Selective dissolution of zinc and lead from duplex β-phase brasses in low and high conductivity water

Abstract

This study provides insights regarding the selective metal leaching of brass in various tap water conditions, which benefits water utilities to predict the potential of metal released from brass water meters. The long-term time-dependent selective metal dissolution of brass with various β phase fractions have not previously been investigated. In this study, a 201-d immersion experiment was carried out in low and high conductivity tap water (LCTW and HCTW, respectively). Three commercialized brass samples in different β phase fractions (β = 51%, β = 43%, β = 39%), named brass 51, brass 43, and brass 39, respectively, were used. The results showed that brass 51 had the most negative corrosion potential (−0.17 V) and the lowest polarization resistance (8.5 kΩ) compared to brass 43 and brass 39 (−0.04 V and 10.1−14.7 kΩ, respectively) in LCTW. This trend was verified by the 201-d immersion experiment in which brass 51 exhibited the highest zinc leaching rate (21−30 μg L−1 cm−2 d−1), followed by brass 43 and brass 39 (16−23 μg L−1 cm−2 d−1) in both waters. The leaching amounts of lead and copper were extremely low compared to zinc. In LCTW, the uniform corrosion (UC) mechanism dominated from day 1 to day 120. Afterwards, UC was replaced by the galvanic corrosion (GC) mechanism, with the selective leaching coefficient of Zn over Cu (SZn/Cu) increasing from 10 to 25 to 40−80. In HCTW, however, the SZn/Cu reached 300−1000, and the transition of UC to GC occurred earlier on day 30 due to the rapid formation of the ZnO layer on the brass surface that hindered the ion attack.