Plastic Innovations and Water Management for the Future

The conservation and development of the environment and natural resources are among the primary drivers propelling SCG Chemicals to innovate and extend innovations to achieve sustainability. And "water," in particular, is one of the fundamental natural resources that impacts both everyone's quality of life and the country's economic progress.

SCG Chemicals, Thailand's leading materials science specialist and Asia's integrated chemical manufacturer, has long advocated for sustainable water management. This commitment aligns with one of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 6, "Clean Water and Sanitation." In the effort to achieve the goal, SCG Chemicals has introduced a number of solutions relating to water management in three different areas: "polymers for safe water storage, polymers to alleviate water shortage, and polymers for water treatment."

Polymers for safe water storage
Being healthy is a critical component of socioeconomic progress. Access to safe and adequate water supplies is among the factors that contribute to a positive sense of well-being.

Enter elixir, the polymer breakthrough developed by SCG Chemicals to help extend the standards and benchmarks for polymer plastic groundwater storage tank production It has distinct characteristics from standard polymer materials for water storage tanks in the following ways:

• Food Contact Materials: FCMs. elixir has been tested in accordance with international standards, ensuring that it is suitable for use in foods and drinks.
• Free from heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. elixir uses heavy-metal-free pigments that are heat and pressure processed to create a homogeneous combination. As a result, there will be no peeling during usage, ensuring the safety of the stored water.
• Strong and durable. elixir has anti-UV qualities that keep the material from deteriorating when exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet rays, extending its service life.
• Free from algae, bacteria, and odor. Because of its opaque qualities, moulding process, and wall thickness of 4.5-5.5 mm, the water tank constructed of elixir material is not conducive to algae and bacterial growth. As a result, the material exhibits sunlight, which prevents the growth of undesirable microorganisms.

For transporting water and drinking water to safety-sensitive and environmentally conscious customers, SCG Chemicals also created SCG Green Premium. This innovative, lead-free PVC pipe has been certified by a variety of standards. It is the first and only Thailand's Green Lebel PVC pipe product for unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC-U) pipe for drinking water service, namely SCG Green Choice (TGL-103-15), to be certified by NSF International in the United States under the company's criteria based on ISO14021 standards in terms of promoting good health and well-being. The material also complies with Thailand's new industrial product standards (TISI) for PVC pipes, which went into force this year, giving consumers confidence in the product's quality and hygiene.

Polymers alleviate water shortage
SCG Chemicals has teamed with the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) to construct a 20-kilometer submarine water pipeline between Phun Phin District and Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, making it Thailand's first large-scale pipeline installation project.

In this project, SCG Chemicals uses PE112, an innovative polymer material for business water pipeline production.  It is a patented world-class black polyethylene compound with unique properties of SCG HDPE H112PC which employs superior thickness and strength performance to conventional PE100, a 10% higher capacity to withstand pressure inside and outside the pipe, and a 50% higher abrasion resistance measured by Sand Slurry test with greater flexibility and bendability, which make it easy for submersion with a longer service life.

SCG Chemicals' involvement in the project helps to improve the quality of life for Koh Samui residents, particularly communities along the pipeline. It serves as a crucial basis for the community's long-term economic growth.

To learn more about PE112, see the video here: https://bit.ly/3Am4bfd

Polymers for water treatment
Apart from elixir and PE112, which are invented and developed to raise the quality of life and promote societal development, SCG Chemicals is aware of water pollution challenges, which it believes must be addressed urgently. It is necessary to take advantage of holistic cooperation across multiple sectors for water conservation while also utilizing innovation to preserve and restore environmental abundance. SCG-DMCR Litter Trap and Zyclonic™ by SCG are two notable examples introduced to fulfill the goal.

To improve the efficiency of eliminating wastes from water sources, SCG Chemicals collaborated with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) to develop the litter trap, which comes in two models: SCG-DMCR Litter Trap and SCG-DMCR Litter Trap Generation 2. The polymers from SCG Chemicals are the key component in the two breakthroughs for cleaning water sources. The SCG-DMCR Litter Trap is manufactured from leftover PE100 from the SCG plants' molding processes which have good strength and durability. The newer model, SCG-DMCR Litter Trap Generation 2, incorporates floating materials HDPE-Bone, made of special grade HDPE in place of original materials, enhancing buoyancy and waste collection performance. It also has improved UV resistance and a 25-year lifespan and is easy to set up and install. These two innovations are recyclable based on the circular economy.

Another innovation is Zyclonic™by SCG, a water treatment system that uses biological and electro-chemical processes to improve the quality of greywater from toilets and households, rendering the water free of pathogens, colors, and odors and is reusable. The innovation can be connected to the grease ponds and sewage wells of the building. This sustainable hygiene innovation evolved from the SCG Reinvented Toilet in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

SCG Chemicals prioritizes not only water resource management, but also the creation and development of polymer innovation that is environmentally responsible and benefits society in a variety of ways. To see more interesting content, please click here: https://bit.ly/3AqfEdD

Sources

• https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030-goal6.html
• https://www.nsf.org/
• https://www.tei.or.th/greenlabel/about.html
• https://www.tisi.go.th/data/standard/fulltext/TIS-17-2561m.pdf