Comparison of Chlorine and Chloramines on Lead Release from Copper Pipe Rigs
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 8
Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess lead release in a pipe rig system that was disinfected with either chloramines or free chlorine. The study was carried out using pipe loops and copper pipe rigs that had lead solder, which provided the only source of lead. The water quality of the treated water had a low alkalinity ( as ), neutral pH, and low hardness ( as ). However, the study used a corrosion control program that consisted of dosing with 0.8-mg of zinc orthophosphate and controlling the pH to 7.3, that was consistent with the corrosion-control program operated in the host water treatment plant. Key findings from the study confirmed that chloramines would result in lead release under the current corrosion-control program, whereas free chlorine was not as compromising. Lead concentrations were approximately an order of magnitude lower in the free chlorine system than the chloramine systems. In this study, chloramines with a target residual concentration of released and following stagnation times of 24 h and 30 min, respectively. Furthermore, chloramines with a target residual concentration of resulted in a lead release of and following a stagnation time of 24 h and 30 min, respectively. By comparison, the pipe rigs that were dosed with a free chlorine target residual concentration of had lead concentrations of and for the 24-h and 30-min stagnation times. This project demonstrates that care needs to be taken when evaluating secondary disinfectants, particularly for those water systems having a low dissolved inorganic carbon concentration.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Halifax Water and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Resource Council of Canada (NSERC) for financial support to the NSERC/Halifax Water Industrial Research Chair. Additional funding support for this project was obtained from the Canadian Water Network (CWN). Additionally, the authors also acknowledge and thank research support staff at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), specifically Heather Daurie, and at the J.D. Kline Water Supply Plant (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 8 • August 2013
Pages: 1099 - 1107
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 18, 2012
Accepted: Mar 11, 2013
Published online: Mar 13, 2013
Published in print: Aug 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Aug 13, 2013
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