A Novel Electrochemical Technique to Monitor Metal Release in Drinking Water Due to Internal Corrosion of Distribution Pipes

Results of a pioneering study, concerning the development of a new technique far on-line monitoring of copper concentration in drinking water, are presented and discussed. The technique is based on the use of a surrogate parameter, represented by the electrochemical potential, to measure the amount of copper released in drinking water because of corrosion. The most representative findings, resulting from laboratory and field studies, are described, highlighting the potentiality of the proposed technique. Experimental data are used to verify the relationship between the electrochemical potential and the copper concentration derived from a mathematical model, shortly presented, which describes the corrosion process taking place during water stagnation in contact with a metal surface