Effects of Surface Treatments on Stainless Steel 316 Exposed to Potable Water Containing Silver Disinfectant

Date

2019-07-07

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

49th International Conference on Environmental Systems

Abstract

Silver has been selected as the forward disinfectant candidate for potable water systems in future space exploration. To develop a reliable antibacterial system that requires minimal maintenance, it is necessary to address relevant challenges to preclude issues for future missions. One such challenge is silver depletion in potable water systems. When in contact with various materials, silver ions can be easily reduced to its metallic state or form insoluble compounds. The same chemical properties that make silver a powerful antimicrobial agent also result in its quick inactivation or depletion in various environments. Different metal surface treatments, such as thermal oxidation and electropolishing, have been investigated for their effectiveness in reducing the depletion of silver disinfectant from potable water. However, their effects on the metal surface microstructure and chemical resistance have not often been included in the studies. This paper reports the effect of surface treatments on SS316 exposed to potable water containing silver ion disinfectants. Early experimental results showed that thermal oxidation, when compared to electropolishing, resulted in a thicker oxide layer and a compromised corrosion resistance of the SS316.

Description

Wenyan Li, URS Federal Services, Inc., USA
Jerry Buhrow, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Angie DIaz, URS Federal Services, Inc., USA
Tesia Irwin, The Bionetics Corporation, USA
Luz Calle, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
Michael Callahan, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA
ICES303: Physio-Chemical Life Support - Water Recovery & Management Systems - Technology and Process Development
The 49th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 07 July 2019 through 11 July 2019.

Keywords

Silver, Disinfectant, Potable water, Surface treatment, SS316, Corrosion, Oxide

Citation