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Georgeite: A Rare Copper Mineral with Important Drinking Water Implications
Darren A Lytle1, David Wahman1, Michael R Schock1
1U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, NRMRL, WSWRD, TTEB, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268.
Chemical Engineering Journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996)
|July 6, 2019
Summary
This study identified georgeite as the primary copper solid in drinking water, challenging the cupric hydroxide model. This finding is crucial for understanding copper solubility and corrosion in water systems.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Water Chemistry
Background:
- The cupric hydroxide model explains copper levels in drinking water but lacks evidence of cupric hydroxide presence.
- Understanding copper solid precipitation is vital for accurate water quality modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of water chemistry on the solubility and properties of newly precipitated copper solids.
- To identify the specific mineral phase formed under various conditions.
Main Methods:
- Bench-scale precipitation tests were conducted varying pH and dissolved inorganic carbon.
- Copper solids were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and carbon analysis.
Main Results:
- Copper solids were consistently identified as georgeite (Cu 2 (CO 3 )(OH) 2 ·6H 2 O) across all tested conditions.
- The amorphous, isotropic, light blue to blue solids were characterized using multiple analytical techniques.
Conclusions:
- Georgeite is the predominant copper solid formed in drinking water, not cupric hydroxide.
- This research provides critical mineralogical data, revising current models of copper corrosion and solubility in water distribution systems.
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