According to an independent survey of wastewater engineers, municipal managers and contractors, a chemically resistant lining’s permeability to corrosive substances was shown to be the most important consideration during product selection.

According to an independent survey of wastewater engineers, municipal managers and contractors, a chemically resistant lining’s permeability to corrosive substances was shown to be the most important consideration during product selection. The survey was conducted by WaterOnline, a service for the water and wastewater industry, and was sponsored by Sauereisen, Inc., a manufacturer of industrial construction materials.

“Because of government mandated industrial pretreatment, longer detention times for waste water due to air quality regulations and other factors, concrete structures in waste-water infrastructure are exposed to more severe conditions now than in the past,” said Randy Nixon, senior consultant, Corrosion Probe, Inc., an engineering and consulting firm in the field of corrosion and material science. “Under these conditions, permeability is perhaps the most prominent factor in the failure of coatings designed to protect concrete from this rapid degradation.”

Although approximately 70% of those surveyed said permeability to corrosive substances is the most critical factor for chemically resistant linings, more than 64% said permeability is the most commonly overlooked aspect of corrosion-resistant lining selection. The study also revealed chemical resistance to be the most important quality of protective linings, with porosity ranked as the number one factor in determining chemical resistance.

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