Corrosion of upstream metal plumbing components impact downstream PEX pipe surface deposits and degradation.

Chemosphere

Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 550 W. Stadium Ave., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 500 Central Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA. Electronic address:

Published: December 2019

Plastic pipes have been and are being installed downstream of metal drinking water plumbing components. Prior research has suggested that such pipe configurations may induce plastic pipe degradation and even system failure. To explore the impact of upstream metal plumbing components on downstream plastic pipes, field- and bench-scale experiments were conducted. Six month old galvanized iron pipes (GIPs) and downstream crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) pipes were exhumed from a residential home. Calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorous, and zinc were the most abundant elements on both GIPs and PEX pipes. Black and yellow deposits were found on some of the exhumed PEX pipe inner walls, which were mainly copper, iron, and manganese oxides (CuO, Cu(OH), FeO, FeOOH and MnO). Follow-up bench-scale experiments revealed that metal levels in the drinking water did not always predict metal loadings on plastic pipe surfaces. The pH 4 water resulted in a greater amount of metals released into the bulk water, but the pH 7.5 water resulted in a greater amount of metals deposited on the PEX pipe surfaces. Hot water (55 °C) induced a greater amount of organics released and higher metal loadings on PEX pipe surfaces at pH 7.5. ATR-FTIR analysis showed that at 55 °C, PEX pipes connected to copper and brass components had the greatest oxidation functional group peak intensity (COOC, CO, and COC). This study highlights potential downstream plastic pipe degradation and metal deposition, which may cause plumbing problems and failures for building owners, inhabitants, and water utilities.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.07.060DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

pex pipe
16
plumbing components
12
plastic pipe
12
pex pipes
12
pipe surfaces
12
greater amount
12
upstream metal
8
metal plumbing
8
pipe
8
plastic pipes
8

Similar Publications

This study investigated lead (Pb) transport through new, biofilm-laden, and calcium carbonate-scaled crosslinked polyethylene (PEX-A) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) potable water pipes. The research focused on Pb accumulation through short-term exposure incidents (6 h) and Pb release for a longer duration (5 d). A mechanistic investigation of the surface morphology variations of plastic pipes following biofilm and scale formation has been conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Flushing Home Plumbing Pipes Contaminated with Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Containing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.

J Environ Eng (New York)

September 2023

Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) can be accidentally backflushed into drinking water systems during firefighting operations or at industrial facilities. If this contaminated water enters household plumbing systems, homeowners may need to decontaminate their plumbing. This study examines the persistence of PFAS from AFFF on home plumbing, along with the effects of flushing and stagnation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hyperspectral infrared (IR) images contain a large amount of highly spatially resolved information about the chemical composition of a sample. However, the analysis of hyperspectral IR imaging data for complex heterogeneous systems can be challenging because of the spectroscopic and spatial complexity of the data. We implement a deep generative modeling approach using a β-variational autoencoder to learn disentangled representations of the generative factors of variance in a data set of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX-a) pipe.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A Critical Review on the Factors that Influence Opportunistic Premise Plumbing Pathogens: From Building Entry to Fixtures in Residences.

Environ Sci Technol

April 2023

Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.

Residential buildings provide unique conditions for opportunistic premise plumbing pathogen (OPPP) exposure via aerosolized water droplets produced by showerheads, faucets, and tubs. The objective of this review was to critically evaluate the existing literature that assessed the impact of potentially enhancing conditions to OPPP occurrence associated with residential plumbing and to point out knowledge gaps. Comprehensive studies on the topic were found to be lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impact of Pipe Material and Temperature on Drinking Water Microbiome and Prevalence of , , and Species.

Microorganisms

January 2023

School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.

In drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), pipe material and water temperature are some of the critical factors affecting the microbial flora of water. Six model DWDSs consisting of three pipe materials (galvanized steel, copper, and PEX) were constructed. The temperature in three systems was maintained at 22 °C and the other 3 at 32 °C to study microbial and elemental contaminants in a 6-week survey using 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!