Controlling lead release due to uniform and galvanic corrosion — An evaluation of silicate-based inhibitors

Abstract

Silicates have been added to drinking water for decades, both to sequester iron/manganese and as a corrosion control treatment for lead. But the mechanisms by which they might act to limit lead release are not well understood. We evaluated the effects of two silicate formulations on lead release due to uniform and galvanic corrosion over a wide range of pH and dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations. We compared these results to better-characterized systems, with added ortho- or polyphosphate and in an inhibitor-free control. Independent of pH, silicates did not consistently mitigate lead release due to either uniform or galvanic corrosion. Furthermore, lead carbonates appeared to determine lead solubility in the presence of sodium silicate. While silicate treatment did promote the formation of a nanometer-thick silicon layer on lead and a decrease in crystallite size at the scale surface, these changes did not inhibit lead release. But unlike polyphosphate—which is known to form soluble complexes with lead and disperse particulate metals—high ratio silicate did not exacerbate lead release. Metasilicate did exacerbate lead release, especially at pH 7 and 5 mg DIC/L; this suggests that silicate formulation may have an important effect on the dispersion of lead-rich particles.