{"title":"Free Chlorine Can Inhibit Lead Solder Corrosion via Electrochemical Reversal","authors":"Frank A. Mazzola, Kathryn G. Lopez, Marc Edwards","doi":"10.1021/acs.est.4c07375","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Galvanic corrosion of lead–tin solder in copper plumbing can be a major contributor to water lead contamination. Here, we report the electrochemical reversal of the copper-solder galvanic couple, in which the normally anodic solder becomes cathodic to copper via a reaction with free chlorine. This reversal occurred after a few months of exposure to continuously circulating water with relatively low pH and low alkalinity, causing dramatically decreased lead release and the formation of a Pb(IV) scale. Chloramine did not similarly inhibit solder corrosion over the 4–9 month test duration, resulting in up to 100 times more lead contamination of the water relative to free chlorine. These findings have major implications for corrosion control and public health and can help explain anomalously low levels of lead contamination in some waters with free chlorine that are normally considered corrosive to solder.","PeriodicalId":36,"journal":{"name":"环境科学与技术","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":10.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"环境科学与技术","FirstCategoryId":"1","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c07375","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Galvanic corrosion of lead–tin solder in copper plumbing can be a major contributor to water lead contamination. Here, we report the electrochemical reversal of the copper-solder galvanic couple, in which the normally anodic solder becomes cathodic to copper via a reaction with free chlorine. This reversal occurred after a few months of exposure to continuously circulating water with relatively low pH and low alkalinity, causing dramatically decreased lead release and the formation of a Pb(IV) scale. Chloramine did not similarly inhibit solder corrosion over the 4–9 month test duration, resulting in up to 100 times more lead contamination of the water relative to free chlorine. These findings have major implications for corrosion control and public health and can help explain anomalously low levels of lead contamination in some waters with free chlorine that are normally considered corrosive to solder.
期刊介绍:
Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) is a co-sponsored academic and technical magazine by the Hubei Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau and the Hubei Provincial Academy of Environmental Sciences.
Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) holds the status of Chinese core journals, scientific papers source journals of China, Chinese Science Citation Database source journals, and Chinese Academic Journal Comprehensive Evaluation Database source journals. This publication focuses on the academic field of environmental protection, featuring articles related to environmental protection and technical advancements.