Cost-efficient sustainable control of lead solubility in Bristol Water drinking water network

铅管道继续用于英国和全球各地较老物业的国内管道。限制铅向供水网络释放的主要方法是更换铅管和对水进行正磷酸盐处理。众所周知，正磷酸盐处理会通过形成替代铅沉淀来降低铅的溶解度。尽管如此，关于形成的铅-磷酸盐矿物以及水质对矿物特性和特征的影响的知识有限。研究水质如何影响铅的溶解度将是该项目的一个主要目标。同样，目前正在寻求新的替代水处理技术来限制铅的溶解度。这项研究将调查这些替代处理方法，包括正磷酸盐-聚磷酸盐混合物，以及它们限制管道内铅溶解的可能性。该项目预计将使用多种方法来研究水处理方法。人们的期望是，这些技术方法的结果可以将工业规模的观测与分子水平上确定的结果联系起来。分析化学将研究来自铅管的淋洗水和铅管鳞片，以确定不同水质参数和处理技术之间是否一致。这项工作预计需要几种分析技术，包括但不限于X射线衍射、傅里叶变换红外光谱、电子显微镜和能量色散X射线显微分析。以前的研究没有试图在控制水质或替代水处理技术的情况下进行这种类型的分析。类似地，以前的研究涉及使用铅钻机测试正磷酸盐处理，但忽略了正确测试正磷酸盐剂量或主要水质参数的重要性，这两者都可能影响铅的溶解度。这项研究将在实验室和布里斯托尔水厂使用铅钻机，利用设计的实验测试铅、颜色、磷和其他金属通过铅管的溶解度，同时测试不同的因素，包括几个水质参数、处理技术和处理浓度。最后，通过严格评估布里斯托尔水务网络中现有的水质和正磷酸盐处理数据，这项研究可以确定结果的相关性。这对于确认大规模的真实网络数据是否与实验室研究的数据相关至关重要。平衡、动力学和热力学等考虑因素都有助于真实世界中铅的溶解度，尽管研究通常在实验室进行，但它们往往忽视了它们是否能证明它们与工业数据有明确的相关性。通过这一项目，将对影响铅溶解度的水质和水处理因素有更好的了解。这可以帮助政策制定者，包括布里斯托尔水务公司，改进他们的处理技术，在控制铅的需要和生产无色、低富营养化潜力水的愿望之间取得平衡。所有项目重点领域都与EPSRC的核心主题直接相关，通过在更具弹性和更繁荣的英国社会框架内调查更可持续的饮用水处理和交付。

Lead piping continues to be used in domestic pipelines of older properties around the UK and globally. The primary approaches to limiting the release of lead into the water network are replacement of lead pipes and orthophosphate treatment of water. Orthophosphate treatment is known to reduce lead solubility by forming alternative lead precipitates. Despite this there is limited knowledge on the lead-phosphate minerals formed and the impact of water quality on mineral identity and character. Studying how water quality effects lead solubility will be a major aim of the project. Similarly, new alternative water treatment techniques are currently being sought to limit lead solubility. This research will investigate these alternative treatments, including orthophosphate-polyphosphate blends, and their potential to limit lead solubility within piping.The project anticipates utilising multiple approaches to study water treatment methods. The expectation is that results from these techniques approaches can be correlated linking industrial scale observations with those determined in the molecular level. Analytical chemistry will study eluent water from lead pipes and lead piping scales determining whether these are consistent between different water quality parameters and treatment techniques. This work is expected to require several analytical techniques including, but not limited to, X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis. Previous research has not attempted to carry out this type of analysis while controlling the water quality or alternative water treatment techniques.Similarly previous research involving use of lead rigs to test orthophosphate treatment have neglected to properly test the importance of orthophosphate dose or major water quality parameters, both which likely affect lead solubility. This study will use lead rigs within the lab and Bristol Water sites to utilise Designed Experiments testing lead, colour, phosphorus and other metals solubility through lead pipes while varying factors including several water quality parameters, treatment techniques and treatment concentrations. Finally, by critically assessing the existing water quality and orthophosphate treatment data within the Bristol Water network the study can determine how relevant the results are. This is critical to confirm whether large scale, real-world network data correlates to that of lab studies. Considerations such as equilibria, kinetics and thermodynamics all contribute to real-world lead solubility and while studies are commonly carried out in laboratories, they often neglect to consider whether they can demonstrate a clear correlation to industrial data. As a result of this project there will be a greater understanding of the water quality and water treatment factors which affect lead solubility. This can help policy makers, including Bristol Water, refine their treatment techniques balancing the need to control lead with desire to produce colour-free, low-eutrophication potential water. All the project focus areas directly relate to the core topic of EPSRC by investigating more sustainable drinking water treatment and delivery within framework of more resilient and prosperous UK society.