Theanswer to the most vital questions

“Can we save the environment in the ground?”

Yes. The use of vitrified clay pipes was and still is the best solution for man and nature.

That’s why FEUGRES, the European Association of the vitrified clay industry, set itself an ambitious goal: We wanted to raise awareness amongst Europe’s planners and decision-makers of the full potential of vitrified clay pipes.

One EU precept states: Ecology takes precedence over economy in public procurement.* In the case of vitrified clay pipes, however, the two go hand-in-hand: They are both the most environ-mentally-friendly, and in the long term also the most economic, solution for transporting waste water.

In the following pages you’ll learn more about vitrified clay as a material that happily marries together the best of tra-ditional and high-tech pipe solutions.

* Source: “Buying green!” A handbook on environmental public procurement, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg 2004.

“Is it possible to produce ecological solution?”

Yes. Today, vitrified clay pipes are still made from the natural raw material clay, and are particularly kind to the environment.

Clay is a material that comes directly from nature. Its supply is virtu-ally unrestricted; it is obtained in environmentally friendly opencast mining, and worked using particu-larly benign production processes – requiring significantly less energy than other materials.

Vitrified clay pipes made in this way are attractive not only for their favourable CO2 outcomes. They can also be recycled 100 % in new production – an exceptionally frugal use of resources. From the ecological viewpoint, it’s a real success story.

“Is an ecological solution good value for money in the long run?”

Yes. Vitrified clay pipes last much longer than other materials, and are far more economic compared with other materials. Also the envi-ronment benefits as well.

That’s the view of citizens from cities, towns and villages, which makes good PR from the decision-maker’s viewpoint. Where sustainable and future-proof investment holds sway – vitrified clay pipes are just the right choice and provide the most persuasive arguments.

In many large European cities such as Berlin, London, Brussels and Lisbon, they have already been in use successfully for many years – and there’s no end in sight. With their long useful life, the reinvestment rate is low. No distortion measurements are needed when installing vitri-fied clay pipes. Subsequent costs are minimal. And after their amortisa-tion period has elapsed, their high residual value is another good reason to be happy.

“Is nature the greatest resource of all?”

Yes. Europe’s network of vitri-fied clay pipes has an investment value of many billions of euros. But nature all around us is simply priceless.

It is FEUGRES‘ aim to preserve so-ciety’s inheritance worth billions, and to promote the use of vitrified clay in sewerage systems. By virtue of the low reinvestment rate, it will pay for itself twice over: it eases the sewerage undertaker’s budget and the public pays lower sewerage charges.

The sewerage and construction sec-tors benefits too: years of experience in the use of vitrified clay pipes give confidence for forward planning on the employment market. Jobs are protected, new jobs created, while nature-friendly solutions for the dis-posal of waste water make a contri-bution towards maintaining the vital ecological balance of the soil. That is socially acceptable and works to the benefit of generations yet unborn.

“Is there such a thing as a stable ecosystem?”

Yes. Vitrified clay pipes are rigid, corrosion-proof and wear-resistant. Blockages and points vulnerable to leakage liable to harm the environ-ment will not arise in the first place.

Vitrified clay pipes have been exten-sively used to transport waste water for over 100 years – and with great success. Thanks to the material’s high robustness and stability, it saves a great deal of expenditure in ground compacting prior to installation. It retains its proper shape once in the ground itself: the pipes always remain stable and give top hydraulic perfor-mance – even when subject to vertical pressure of several tonnes.

Modern vitrified clay pipes also have a fully developed, securely fixed jointing system, resist high pressure up to 340 bar and are resistant to pH values over the range 0 – 14. The ideal solution where materials are subject to severe effluents, aggravated where there is only a slight slope to the pipes, and consequently a slower dilution effect.

“Is there an EU standard for a clean environment?”

Yes, but it’s not only the envi-ronment that benefits from vitri-fied clay pipes. Subsequent connec-tions are quite straightforward under the EN 295 Europe-wide Building Product standard.

The vitrified clay industry has ap-plied standardised product geom-etry for over 100 years. The big advantages are accuracy of fit and confidence in planning, regardless of the manufacturer.

By contrast, the rest of the market for waste-water pipes generally looks very different: widely-varying de-signs, profiles, materials, robustness, ring stiffness and wall strength are all constraints on project development, cost much time and money, and entail the drawback of being tied to a single system or manufacturer.

Yes. Vitrified clay has turned itself into high-quality, high-tech ceramics – very robust and future-proof.

Ceramics are highly-valued materials in many sectors, thanks to their great potential – whether in medicine, space travel or the motor industry.

By virtue of their high-quality materials, modern clay pipes made of high-tech ceramics have virtually unlimited useful working lives: they are highly compressed, able to withstand wide variations in tem-perature as well as high pressure, and hence provide the best condi-tions for disposing of waste material ecologically and safely in the future.

“Is High-tech naturally good?”

Theanswer to the most vital questions

Yes. Vitrified clay does belong in every tender.

Ecology and Sustainability Vitrified clay pipes are a 100 % natural product – it uses resources sparingly, is fully recyclable and produces favourable CO2 outcomes.

EconomyVitrified clay pipes will remain stable over many generations. Thanks to its long working life, vitrified clay is by far the most economical product – with the lowest real costs per operating year.

SocietyExpansion of vitrified clay pipe systems is to the benefit of both man and Na-ture. Jobs are safeguarded, the ecosys-tem is preserved.

Stability and SolidityVitrified clay pipes are stable under pressure, rigid and have fully developed jointing systems. Blockages of waste water by pipe distortion or environmen-tally-damaging non-watertight points are virtually impossible.

CompatibilityThanks to the EN 295 Building-product standard, vitrified clay pipes of the same jointing system made by different manufacturers will fit together perfectly. Subsequent connections are straight-forward.

New TraditionVitrified clay has turned itself into high-quality, high-tech ceramics. It is outstandingly robust, and is best answer thanks to its extremely long working life.

You can find further information at www.feugres.eu