THE MAGAZINE FOR THE DRAINAGE, WATER & WASTEWATER INDUSTRIES
MAIN FEATURE
electric gully tankers and sweepers for various applications. As part of the wider Group we also have a power solutions business that can support sustainable solutions for powering any fleet. We are already experiencing the infrastructure capability requirements essential to supporting net zero emissions assets and we work with customers, using fleet data, to identify and analyse opportunities to begin integrating and planning the sustainable fleets of the future.”
In regard to the phasing out of the combustion engine, Dawsongroup say they are already assessing the best alternatives to internal combustion engines, working with manufacturers to explore their viability. Because of the diverse nature of their customer base, Dawsongroup say it is important they represent customers’ real world needs. They comment that technology is improving all the time, but as we get nearer to Government target deadlines, it will probably be a blend of electric, biofuel and hydrogen solutions required to support a net zero fleet.
Glen continued: “We are biased, but I think the way businesses evaluate ownership vs usership (ie. will they finance an asset or hire it to mitigate risk?) is going to shift, and we are already seeing that trend in contract hiring new technology. Also, the value of a used asset will most likely no longer be based on mileage but on the health of the battery, which will impact residual values and how assets can be financed. It is essential, as we see the impact of climate change across the globe, that we are already moving towards the ultimate goal of sustainable fleets. All this whilst remaining aware of our continuing responsibilities, and championing our customers, who are end users in real world conditions, by ensuring there are cost-effective viable solutions available to them.”
How wide should the green net be?
The drainage industry has its own special challenges to overcome and responsibility for excessive waste has to come also from further up the line (those of us using, reusing or wasting water and
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This 'living material,' made of a natural polymer combined with genetically engineered bacteria, could offer a
sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water - David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
October 2023 | 21
wastewater facilities), and further down the line (the water companies dealing with our waste – and we all know about that ongoing saga).
There are many other companies involved in the drainage industry, such as pipe manufacturers. The British Plastics Federation Pipes Group is keen to point out that the thermoplastic materials used in pipes, fittings, tanks and other drainage systems by their members are a far cry from single-use plastic and provide many years of continuous service, both inside and outside buildings.
As Caroline Ayres comments: “With the increasing complexity of plumbing systems, skills, standards and best practice are crucial to minimising waste and ensuring these systems operate without fault for decades. Plastic fittings are essential to modern households. A recent report from respected independent researchers McKinsey and Company (‘Climate Impact of Plastics’ July 2022) looked into the impact of plastics on climate change and concluded that plastics actually have a lower total greenhouse gas contribution than alternatives in most applications.”
The BPF Pipes Group is at the forefront of standards development, producing many guidance documents, and it’s interesting that a pipe manufactured today can be
retrofitted to a pipe manufactured several decades ago, which means the whole system doesn’t have to be replaced. Like many other building products, pipe manufacturers do not force obsolescence; compare that to anyone trying to install new software or operating systems on a five-year-old tablet or laptop – they will know that this is not true of other markets.
Other potentially green developments
The Engineer featured a new development on 6 September online: an eco-friendly 3D printed material that can clean up pollutants in water. Developed by the University of California San Diego (UCSD), the engineered living material is a 3D-printed structure made of a seaweed-based polymer combined with bacteria that have been genetically engineered to produce an enzyme that transforms various organic pollutants into benign molecules. The bacteria were also engineered to self-destruct in the presence of theophylline (a chemical compound used to treat chronic asthma), offering a way to eliminate them once their job was done.
The researchers describe the new decontaminating material in ‘Nature Communications.’
“What’s innovative is the pairing of a
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