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SKKC 3731
EXPERIMENT 7:
GROUP 4 - MEMBERS:
LECTURER:
DATE OF EXPERIMENT:
22 OCTOBER 2017
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Water quality is a general term that refers to a general description about the properties
of a water body. Lakes that have a high water quality possess properties that make it a high
valued resource to society and nature. Lakes often contain high pollution levels relative to the
surrounding landscapes and environment. This is due to the rivers and streams drain
pollutants from landscape where they concentrate in lakes. Aquatic species such as fish can
be extremely high in contaminants as some pollutants dont readily dissolve and dilute in
water and are instead taken up into organisms. Thus, water quality is also an important
concern for human use of lakes and other freshwaters as well as the ecological value of water
bodies. Water quality is used in determining the state of aquatic environments and is an
interesting point of study in determining both human impacts and natural processes in the
environment. In fact, pollution affects water quality in lakes and other freshwater resources
around the globe. It can take many forms from industrial, agricultural, or municipal sources; a
few common examples include pesticides, herbicides, sewage, and litter.
However, pollution happened in UTMs lake mostly due to the domestic waste. An
experiment to analyse the quality of UTMs lake water sample is a crucial to carry out to
identify the quality of the water. The parameters for this assessment are physical, inorganic or
chemical, toxic metal, organic and nutrient demand, bacteriological, biology and radioactive
elements. Physical parameters include temperature, colour, turbidity, pH, conductivity and
total suspended solids (TSS). While organic and nutrient demand includes biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), phenols, oils and grease,
pesticides and nitrate.
To determine the physical parameters such as the turbidity, BOD, pH, colour and
conductivity.
The scope of the experiment is about the dissolved oxygen used in sample water.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 pH value
pH is an important limiting chemical factor for aquatic life. If the water in a stream is
too acidic or basic, the H+ or OH- ion activity may disrupt aquatic organism biochemical
reactions by either harming or killing the stream organisms.
pH is expressed in a scale with ranges from 1 to 14. A solution with a pH less than 7
has more H+ activity than OH-, and is considered acidic. A solution with a pH value greater
than 7 has more OH- activity than H+, and is considered basic. The pH scale is logarithmic,
meaning that as you go up and down the scale, the values change in factors of ten. A one-
point pH change indicates the strength of the acid or base has increased or decreased tenfold.
Streams generally have a pH values ranging between 6 and 9, depending upon the
presence of dissolved substances that come from bedrock, soils and other materials in the
watershed.
The general accepted range for pH in water is 6.5 to 8.5 with an upper limit of 9.5.
Small changes in pH (0.3 units or even less) are usually associated with relatively
large changes in other water qualities. The acidic, freshly fallen rain water may have a pH
value of 5.5 to 6.0. If it reacts with soils and minerals containing weak alkaline materials, the
hydrogen ion concentration will decrease. The water may become slightly alkaline with a pH
of 8.0-8.5. Sudden changes in pH values serve as warning signals that water quality may be
adversely affected by the presence of the contaminants.
2.2 BOD
When there is large amount of organic matter, more oxygen is needed to break down the
organic matter causing the BOD level to be very high. For example, nitrates and phosphates
in a body of water can contribute to high BOD levels. Nitrates and phosphates are plant
nutrients and can cause plant life and algae to grow quickly. When plants grow quickly, they
also die quickly. This contributes to the organic waste in the water, which is then
decomposed by bacteria. This results in a high BOD level. When BOD levels are high,
dissolved oxygen (DO) levels decrease because the oxygen that is available in the water is
being consumed by the bacteria. Since less dissolved oxygen is available in the water, fish
and other aquatic organisms may not survive.
2.3 Turbidity
Suspended soil particles may carry nutrients, pesticides, and other pollutants
throughout a stream system, and they can bury eggs and benthic critters when they settle.
Turbid waters may also be low in dissolved oxygen. High turbidity may result from sediment
bearing runoff, or nutrients inputs that cause plankton blooms. The treated water turbidity
target is 0.1 NTU.
2.4 Conductivity
The amount of mineral and salt impurities in the water is called total dissolved solids
(TDS). TDS is also known as a secondary contaminant in water. It is measured in milligrams
per unit volume of water (mg/L) and also referred to as parts per million (ppm). TDS tell how
many units of impurities there are for one million units of water. For aesthetic reasons, a
limit of 500 mg/l (milligrams per liter) has been established as part of the Secondary
Drinking Water Standards by EPA for drinking water. For water in the agriculture, the
maximum concentration is 1200 mg/La while high tech manufactures often require impurity-
free water. One way to measure impurities in water is to measure the electrical conductivity
of water.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
Water Sampling
Precaution
Avoid touching the inside of the bottle or the cap.
Be careful not to collect water that has sediment from bottom disturbance.
3.2.1 pH Value
Apparatus: pH meter
1. Calibrate the probe and meter according to the manufacturers directions. Use of two
buffers (pH 7 and 10) for calibration is recommended.
2. Sample water is collect in any glass or plastic container. Collect enough sample water
so that can submerge the tip of the probe. Rinse the probe with sample water before
placing it in the sample.
3. Place the probe in the sample and wait for the meter to equilibrate. The meter will
have come to equilibrium when the signal becomes steady. If it is taking a long time
to equilibrate, gently stirring the probe. However, do not agitate the sample since this
may cause changes in the pH.
4. Read the pH directly from the meter according to the manufacturers directions.
3.2.2 BOD
a) Calibration,
2. Turn the functional knob to ZERO or O2 ZERO until the reading shown is stable
at 0.00 mg/L.
3. Shake the BOD bottle containing the standard BOD sample for 15 seconds and insert
the probe connected to the BOD meter.
i. Turn the functional towards % and make sure that the reading is stable at
100% by unlocking the O2 CALIB and adjust the reading.
ii. Turn the functional knob towards 0.00 mg/L and record the reading.
2. Insert the probe into the BOD bottle and switch on the stirrer.
5. Cover up the BOD bottle with an aluminum foil and incubate it for 5 days.
3.3.3 Turbidity
1. Switch on the Turbidity meter and 'warm it up' for a while. Ensure that the cell holder
is closed and empty.
4. Insert a sample cell containing 18-NTU standard formazine into the cell holder and
close the light lid.
5. By using the calibration plot, change the 20-200 (spans) control to get a 18.00 reading.
7. After calibration, measure the NTU for water sample by pouring the water sample
into the sample bottle, insert it into the cell holder and close with the light lid.
3.3.4 Conductivity
Apparatus: Conical flask, Filter funnel, Filter paper, 250 mL beaker, Measuring cylinder
1. Weigh the filter paper before the experiment and place it in the filter funnel.
2. Measure 200 mL water sample and transfer them into a beaker.
3. Filter the water sample through the filter paper and leave it on the table for 15
minutes.
4. Weigh the filter paper again to obtain the weight of suspended solid in the water
sample.
4.0 LIST OF MATHEMATICAL EQUATION/ CORRELATION NEEDED
4.1 BOD
1 2
=
Where,
5.1 pH Value
Sample pH
1
5.2 BOD
5.3 Turbidity
5.4 Conductivity
Salinity = _____________