Development of an In-Situ Technique to Dynamically Monitor the Release of Copper from Copper Water Pipe

    Katuzu Musa Ibrahim¹, Ibrahim. A. Hodi¹, Mohammed Bukar² & Yagana Abba sidi²

Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe¹

  Shehu Sule of College Nursing and midwifery, Damaturu²

Corresponding author: Katuzu Musa IbrahimEmail:musaibrahimkatuzu@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The effect of long-term stagnation of water in copper pipe plumbing systems released various concentration of copper to the water. The analysis of stagnation time of water in copper pipe for the concentration of copper using ultrapure water, spring water and tap water were carryout in the laboratory using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The analysis deals with water quality modification during its stagnation time in copper pipe cause electrochemical processes. Several variables were investigated, varying water composition in tap water, spring water, and ultrapure water from instrumentation laboratory for the stagnation time in the copper pipe for the different concentrations of copper metal released into the water, using different time of stagnation of 7 hours. For the experimental conditions used during stagnation time of water in the copper pipe in this work, the total concentration of copper released by the copper pipe into the water increases during the first four (4) hours of stagnation, which shows the oxidation of metallic copper which increase the concentration of the copper into the water when the release of copper is control by scale formation, the concentration of copper decreases steadily for the remaining hours in both the water sample been analyzed. The concentration of copper released from copper water pipe increases and decreases steadily due to the oxidation of cuprite (Cu₂O) and the solubility of malachite (CuCO₃Cu (OH₂)) in the tested water (spring water, ultrapure water and tap water), vary from 1 hour, 2 hours 3 hours, 4 hours and 7 hours respectively due to order of magnitude depending on the stagnation time. Indeed copper released into the drinking water by copper pipe became the major source of copper pollution into our system which contributes significantly to the dietary intake of copper through copper in drinking water. The acceptable limit of copper in drinking water is 2 mg/L (J. Dartmann et al., 2010) if drinking water exceeds this limit, the water can be treated.

Keywords: Stagnation, copper pipe, concentration, water, ultrapure.