouragesother piping material industries to develop and submit LCI data toLCI databases to allow for greater transparency.
The LCI report studied included: 4-inch solid wall PVC pipe, madewith both virgin resin and 50% postconsumer recycled (PCR) content,cellular core PVC pipe, and ABS pipe with solid and cellular corefor drain, waste, & vent (DWV) applications; 1-inchPolyethylene (PE) pipe and PVC pipe for inlet pressurized watersupply applications; and ¾-inch CPVC & PEX tubing forHot and Cold Water Distribution (HCWD) applications.
The report explores the environmental benefits of plastic cellularcore and recycled content DWV pipe, and potential energy, landfillreduction, and carbon dioxide implications of energy recovery fromwaste-to-energy incineration of post-consumer plastic pipe. It alsoconsiders the environmental impacts from the extraction of naturalgas and petroleum (the raw material feedstocks for plastic resins),through the production of resin to the manufacture of the products.
Some conclusions based on the LCI are: Light weight piping products generally have lower environmentalburdens than heavier products so they reduce manufacturing,transportation and disposal burdens Plastic piping systems show a relatively low energy consumptionprofile in their manufacturing process. Therefore, plastic pipeextrusion processes are clean and low impact manufacturingoperations Reducing emissions of CO2, a greenhouse gas, could be accomplishedby the selection of products with lower total process andtransportation energy requirements, such as plastic pipe.
To access the study results, visit PPFA at www.plasticpiping.org/PPFA_Manufacturing_LCI_Report.pdf .
Posted 2nd July 2008