Open AccessNumerical Model for Decontamination of Organic Contaminants in Polyethylene Drinking Water Pipes in Premise Plumbing by Flushing
Author(s) -
Levi M. Haupert,
Matthew L. Magnuson
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of environmental engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.438
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1943-7870
pISSN - 0733-9372
DOI - 10.1061/(asce)ee.1943-7870.0001542
Subject(s) - flushing , human decontamination , contamination , environmental science , polyethylene , waste management , environmental engineering , permeation , environmental chemistry , chemistry , engineering , medicine , endocrinology , ecology , organic chemistry , biology , biochemistry , membrane
Polymeric materials such as polyethylene are used extensively for indoor drinking water applications. These materials are subject to permeation by organic compounds such as those found in petroleum products and industrial chemicals, which can result in water quality issues with potential health effects. Although flushing is a common decontamination technique, disagreements and knowledge gaps in the scientific literature complicate prediction of how much flushing may be required to address organic contamination incidents. This paper utilizes a numerical solution to the diffusion equation to predict flushing decontamination times for toluene in cross-linked polyethylene tubing. Results suggest that for premise plumbing materials typically used for indoor drinking water applications, contaminated polyethylene tubing can be resistant to decontamination by flushing, possibly requiring days of continuous flushing to achieve contaminant removal to below regulatory levels.