Selection of magnesium hydroxide coatings for corrosion mitigation in concrete sewer pipes by using multiple criteria decision analysis

Abstract

The efficiency of used materials for the construction of pipelines, usually build-up from concrete, is an important factor to ensure specific sustainability goals, such as proper sanitation conditions and prevention of environmental degradation. However, concrete in the sewer environment may suffer from severe deterioration, leading to structural and functional failures. In general, around 40% of pipeline failures are caused due to biogenic acid corrosion. The treatment of applying protective coatings onto the concrete sewer pipes’ inner surface is one of the current strategies for controlling sewer corrosion. This study presents the evaluation of a new class relatively low-cost magnesium hydroxide-based coatings by using Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The used method (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations - PROMETHEE) classifies the different examined coatings, taking into consideration selected factors that were studied, aiming to evaluate the anti-corrosion ability of used coatings. The parameters were evaluated after the coated concrete specimens had been subjected to three accelerated sulfuric acid spraying tests. The optimal coating, based on the comparison between three studied scenarios, was found to be the coating C5. However, the analysis resulted to different optimal coating for each examined scenario, i.e. coating C6 for the Hand-Held Device (HHD) test, coating C5 for the chamber test 1 (dry) and coating C3 for the chamber test 2 (wet). The results of this study would be helpful for the promotion of relevant Sustainable Development Goals, such as Goal 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” and Goal 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities''.

Keywords

• PROMETHEE method
• Concrete acid corrosion and control
• Magnesium hydroxide coatings
• Magnesium oxide coatings
• Sustainable development goals