DCN20072

ENVIRONMENTAL
ENGINEERING
LABORATORY 1
DETERMINATION OF CHLORIDE AND RESIDUAL CHLORINE
 OBJECTIVES
1. To identify the amount or traces amount chlorine in drinking water.

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 INTRODUCTION
• Residual chlorine is available chlorine remaining in water after the chlorination
of tap water.

There are three forms of residual chlorine in water treatment:

• Free - Residual chlorine composed of dissolved hypochlorite ions,
hypochlorous acid and chlorine gas
• Combined - Composed of chloramines that can kill bacteria and oxidize
organic matter
• Total - The sum of free and combined residual chlorine

• The Water Supply Act provides that the content of free residual chlorine at the
water tap should be maintained at 0.1 mg/L or more (in the case of combined
residual chlorine, 0.4 mg/L or more).

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 Environmental Significance
• Chlorides associated with sodium (Sodium Chloride) exert salty taste when its
concentration is more then 250 mg/L. These impact a salty taste to water. Chlorides
are generally limited to 250 mg/L in water supplies intended for public water supply.
• In many arrears of the world where water supplies are scarce, sources containing as
much as 2000 mg/L are used for domestic purposes without the development of
adverse effect, once the human system becomes adapted to the water.  It can also
corrode concrete. Magnesium chloride in water generates hydrochloric acid after
heating which is also highly corrosive and creates problem in boilers.
• Chloride determinations in natural waters are useful in the selection of water
supplies for human use.
• Chloride determination is used to determine the type of desalting apparatus to be
used.
• Chloride determination is used to control pumping of ground water from locations
where intrusion of seawater is a problem.

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 PROCEDURE
1. Measure 500ml of tap water into a measuring cylinder.
2. Transfer 200ml the tap water into the conical flask.
3. Add 1g potassium iodide into the conical flask and dissolve it by agitating the content of the
beaker.
4. Then, add 10ml of acetic acid@ 5ml Sulphuric acid.
5. Let it for some time for color development.
6. Fill the burette with adequate amount of sodium thiosulfate.
7. Titrate the sample with sodium thiosulfate solution until the color solution disappear.
8. Then, add 1ml of starch indicator.
9. Titrate back till blue color disappear.
10. Record the initial and the final reading of sodium thiosulfate solution.

NOTE: Sulfuric acid is corrosive strong acid, wear a proper PPE when handling reagents.

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 Add 1ml of stach to
the conical flask.
The colour turns
blue

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 LAB MANUAL

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 [Calculation]
Residual chlorine (Cl2 mg/L) = (A1) X (1000/S) X 0.3545 ….equation 1
A1: Titration volume of 0.01mol/L-sodium thiosulfate solution until the end
point (ml)
S: Sample volume (ml)