CHAPTER 2

(Part 1)
SCIENCE OF
ENVIRONMENT
(WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS)
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Suspended Matters and Turbidity
 Color
 Taste and Odor
 Temperature
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Suspended Matters and Turbidity
 Suspended Solids normally consist of
inorganic and/or organic particles.
 Suspended matter is not desirable since
it spoils the appearance and is
aesthetically unpleasant
 Suspended solids are experimentally
measured by filtering an known quantity
of water sample through a filter paper.
Suspended solids content is reported in
mg/Lit or ppm.
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Suspended Matters and Turbidity
 The turbidity of water is mainly associated
with suspended matter content.
 Turbidity often results from a wide variety of
suspended materials that range in size from
colloidal to coarse dispersions.
 Turbid water is never a pleasing sight and is
always associated with domestic waste and wash
water and hence public water supplies should be
turbid free.
 Turbidity measurement is carried out using a
nephlometer and is expressed in Nephlometric
Turbidity Units (NTU).
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Color
 Colour is imparted to water mainly by the
dissolved and suspended matter.
 Industrial and domestic use of water increase
dissolved as well as suspended matter content
leading to colouring of water.
 Colour intensity is generally related to pH and
hence pH monitoring should be carried out along
with colour monitoring for effective control.
 In industrial process water the presence of
color generating chemicals may interfere with
the process especially in cleaning and washing
operations.
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Taste and Odor
 Substances with which water comes into contact
in nature or during human/industrial use may
impart perceptible taste and odor.
 These include minerals, metals, and salts from
the soil; end products from biological
reactions, and constituents of wastewater.
 Inorganic substances mostly produce taste
without odor.
 Organic materials produce both taste and odor.
Biological decomposition of organics may also
result in taste and odor producing liquids and
gases in water
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Taste and Odor
 The odor of water is measured in terms of
TON i.e. Threshold Odor Number, indicating
the number of times the dilution should be
carry out with odor free water to get water
of acceptable quality.
 Some of the odors inducing components in
water are:
 Amines (Fishy),
 hydrogen sulfide (Rotten Eggs),
 mercaptans (skunk),
 Organic sulphides (Rotten cabbage).
PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Temperature
 Temperature has an effect on most chemical
reactions that occur in natural water systems.
 Temperature changes the reaction rates and
solubility levels of chemicals. Increased
temperatures accelerate most chemical reactions
involving dissolution of solids.
 The solubility of gases, on the other hand,
decreases at elevated temperatures.
 Temperature also affects other physical
properties of water. The viscosity of water
increases with decreasing temperature.
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 pH
 Hardness
 Total dissolved solids
 Metals
 Organics
 Nutrients
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 pH
 pH is a term used to express the acidity or
alkalinity of a solution.
 It is a way of expressing the hydrogen-ion
concentration.
 The pH of water is an important consideration
which determines its ability to be used both
for human consumption & use as well as for
industrial purposes.
 In wastewater treatment employing biological
processes, pH must be controlled within a range
favorable to the particular organisms involved.
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Hardness
 Hardness in water is caused by the dissolution
of multivalent metallic cations such as
calcium, magnesium, strontium, ferrous iron,
and manganese ions.
 Hardness of water, within acceptable levels
does not pose any major problem for human
consumption and use.
 Hardness is measured by using
spectrophotometric techniques or chemical
titration to determine the quantity of calcium
and magnesium ions present in the given sample.
Hardness levels are expressed in ppm or mg/Lit.
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Total Dissolved Solids
 The material remaining in the water after
removal suspended-solids by filtration is called
total dissolved solids. This material is left as
a solid residue upon evaporation of the water.
 Many dissolved substances are undesirable in
water. Dissolved minerals, gases, and organic
constituents may produce aesthetically
displeasing color, tastes, and odors.
 Some chemicals may be toxic and disease causing.
 However, not all dissolved substances are
undesirable.
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Metals
 Several metal salts are soluble in water.
 The non-toxic metals present in water include
calcium, magnesium, sodium etc. Presence of
iron, manganese, aluminium, copper and zinc at
low concentrations in natural waters does not
present a health hazard.
 Toxic metals are harmful to humans and other
organisms even in very small quantities. Toxic
metals include arsenic, barium, cadmium,
chromium, lead and mercury. The increase in the
level of toxic metals in water is mainly due to
mining, industrial and agricultural activities
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Organics
 Organics in natural water systems
occurred due to the dissolution of
the decay products of organic
solids.
 Dissolved organic materials in
water are divided into two broad
categories viz. biodegradable and
nonbiodegradable.
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Organics
 Biodegradable organic materials are used as
food by microorganisms/or can be oxidized to
produce simpler components like carbon
dioxide and water. Biodegradable organic
material includes starches, fats, proteins,
alcohols, acids, aldehydes and esters.
 Non-biodegradable organic materials do not
decompose biologically or take a very long
time to degrade. Very strong molecules like
polysaccharides and aromatic components with
ring structures (Benzene) are
nonbiodegradable
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Organics
 Surfactants like alkyl benzene sulphonate
(ABS), which are used as detergents, are
nonbiodegradable.
 Organic Pesticides consisting of chlorinated
hydrocarbons fall under the category of
nonbiodegradable organics in water.
 Measurement of nonbiodegradable organics is
done by the chemical oxygen demand test (COD).
 Another method of estimating non-biodegradable
organics is by the determination of total
organic carbon (TOC).
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Organics
 The biodegradable organics are hence oxygen
demanding and the amount of oxygen consumed
during microbial utilization of organics is
called Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
 The BOD is measured by determining the
oxygen consumed from a sample placed in an
airtight container kept in a controlled
environment for a specific length of time.
 BOD is expressed in ppm. Higher BOD levels
indicate higher levels of organic
contamination.
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Nutrients
 Elements and components, which help in
the growth and reproduction of plants
and animals, are called nutrients.
 A large amount of minerals and trace
elements can be classified as nutrients
but the most important are carbon
nitrogen and phosphorous.
 Carbon is obtained from many sources
like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
and decay of organic matter.
BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Bacteria
 Virus
 Protozoa
 Helminths
BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Bacteria
 Bacteria are single cell microorganisms
and are the lowest form of cell life.
 Gastrointestinal problems are mainly due
to water borne pathogenic bacteria.
 Cholera transmitted by Vibrio comma causes
vomiting and diarrhea, which can result in
dehydration, and death if left untreat.
 Salmonella typhosa transmits typhoid,
which leads to high fever and ulceration
of intestines.
BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Virus
 Viruses are small biological organisms,
which can be seen only with the aid of an
electron microscope.
 Water borne viral pathogens causes
poliomyelitis and infectious hepatitis.
 Immunization of individuals and disinfection
of water will reduce the incidence of polio
and hepatitis.
 Effective viral disinfection is extremely
difficult and hence utmost care should be
taken while recycling waste water.
BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Protozoa
 Protozoa are low form of animal life and are
unicellular organisms.
 They are highly complex and are adaptable to
different environment. They are widely
distributed in natural waters.
 Protozoal infections result in gastrointestinal
disorders of milder nature.
 Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia are
examples of water borne protozoa causing
gastrointestinal disorders.
 Disinfection and filtration are necessary for
complete elimination of protozoa.
BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY
PARAMETERS
 Helminths
 Helminths are parasitic worms, which
thrive on human or animal hosts.
 Consumption of water contaminated with
human or animal waste containing
helminths propagates them.
 Helminths are effectively destroyed by
modern water treatment processes. However
persons dealing with untreated water like
sewage plant operators, farm laborers
dealing with cattle are at risk.