Speaker: Philip Brandhuber, Research Associate, CU Boulder

Topic: Lithium as a Drinking Water Contaminant. What does the Future Hold?

Abstract
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has listed lithium as a potential candidate for regulation in drinking water. While the potential health benefits that would accrue from lithium’s regulation are undefined, its widespread presence in drinking water has been confirmed. The characteristics of lithium’s aquatic chemistry (small, diffusive, monovalent cation) inherently make lithium difficult to treat in an energy efficient manner using existing drinking water treatment technologies. While considerable research is ongoing into the extraction and isolation of lithium as a resource, these technologies appear to be of little relevance for drinking water treatment.  The purpose of this presentation will be to review the status of potential regulation of lithium in drinking water including basic chemistry, potential health effects, occurrence, and possible treatment technologies.

Bio
Phil has extensive experience in the treatment of inorganic contaminants in drinking water, including lead, copper, arsenic, chromium, manganese, and perchlorate. He is a past chair of the AWWA Emerging Water Quality Issues and Inorganic Contaminants Committees and current chair of the Manganese Subcommittee as well as a recipient of AWWA’s Golden Spigot award. Phil received his PhD from the University of Colorado followed by 20 plus years’ experience as a consultant, working for McGuire Environmental and HDR Engineering, where he was named an HDR Fellow. Currently, he is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Colorado and owner of his own firm, Brandhuber Water Quality & Treatment LLC.