Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage

Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage Yujing Huang, Saige Wang, Yu Shao, Tuqiao Zhang, Shuang Song, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7245947/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Global drinking water security depends critically on the effective maintenance of water supply systems. However, this task is beset by rising energy demands, expanding carbon emissions, and increasing water needs, with energy-carbon-water balanced pipe cleaning strategies largely unexplored. Here we developed a multi-level framework to evaluate the impacts of replacing the conventional pipe cleaning technique (unidirectional flushing, UF) with emerging air scouring (AS), ice pigging (IP), and their combination (AS + IP), on energy, carbon and water, at the individual-pipe, city, and national levels. At the individual-pipe level, IP can reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint and water consumption, by 68%, 88%, and 90%, respectively, compared to UF, with scale effects in large-diameter pipelines. A global pipeline classification framework integrating network density and regional factors was developed to optimize cleaning strategies. AS + IP strategy reduces energy by 2,458.02 GWh, carbon footprint by 16,766.44 tCO 2 -equivalent, and water by 2.70×10 9 m 3 in 3.80 million km of pipes. Pipe diameter is a critical factor in technological transition. A tailored 27-year transition cleaning strategy could save energy, carbon footprint and water by 14.81, 12.22 and 17.00 times, respectively. The significant yet overlooked potential to reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint and water consumption highlights major environmental and economic benefits of advanced global water infrastructure maintenance. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Energy and society/Energy management Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupportingInformation.docx Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7245947","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":494413107,"identity":"0c3ad655-3965-42f7-8440-dba4a4b8644b","order_by":0,"name":"Yujing Huang","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yujing","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""},{"id":494413108,"identity":"e35599ce-7daa-4158-8c95-d3f2bf423530","order_by":1,"name":"Saige Wang","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1999-8304","institution":"University of Science and Technology Beijing","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saige","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":494413109,"identity":"1e1dd416-41f6-43a4-bbb4-052b6ad420d0","order_by":2,"name":"Yu Shao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yu","middleName":"","lastName":"Shao","suffix":""},{"id":494413110,"identity":"d499d8ed-7f58-4b89-9161-0429d002dc5b","order_by":3,"name":"Tuqiao Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhejiang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tuqiao","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":494413111,"identity":"16bb34d1-7dc9-41c0-abe2-21333b8c20b5","order_by":4,"name":"Shuang Song","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8033-6839","institution":"Zhejiang university of technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shuang","middleName":"","lastName":"Song","suffix":""},{"id":494413112,"identity":"d65e2e12-0870-4859-a0e5-fb681880cfc0","order_by":5,"name":"Kuishuang Feng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kuishuang","middleName":"","lastName":"Feng","suffix":""},{"id":494413113,"identity":"5e18833b-5f19-4a0f-9373-3b7487f4e4bd","order_by":6,"name":"Nan Li","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7272-4273","institution":"Tsinghua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nan","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":494413114,"identity":"7f37eaf6-9f5e-40df-90f5-07ed6d4908a1","order_by":7,"name":"Brian Fath","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9440-6842","institution":"Towson University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Brian","middleName":"","lastName":"Fath","suffix":""},{"id":494413115,"identity":"43a91821-a86e-4a41-a711-2c22111f0dd6","order_by":8,"name":"Albert Nkwasa Nkwasa","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8685-8854","institution":"International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Albert","middleName":"Nkwasa","lastName":"Nkwasa","suffix":""},{"id":494413116,"identity":"2bc03f30-aaa1-4853-91a3-2c6aa36a1709","order_by":9,"name":"Feilong Dong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Feilong","middleName":"","lastName":"Dong","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-29 18:06:43","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7245947/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7245947/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88313966,"identity":"6c0fb42d-a3dc-4b1f-8b63-1b4954bf173d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-05 07:24:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1264103,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7245947/v1_covered_aee35208-4dd1-4860-b2c3-a1442f43fe49.pdf"},{"id":88311700,"identity":"274bdb01-a871-41c9-825f-602125dd7f3d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-05 06:59:55","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":16621735,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage","description":"","filename":"SupportingInformation.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7245947/v1/0978f7c7850663a7ef5eaa64.docx"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7245947/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7245947/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eGlobal drinking water security depends critically on the effective maintenance of water supply systems. However, this task is beset by rising energy demands, expanding carbon emissions, and increasing water needs, with energy-carbon-water balanced pipe cleaning strategies largely unexplored. Here we developed a multi-level framework to evaluate the impacts of replacing the conventional pipe cleaning technique (unidirectional flushing, UF) with emerging air scouring (AS), ice pigging (IP), and their combination (AS\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;IP), on energy, carbon and water, at the individual-pipe, city, and national levels. At the individual-pipe level, IP can reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint and water consumption, by 68%, 88%, and 90%, respectively, compared to UF, with scale effects in large-diameter pipelines. A global pipeline classification framework integrating network density and regional factors was developed to optimize cleaning strategies. AS\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;IP strategy reduces energy by 2,458.02 GWh, carbon footprint by 16,766.44 tCO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-equivalent, and water by 2.70\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e m\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e in 3.80\u0026nbsp;million km of pipes. Pipe diameter is a critical factor in technological transition. A tailored 27-year transition cleaning strategy could save energy, carbon footprint and water by 14.81, 12.22 and 17.00 times, respectively. The significant yet overlooked potential to reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint and water consumption highlights major environmental and economic benefits of advanced global water infrastructure maintenance.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Optimizing Pipe Cleaning Strategies Significantly Reduces Global Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Water Usage","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-05 06:59:50","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7245947/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-communications","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"NCOMMS","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Communications](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-ncomms.nature.com/","title":"Nature Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Communications","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1588955a-3399-4cf7-9502-4876f82f4a4b","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 5th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":52513694,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability"},{"id":52513695,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Energy and society/Energy management"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-13T14:22:01+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-05 06:59:50","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7245947","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7245947","identity":"rs-7245947","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}