Motion Adsorption Characteristics of Particulate Matter in Water Supply Network

Abstract

The corrosion of metal pipes within water distribution systems posed great threats towards the quality and safety of drinking water. In this study, the quantity and distribution of suspended particles alongside the pipes was investigated based on field experiments in a water supply plant located in Zhengzhou City of Henan Province. The changes in water quality alongside the pipes were investigated in lab scale through analyzations about the suspensions and sedimentations using effluents from both conventional and deep treatment (ultra-filtration) under different velocity. The morphology of the suspended particles in the effluents was characterized, and water quality indicators, including the turbidity and metal ions (i.e., Pb, Zn, Cu, and Fe) were measured. The results revealed that the correlation between turbidity and particle quantity increased proportionally with the turbidity, while the quantity of the particles decreased with the increasing of their size. The effluent quality from conventional treatment was significantly higher than the deep treatment concerning all the tested indicators, spontaneously with tiny, suspended particles less than 2 µm. The metal leakage of the pipes was related to the velocity and quality of water, as higher flowing velocity and more suspended particles finally resulted in higher metal resolution.