WASTE WATER SAMPLING

Water Characterization
Wastes characterization is the term used for the
process of determining the chemical, biological, and
physical characteristics, as well as the quantity, mass
flow rates, strengths (in terms of concentration), and
discharge schedule of a wastewater stream, air
discharge, or solid waste stream.
• The foundation of the study is a sampling and analysis
program, which must be performed on representative
samples.

• The equipment used to measure rates of flow and to physically

obtain samples must be appropriate to the application and
accurately calibrated.

• ‘Sampling’, which is the process used to select a small portion

of water or wastewater for the purpose of determining the
characteristics of an entire batch of water or wastewater.
LOCATION OF SAMPLING
• The location from which you take samples will, of course,
depend on what you want to discover about the water.

• Example - Operators take samples of raw water to

determine water characteristics which will influence the
treatment procedure, then they take samples of finished
water to determine how well the treatment worked.
SAMPLING POINTS
• Samples from channels are taken at two-thirds the depth
of the flow at a point free from back eddies.

• Samples of digester sludge are collected at 3- to 5-foot

intervals, starting at the top and working down to avoid
agitating the sludge from which the succeeding samples
are taken
TYPES OF SAMPLING OR SAMPLES
There are two types of sampling techniques

1.Grab samples

2.Composite samples
GRAB SAMPLING
• Grab sampling is just what it
sounds like; all of the test
material is collected at one time.
• As such, a grab sample reflects
performance only at the point in
time that the sample was
collected, and then only if the
sample was properly collected.
WAYS TO TAKE GRAB SAMPLES
• No special equipment is needed. Usually, a sampling
container is used to take the sample.
• The container can be dipped directly into the water or a
sampling rod can be used to collect the water and fill the
container.
• Samples are then packed in a cooler box with ice and
taken for testing.
• Grab sampling is used to provide information about the
water at one point in time.
A grab sample has certain limitations.

• In short, a grab sample takes a snapshot of the

characteristics of the water at a specific point and
time, so it may not be completely representative of
the entire flow.

• Grab samples are most appropriate to small plants

with low flows and limited staffs who cannot perform
continual sampling.
• On the other hand, grab samples do provide an
immediate sample, and are thus to be preferred for
some tests.

• Specifically, pH, dissolved oxygen, and total residual

chlorine can change very rapidly in water once the
sample is removed from the flow, so grab samples
are preferred for these tests.
• Grab samples must be collected carefully to make
them as representative as possible of the water
as a whole.

• They should be taken at a time of day when the

plant is operating near its average daily flow rate.
• If grab samples are used to determine plant
efficiency by collecting a raw water sample and a
treated water sample, then the collection of the
effluent should be delayed long enough after
collection of the influent sample to allow for the
raw water to pass completely through the
treatment process.
• Finally, be aware that mixing two or more
grab samples may not result in a result
which averages the characteristics of the
samples.

• Chemical reactions can take place in mixed

samples which alter pH and chlorine
residual values.
COMPOSITE SAMPLING
• Composite sampling involves taking a number of
small samples, called sub-samples, over a period
of time.

• Composite sampling consists of a collection of

numerous individual discrete samples taken at
regular intervals over a period of time, usually 24
hours.
• The material being sampled is collected in a common
container over the sampling period.

• The analysis of this material, collected over a period of

time, will therefore represent the average performance of a
wastewater treatment plant during the collection period.
The material being sampled is collected in a common
container over the sampling period.
• The greatest strength of composite samples is
their ability to take into account changes in
flow and other characteristics of the water over
time.

• This helps the operator gain an overall picture

of the total effects that the influent will have
on the treatment process and that the effluent
will have on the receiving water.
• However, composite samples cannot be
used for tests of water characteristics
which change during storage (such as
dissolved gases) or of water
characteristics which change when
samples are mixed together (such as pH).
Treatability studies
• A wastewater treatability study is a study or test that tells us how the
wastewater might be treated . If the study is done correctly, it will clearly
identify the problem you’re seeing in your wastewater stream, helping
ensure the proper treatment solutions are considered.
• For wastewater, the treatability study should also factor in local discharge
regulations and whether you release your waste to a local municipality or
to the environment.
• For example, a plant that discharges to the local municipal sewer would
need to meet guidelines outlined by that municipal facility to avoid
violating permits for discharging into the sewer
Treatability studies
• Water and wastewater treatability studies range from relatively
simple field tests to complex bioassays. Treatability studies can
be used by experienced professionals to determine treatment for
non-conventional contaminants such as molybdenum and
complex mercury.
• Simple “jar tests” are also performed daily by the treatment
plant operator to determine the proper amount of coagulants
and flocculants needed for proper removal. This is true for water
and wastewater from both industrial and municipal sources.
• If you have a body of water or wastewater that has a very difficult or
non-conventional contaminant, it is recommended that an
experienced specialist assist with performing these treatability
studies. 

• Wastewater generated by industry runs the gamut from those termed

as “hazardous” and “toxic” to those termed as “conventional
pollutants”. Wastewater characteristics vary considerably from one
industry to another and oftentimes vary greatly among plants within
the same industry. In addition, significant variations in flow and
contaminant levels occur hourly within the same plant.
• Add into the mix that industrial facilities must meet locally developed
limits and in some cases federally imposed “categorical” limits. These
limits may be administered by the local governing authority (LGA),
the state environmental protection department, or the federal
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), depending on who has been
delegated this authority.

• These factors make managing industrial discharges a very complex

and challenging venture for the industrial facility. 
How does a treatability study work?
1. Identifying the problem

Once your plant communicates what you think the problem is to the
company you hire to perform the test, they will conduct a study to
determine how to pretreat whatever your concerns are while also
testing for other problematic contaminants.
for example, that a plant processes metals—maybe a metal plating
facility like a chrome or zinc plater—and suddenly residual metals are
present in the wastewater, which are prohibited to be discharged in
just about any receiving watershed or municipality.
2. How long does it take to get results?
• Depending on the scope and nature of the treatability study, it
could take anywhere from a few weeks to approximately 90
days to come up with accurate results.
• For example, if a plant experiences a remedial event, such as a
spill or contamination in their wastewater, and they need
someone on-site immediately, the company performing the test
will usually mobilize and set up in a laboratory on the premise.
Other, more normal cases will have the samples sent out to a
lab for analysis, which can add a bit more time.
3.Local and EPA regulations
• The company performing your study will usually deal with the
engineer at plant that is operating the problematic process.

• They will also interface with the environmental expert at your

facility because they are closely involved with the regulatory
aspects.
4. Alternative treatment methods
• Once the treatability study is complete and the problem is
identified, sometimes a plant will opt to test different solutions
by initially using some conventional technologies to remove the
contaminants from the solution.
BIOASSAY TEST
• a bioassay is the “determination of the relative strength of
a substance (as a drug) by comparing its effect on a test
organism with that of a standard preparation.”
• Bioassays are used to measure the biological activity and
effects of a substance, like a hormone or drug, on a living
organism such as a living plant or tissue or cell.
• Bioassay is a biochemical test that calculates the
relative potency of a sample compound to a standard
compound.

• The advantage of the bioassay testing procedure is

that it can help determine both the concentration and
potency of a sample, which is necessary for regulatory
submission and lot release testing of
biopharmaceutical products.
• A bioassay using freeze-dried Nitrobacter as
the test organism has been shown to
successfully detect various toxicants in municipal
and industrial wastewaters.

• The test is simple, sensitive, rapid and

inexpensive; as a result.

• This test shows potential as a quantitative

measurement technique for wastewater toxicity
INTRODUCTION OF BOD
The waste water characteristics can be classified into three major
categories

characteristics characteristics
Physical Chemical Biological
characteristics
Physical Characteristics of Wastewater
The most important parameters used to characterize the physical
properties of wastewater are:

1. Solids content
2. Odors
3. Temperature
4. Density
5. Color
6. Turbidity
Chemical Characteristics of Wastewater
The most important parameters used to characterize the chemical
properties of wastewater are:

1. Organic material

2. Inorganic material
Organic Material in Wastewater
1. Total organic material Proteins Carbohydrates
2. Fats
3. Oils and grease
4. Pesticides
5. Phenols

Priority pollutants Refractory pollutants Surfactants

Volatile organic compounds
Inorganic Material in Wastewater
1. pH
2. Alkalinity
3. Heavy metals
4. Nitrate and nitrite
5. Ammonia
6. Phosphorous
7. Sulfate and sulfite Sulfide
8. Chloride Oxygen
Biological Characteristics
These are done to identify the group of micro-
organisms present in the industrial waste.

These require sophisticated instruments such as

microscopes etc
Other important terms
1. Theoretical Oxygen Demand
• This is theoretical method of computing the oxygen
demand of various constituents of the organic matter
present in wastewater.
• The organic matter present in the wastewater may be of
animal or vegetable origin, consisting of principal groups
such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and products of
their decomposition
• Each one of these is a typical combinations of
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen based on
chemical formula.

• Hence if chemical formulae of the constituents

are known, ThOD can be determined
2. Relative Stability
• It is defined as the ratio of available oxygen to the
required oxygen satisfying the first stage BOD.

• The available oxygen will include dissolved oxygen

(DO) as well as oxygen present as nitrite or nitrate.

• It is expressed as % of total oxygen required.

3. Population Equivalent
• The wastewater carried by the sewer consists of
domestic sewage and the industrial wastewater.

• Since, contribution of solids to sewage should be

nearly constant on a per capita basis, the BOD
contribution should also be constant.
• Generally, BOD contribution per capita per day
may be taken as 80 g/day.

• Industrial wastewaters are generally compared

with per capita domestic sewage, through the
concept of Population equivalent (PE) using per
capita BOD values as basis.
(Total BOD5 of the industrial wastewater in
kg/day)
--------------------------------------------------------------
(BOD5 value per capita/day)
USAGE OF POPULATION
EQUIVAENT
1.To indicate the strength of industrial wastewater
required for

• Estimating the treatment required at the common

treatment plant(municipal treatment plant)
• Charging appropriate levy on the industries to meet the
proportionate cost of treating waste in municipal
treatment plant.
Thank you