Sewper® Liner is now Pioneer-certified: 4 reasons why it’s so sustainable
Sewper® Liner has obtained Imerys’ Pioneer certification, securing its place amongst the Group’s most sustainable solutions. Here are four reasons why.
Sustainability is not just about CO2. It’s about the overall environmental footprint of a product, including its manufacture. Recently, Imerys’ innovative Sewper® Liner solution for wastewater infrastructure received the highest rating for sustainability, the coveted Pioneer certificate. Products in this category are characterized by their high social and environmental contribution to the downstream value chain as well as their low environmental impact in the production phase.
For those who need a little reminder, Sewper® Liner is a dry, ready-to-use, high-performance mortar that serves as a protective coating against H2S biogenic corrosion for newly-casted concrete wastewater infrastructure assets, such as wastewater treatment plant lift station, channels and reservoirs exposed to H2S liberated from incoming wastewater. Sewper® Liner is also adapted to protect the precast concrete elements utilized in the wastewater network like manholes, wet wells and other pipes. It is a mineral-based coating ideal for application on mineral surfaces, concrete and bricks, providing high productivity, fast application and adhesion to smooth, flat and dry surfaces while maintaining geometry.
4 reasons why Sewper® Liner is the most sustainable option for wastewater infrastructure owners:
1. Sewper® Liner has undergone a rigorous sustainability assessment to achieve Pioneer certificate
Imerys is not interested in simply checking boxes, but is ready to invest the time and resources to build real sustainable products. That’s why Imerys is assessing, mapping and developing its portfolio against official sustainability criteria, responding to stakeholder requests and needs, raising awareness and educating about sustainability. The SustainAgility™ Solutions Assessment aims to quantify the impact and the benefits of products – from extraction to end of life – and to differentiate Imerys’ solutions from less sustainable alternatives. A SustainAgility Solution is a product in a given application which makes a high social and environmental contribution to the downstream value chain and at the same time demonstrates a low environmental impact in its production phase. Here, Sewper® Liner’s year-long assessment resulted in the highest possible ranking: Pioneer – a mark of true sustainable quality.
2. Sewper® Liner has a long service life
Users can rely on Sewper® Liner to provide a longer service life to wastewater assets. This extreme durability is due to calcium aluminate’s intrinsic resistance to H2S biogenic corrosion ecosystem, stopping production of acid by bacteria. Higher resistance means an increased service life – about 20 to 30 years – between maintenance work. As such, Sewper® Liner’s low footprint not only relates to the product itself, but also to the people, equipment, primary energy and water consumption required for its upkeep. For reference, a typical epoxy application only lasts around 3-7 years.
Good to know: Owners of assets rehabilitated with SewperCoat®, the older cousin of Sewper® Liner, have reported expected service life up to 50-100 years, surpassing the original product estimate of 30 years.
3. Sewper® Liner outperformed epoxy resin in all categories, including environmental impact
Imerys carried out an in-depth year-long comparison with the most commonly used alternative, BPA epoxy resin, and found many clear environmental advantages to using mineral solutions to protect mineral assets. The study concluded that, as a result of superior durability and a reduction in waste generated, Sewper® Liner scored better on all impact categories, including GHG emissions, primary energy consumption, air acidification and water consumption. It also shows reduced human and environmental exposure to harmful and/or toxic substances, as BPA is an endocrine disruptor and contains VOC.
4. All these findings are backed up by quantitative results
All of these findings are available to consult: the work methodology, product life cycle, cradle-to-gate Ecoprofile and full comparative Life Cycle Assessment study including peer review report, comparative tests (to BPA epoxy resin) and the solution market alignment assessments for Sewper® Liner and many other Imerys products. In the words of Francois Saucier, Imerys Infrastructure Project Specification Director, "this quantitative evidence is a veritable gold mine that only goes to show how serious Imerys is about preparing its portfolio for the future."
Meet Thiobacillus, a common bacteria found in marine and terrestrial habitats that oxidizes sulfur to generate sulfuric acid, in turn dissolving and corroding concrete and steel. Enter Sewper® Liner, Imerys’ most recent innovation designed especially for the protection of concrete elements of new wastewater infrastructure assets.
Imerys minerals are found in over thirty industrial sectors, serving as essential ingredients in a broad range of applications—from cosmetics and construction to energy transition initiatives. In these fields, regulations and client expectations are increasingly stringent regarding environmental protection and health standards. Our goal is to help our clients get the most out of our solutions by enhancing their positive contributions to society and responsibly managing any potential negative effects throughout their entire life cycle.
We have partnered with inland shipping company NPRC to use renewable fuel powered barges for the transport of our minerals from our Antwerp terminal in Belgium to our customers in Northern Europe.
Imerys has just completed the acquisition of Société de Traitement Industriel des Minéraux (STIM), a French family business based in Monteux, near Avignon. STIM is a historic partner of about 20 years.