New Generation Lead free brass - NEWLEAF

Purpose and goal:

NEWLEAF aims to develop and optimize lead-free alloys to meet future regulations without compromising on material properties and with minimal economic and environmental impact. The alloys must be corrosion resistant ensuring reliable products with long service life and environmentally friendly as well as be suitable for efficient production processes.

This alloy development should remain in a proposed circular system during the transition period towards lead-free production system without sub-optimization of any part of the circular system of the brass industry today. Expected results and effects:

NEWLEAF will produce new basic knowledge about the relation between corrosion mechanism, alloys composition and lead release to the drinking water. The investigations will give insight into alloy degradation mechanisms and will be used for optimization of both alloy and production process as well as a produce data on climate impact. Results from NEWLEAF will be relevant input to approval systems of materials in contact with drinking water on national and EU-level.

Based on the results, the industry and regulators will be able to adapt to new regulations from a holistic perspective. Approach and implementation:

NEWLEAF is a collaboration of 8 companies (material supplier manufacturing companies and tool supplier) and 2 research organizations and will be performed in 5 work packages. Initially, overall system analysis is performed, including LCA. Mapping of corrosion and lead leaching mechanisms is performed in various experiments and is input to alloy development.

Iteration between work packages is part of the optimization work. Experimental work in labs and industry trials are carried out throughout the project. Finally, an updated LCA is performed based on results from the project.