Most of us take clean drinking water for granted, but the fact is that Sweden's water treatment and distribution infrastructure is neglected. With its type approval, SST Slitskyddsteknik can help to future-proof this important social function.
Sweden's public drinking water network consists of around 71,000 kilometres of pipes, the equivalent of almost two revolutions of the earth. In addition, there are almost 1,800 waterworks throughout the country. The major expansion of this infrastructure took place in the 1950s and 60s - and the need for renovation and modernisation is great.
With this in mind, Karlstad-based SST Slitskyddsteknik is preparing for a boom in demand from Sweden's water and sewage companies. With a type approval for materials in contact with drinking water, the company, which supplies wear protection products, is well equipped.
"We work with poor surfaces on steel and concrete and have a number of different techniques to counteract olle in the gate. It can be composite, carbide or ceramic, depending on the nature of the problem," says Mikael Ringsåker, CEO of SST Slitskyddsteknik, and continues:
"The material for which we have now received type approval is used, for example, to repair concrete in swimming pools. "It can be 20-40 millimetres of bad concrete that we remove until we come to fresh concrete. Then we spray on this cement-based coating and smooth it down to a nice finish."
Type approval opens the market
With the wear protection in place, the basin in the treatment plant is protected from erosion and bacterial growth. It is important, of course, that the coating has no negative impact on the drinking water and its quality. In the first project where SST applied the method, the client carried out the evaluation and necessary tests to obtain a hygiene approval.
As the method proved to be both effective and hygienically safe, SST decided to go through the type approval process in order to help more water companies secure their drinking water infrastructure.
"When I presented this pilot project to customers at various trade fairs, many were interested. They all said, 'Get in touch when you have type approval'," says Mikael Ringsåker.
SST had worked with RISE on a project concerning concrete in waterworks and had a good experience with the research institute. When it came to finding a third party that could provide type approval for materials and products in contact with drinking water, RISE was the obvious choice.
Now we can go to our customers with clear proof that our solution can be used to advantage in the modernisation of the Swedish drinking water network
Prepared for future legislation
The task was given to certification engineer Jenny Johansson, who reviewed the documentation provided by SST and checked that the supplier's formulation did not contain anything incompatible with contact with drinking water. Colleagues from RISE carried out an inspection visit to the factory where the coating is manufactured to ensure that production meets the certification requirements. After six months, type approval was granted - proof that SST complies with the Planning and Building Act and the building regulations of the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning.
"This is important for the client. Partly because they now have proof that the coating is safe in contact with drinking water, and partly because there will be a new EU directive on materials in contact with drinking water in the near future. The directive will apply from 1 January 2027, but if you have a type approval before then, you can use it until the end of December 2032 while you work towards meeting the EU requirements as well," explains Jenny Johansson.
The type approval process went smoothly, says a satisfied Mikael Ringsåker.
"You could say that we, SST and our supplier of the specific product, paid for qualified people to go through the documentation and carry out this process, and I am very happy that we did. Now we can go to our customers with clear proof that our solution can be used to advantage in the modernisation of the Swedish drinking water network," he says.
About SST Slitskyddsteknik
SST Slitskyddsteknik offers wear protection products, installation and maintenance services to the basic industry. The company's main product areas are ceramics, composites, wear plates, polyurethane, thermal spraying and cement-based wear protection solutions.
