WATER QUALITY

KKKR4873 POLLUTION CONTROL AND CLEANER PRODUCTION

Lecturers:
Dr. Rosiah Rohani (Set 1)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hassimi Abu Hasan (Set 2)
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

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Water Pollution
• Impurities in such quantity of such nature
to limit the use of water
• Depends on the quantity of suspended
and dissolved impurities in the water
• Could be measured by many parameters in
physical, chemical and biological ways
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Water quality parameters
• Physical • Chemical
• Sight • Total dissolved solids
• Touch • Alkalinity
• Taste, or • Hardness
• Fluoride
• Smell
• Metals
• Organics
• Biological • Nutrients
• Pathogens
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Physical Quality
• Suspended solids
• Turbidity
• Color
• Odour and taste
• pH
• Temperature 5
Size Classification

Size classification of solids in water (Metcalf & Eddy)

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 Suspended Solids - SS
• Solids are in suspended and dissolved form
• May perceived by physical senses, but more appropriate under
chemical parameters
• Consist of organic and inorganic particles or immiscible liquids
• Inorganic: clay, silt, soil
• Organic – common in surface water: plant fibers, biological
solids (algae, bacteria etc)
• Suspended material
• a constituent from ground water,
• Result from human use
• Impact: (1) Cause displeasing (2) Provides adsorption site of 7
chemical & biological agents
Suspended solids
• Measurement via gravimetric test, via evaporation
• Can be in the form of Total Solids (dissolved and
suspended, organic and inorganic) for total solids test
• Important parameters in STP, WTP
• Removal by filtration
• Filtration depends on the filter pores and solids size
• Filterable residue – pass through the filter
• Nonfilterable residue – retain on the filter
• Units dry mass per volume (mg/L)
• Max at 50 and 100mg/L in Std A and B, respectively 8
Turbidity
• Perform when no direct measurement of SS
• Indirect quantitative measurement of suspended solids
• The nature of solids and the secondary effects they produced
is important that the quantity of solids
• Absorb/scatter of light by suspended materials in water
• Influence by size and surface characteristics of the materials
• Source from colloidal materials erosion i.e. silt, clay, rock
fragment, vegetable fibers, soaps
• Give displeasing opaqueness
• The colloidal materials provide adsorption sites for chemical –
may be harmful
• Measured by photometric – light % at given intensity 9
• JTU – Jackson, FTU – Formazin, NTU - Nephelometry
Color
• Pure water is colorless but often colored by foreign substances
• Contributed by dissolved solids after dissolving suspended
matter
• Natural - Iron oxides cause reddish, manganese oxide cause
brownish/blackish
• Industrial wastes – textile & Dyeing, chemical, slaughterhouse
• Coloured water is not aesthetical to public, affects
marketability for use
• Color measured by spectrophotometric technique

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Taste and Odor
• Substance that produce odour will impart the taste too
• Inorganics produce taste but not odour i.e. alkali, salts
• Organics produce both taste and odour i.e. petroleum
products
• Biological decomposition of organics that release liquids and
gases
• Products consist of sulfur gives rotten egg taste and odor
• Displeasing as it should be tasteless and odorless
• Thought as pollutions/contamination to water
• Measurement via liquid or gas chromatography
• Quantitative test via threshold odor number (TON) – using
human noses 11
• Only associated to potable water
Chemical quality parameters
• Total dissolved solids
• Alkalinity
• Hardness
• Fluoride
• Metals
• Organics
• Nutrients
• Phosphorus 12
Total dissolved solids, TDS
• Extended from the suspended solids test
• Filtered solution is evaporated until become solid
• Solid consist of dissolved substances i.e. mineral, metals
and gases
• Cause displeasing colour, odor, taste, some are
carcinogen/toxic
• 2 or more substances may react and become dangerous
compound
• Measure conductivity for ionic constituents i.e. Na, Ca,
Bo etc
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Alkalinity
• Quantity of ions to react with hydrogen
ions for neutralization
• Constituents of CO32-, HCO3-, OH-, HS-,
HPO42- etc
• Most common are carbonate, bicarbonate,
hydroxide, originated from CO2+H2O
• Heavy algal growth if pH at 9-10
• Bitter taste in water
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• Measure via titration with acid
Hardness
• Concentration of metallic cations
• React in anions to precipitate in
supersaturated conditions
• Carbonate hardness [X]HCO3* sensitive to
heat, easy to precipitate to form [X]CO3
• Non-carbonate hardness other than
carbonate
• Precipitation cause stains to clothing, tubs,
sinks etc 15
Fluoride

• Small quantities may benefit i.e. prevent

dental cavities in children, combine with
dental enamel for a stronger and harder
teeth
• Added to drinking water supplies
• Toxic to human in large quantities: Teeth
discoloration if exceed limit (2mg/L), bone
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fluorosis, skeletal abnormalities
Metals
• All are soluble in some extent
• May be hazard in small/large quantities
• Non-toxic metals from hardness
• Toxic metals (Hg, As, Pb) affect food chain
• Source from domestic, industrial,
agriculture discharge
• Measured via AAS or ICP
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Organics
• Biodegradable organics –BOD
• Nonbiodegradable organics –COD

Will be discussed next!

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Nutrients
• Essential in plant/animal growth and
production
• There are carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus
• Carbon readily available in excess
• Nitrogen and phosphorus are limiting
factors in aquatic plant growth
• If in excess can cause algal bloom

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Nitrogen & Phosphorus
• Nitrogen from the nitrogen cycle - N2, nitrite, nitrate,
ammonium
• Phosphorus in phosphate
• Both from plant/animal tissue
• Ammonium and organic nitrogen test in
waste/polluted water (in leachate, waste product)
• Nitrate test in treated/clean water
• Measure by spectrophotometry (N) calorimetry (P)

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Biological parameters
• Pathogens
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Protozoa
• Helminths
• Pathogen indicators

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Pathogens

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Pathogens
• Bacteria - single cell microb
• Cholera by vibrio comma – vomiting and diarrhea
• Typhoid by salmonella typhosa – high fever,
gastrointestinal disorder
• Viruses – smallest biostructure
• Polio by Poliomyelitis – acute anterior poliomyelitis
• Unknown virus – infectious hepatitis
• Protozoa – unicellular, more complex
• Entamoeba – amebiasis
• Giardia lamblia - giardiasis
• Helminths – parasite worms 24

• Dracucculus medinensis - dracontiasis

Pathogen Indicators
• Waterborne pathogen thru fecal contaminations of water
• Organism meets the requirement are in fecal coliform group
• Principally of bacteria strains of E. coli – found in intestinal
tract of warm blooded animals and feces
• They are nonpathogen but live longer – suits to represent
pathogen
• Test via multiple tube fermentation method (next slide)
• Specific testing for pathogens will be time consuming and
expensive
• Test via 0.45um membrane filter technique for direct bacteria
count – Fecal Coliform
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Water Quality Requirements
•In stream standards
•Potable water standards
•Wastewater discahrge
standards

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In stream standards
• For surface water
• Affect by wastewater discharges and human
activities
• Should be in fishable and swimmable quality
for surface water

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Potable Water standards
• For drinking water
• Free of:
• suspended solids
• turbidity
• tasteless and odorless
• Dissolved organics in moderate quantities

• Follow WHO standards:

• Metals, fluoride, chloride, total solids etc 28
Wastewater effluent quality
• Municipal wastewater
• Industrial wastewater
• Water treatment plant from industries?
• Follow certain standards A/B?

Acts to follow last lecture!

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