Effect of magnetic water treatment on calcium carbonate precipitation: Influence of the pipe material

Abstract

The main purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of the material of the pipe, through which scalant water (4 mM of CaCO 3) was magnetically treated, on the calcium carbonate precipitation process. Tested solutions were exposed to a magnetic field (MF) of 0.16 T for 15 min with different flow rates (0.54–0.94 L min −1) and pH (6–7.5). Magnetic water treatment and pipe material (PTFE, Tygon, PVC, copper, and stainless steel) effects on CaCO 3 crystallization were assessed by means of a precipitation test based on the dissolved-CO 2 degasification method. It was shown that magnetic treatment (MT) affects calcium carbonate crystallization by increasing the total precipitate quantity and by favouring its formation in the bulk solution instead of its incrustation on the walls. This was observed for all used pipe materials but, it is strongly dependent on their physico-chemical properties. It was found that the homogeneous and total precipitation ratios were significantly influenced when MF was applied through non-conductive materials. It was also found that for the same pipe material, the surface roughness plays an important role on the effect of MT on CaCO 3 crystallization. In addition, it was shown that the pipe material strongly influences the nucleation process of CaCO 3 even in the absence of MF.