%0 Journal Article
%K Lead pipes
%K Lead in drinking water
%K Electrochemical treatment
%K Lead and copper rule
%K Anodic coating
%A G.P Lobo
%A B Kalyan
%A Ashok J Gadgil
%B Journal of Hazardous Materials
%D 2021
%G eng
%R https://doi.org/10.1016
%T Electrochemical deposition of amorphous aluminum oxides on lead pipes to prevent lead leaching into the drinking water
%U https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1826346
%V 423
%8 09/2021
%X <p>Over 5000 public drinking water systems in the US are out of compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule. Lead<br />leaching from lead pipes is limited by the solubility of a naturally occurring scale. Changes in water quality may<br />cause this scale to become more soluble, releasing lead into the drinking water. We propose a novel electro-<br />chemical method to prevent lead leaching from lead pipes. In this method, an aluminum wire and an alkaline<br />phosphate electrolyte are inserted into the pipes. The pipes are then anodized for 2 h by using an external power<br />supply, resulting in the electrodeposition of an insoluble aluminum oxide layer on top of the preexisting scale.<br />This technology was tested on lead pipes from the EBMUD water distribution systems located in Berkeley, CA,<br />using recirculating synthetic and actual tap water for 120 days. The untreated pipes leached an average of 23 ppb<br />and 38 ppb of lead respectively, when using free chlorine and monochloramine as disinfection residuals. In<br />contrast, the treated pipes leached 3 ppb and 5 ppb respectively. These results suggest that the proposed<br />treatment has the potential to prevent lead leaching regardless of the disinfection residual and thus should be<br />further explored in a field trial.</p>