It is important to critically examine recycling claims. Ductile iron (DI) pipe manufacturing, which uses metals from recycled automobiles, releases a host of additional chemicals such as lead, mercury, manganese, zinc, chromium compounds, trimethylamine, xylene, methanol and phenol compared to iron pipe made from virgin iron ore. The production of PVC pipe using virgin material is less energy intensive than DI pipe using recycled materials, resulting in fewer environmental impacts for water infrastructure projects. It is therefore critical to review using a life cycle data perspective, which may in fact indicate even greater impacts. When examining embodied energy impacts, the cradle-to-gate stage (raw material supply, transport and manufacturing) of DI pipe production exceeds the embodied energy of the entire life cycle of the equivalent PVC pipe. Moreover, piping materials such as polyethylene (HDPE) and prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) also represent greater impacts, even when not accounting for replacement of failed piping systems.
- 2023 Environmental Product Declaration for PVC Water and Sewer Pipe
- Assessing the Transparency & Reliability of Environmental Product Declarations for Underground Piping
- West Sacramento, CA: A Reflection on Water Pipe Replacement and Affordability and Selecting PVC for Longevity, Quality and Price
- Municipal Procurement: Competitive Bidding for Pipes Demonstrates Significant Local Cost-Savings
- Leveraging the Science of Water and Sustainability: Achieving Public Health Benefits with PVC Pipe Underground Infrastructure
- Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials Report
- Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study (March 2018)
- Hydraulic Analysis: Pumping Costs for PVC and Ductile Iron Pipe
- PVC Pipe Longevity Report: Affordability & The 100+ Benchmark Standard: A Comprehensive Study on PVC Pipe Excavations, Testing & Life Cycle Analysis
- 2015 Environmental Product Declaration for PVC Water and Sewer Pipe
- Study Takes Comprehensive Look at PVC Life Cycle Assessment & Sustainability
- Reforming Our Nation's Approach to the Infrastructure Crisis: How Competition, Oversight and Innovation Can Lower Water and Sewer Rates in the U.S.
- Underground Water Infrastructure: Getting Results in Indianapolis through Continuing Improvement and Modern Materials Procurement Practices
- Municipal Procurement: Procurement Process Improvements Yield Cost-Effective Public Benefits
- Fixing America’s Crumbling Underground Water Infrastructure: Competitive Bidding Offers a Way Out
- Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study (April 2012)
- U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers: Corrosion Costs and Preventative Strategies in the United States, March 2002
- Issue Brief: The Underground Infrastructure Crisis: Rebuilding Water and Sewer Systems without a Flood of Red Ink
- Curing Crumbling Infrastructure and Other Government Waste
- Corrosion, Not Age, is to Blame for Most Water Main Breaks
- Procurement Practices that Impede Rehabilitation of Underground Water Infrastructure
- Viewpoint: Fix procurement rules before fixing faulty pipes
- Article: Pipe Corrosion an Avoidable Budget-Buster
- Article: Getting the Best Bang for the Buck in the Nation's Infrastructure