Indicators: Conductivity

BY RACHMAD
What is conductivity?

Conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to pass an electrical current. Because dissolved salts
and other inorganic chemicals conduct electrical current, conductivity increases as salinity increases.
Organic compounds like oil do not conduct electrical current very well and therefore have a low
conductivity when in water. Conductivity is also affected by temperature: the warmer the water,
the higher the conductivity.

Low Conductivity (0 to 200 µS/cm) is an indicator of pristine or background conditions. Mid range conductivity
(200 to 1000 µS/cm) is the normal background for most major rivers. Conductivity outside this range could
indicate that the water is not suitable for certain species of fish or bugs. High conductivity (1000 to 10,000
µS/cm) is an indicator of saline conditions. Waters that have been heavily impacted by industry can fall into this
range

Sumber: https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-conductivity
2 Annual Review 3/2/23
What Is the Electrical Conductivity of Water?

The positively
charged ions that
can affect water
include potassium,
magnesium, and
sodium. On the
other hand,
negatively charged
ions include
carbonate, chloride,
and sulfate

3 Annual Review 3/2/23

HOW TO
REDUCE

Flocculation involves adding a chemical coagulant (iron

chloride (FeCl2/Fecl3) or iron nitrate (Feno33)) to the
water. Adding chemical coagulants facilitates bonding
between the particles in the water, creating larger
aggregates, and making it easier to separate them during the
sieving or settling process after flocculation. 
Flocculation is widely used to reduce the conductivity in
water treatment plants and sample processing for monitoring
applications. 

Sumber: https://atlas-scientific.com/blog/how-to-reduce-the-conductivity-of-water
4 Annual Review 3/2/23
HOW TO REDUCE (RO)

Reverse osmosis (RO) is also effective, but it is expensive.

An RO system is a form of water purification where
unwanted molecules, ions, and large particles are separated
by force from the water via a partially permeable membrane.
In industrial demineralization, RO is commonly used
because it removes around 99% of all minerals in the water.
Reverse osmosis also achieves conductivity of around 10-20
μS/cm.

Sumber: https://atlas-scientific.com/blog/how-to-reduce-the-conductivity-of-water
5 Annual Review 3/2/23
HOW TO REDUCE (USE EC)

Electric energy consumption and theoretical dose

were also calculated. Aluminum exhibited better
performance in the removal of TOC and TDS than
iron, while both materials were almost equally
effective in removal of turbidity. In the case of NEED TRIAL AND
aluminum electrodes, the maximum removal REVERSE ENGINEER
efficiency for TOC was 74%; for turbidity and TDS, ABOUT EC FOR TDS
removal efficiency reached 99.10% and 84%, REMOVAL
respectively, at optimal operating conditions of each
parameter. In the case of iron electrodes, the
maximum removal efficiencies for TOC, turbidity, and
TDS were 64.8%, 98.3%, and 78%, respectively.

Sumber: Saad et al., 2018

6 Annual Review 3/2/23

TERIMA KASIH