Water Chemistry

Module 1.1 Introduction to Water Chemistry

1.2 Water Characterization
Water Chemistry
Introduction
About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Breaking it down, 96.5 percent of the water in
the Earth's crust is found in oceans, 1.7 percent in ice caps and glaciers, 1.7 percent in ground water, a small
fraction in rivers and lakes, and 0.001 percent in clouds, water vapor, and precipitation. Water is the third
most abundant molecule in the universe, after hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Water has an
extraordinarily high specific heat capacity [4.1814 J/(g·K) at 25 °C] and also a high heat of vaporization
[40.65 kJ/mol or 2257 kJ/kg at the normal boiling point]. Both of these properties are a result of hydrogen
bonding between neighboring water molecules. Water is nearly transparent to visible light and the regions
of the ultraviolet and infrared spectrum near the visible range. The molecule absorbs infrared light,
ultraviolet light, and microwave radiation.

Water Classification
Depends on the uses of water, namely for domestic water supply, industrial purpose, irrigation,
transportation, habitat for marine life and fish, and recreational and how on the standards may contribute to
the environment making a community more pleasant to live in.
Streams are classified according ti the highest beneficial use that can be obtain from them.

Water Usage and Classification

(source: DENR administrative Order No. 34 Series of 1990, Revised Water Usage and Classification
/Quality Criteria Amending Section Nos. 68 and 69, Chapter 3, of the 1978 NPCC Rules and Regulation)

(a) Fresh Surface Waters (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc.)

Classification Beneficial Use
Class AA Public Water Supply Class I. This class is
intended primarily for waters having watersheds
which are uninhabited and otherwise protected and
which require only approved disinfection in order
to meet the National Standards for Drinking Water
(NSDW) of the Philippines (Potable)
Class A Public Water Supply Class II. For sources of
water supply that will require complete treatment
(coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and
disinfection) in order to meet the NSDW.
Class B Recreational Water Class I. For primary contact
recreation such as bathing, swimming, skin diving,
etc. (particularly those designated for tourism
purposes).
Class C 1) Fishery Water for the propagation and growth
of fish and other aquatic resources;
2) Recreational Water Class II (Boatings, etc.)
3) Industrial Water Supply Class I (For
manufacturing processes after treatment).
Class D 1) For agriculture, irrigation, livestock watering,
etc.
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2) Industrial Water Supply Class II (e.g. cooling,
etc.) Minimum for discharges
3) Other inland waters, by their quality, belong to
this classification.
Table 1. Fresh water classification and Usage

(b) Coastal and Marine Waters

Classification Beneficial Use
Class SA 1) Waters suitable for the propagation, survival
and harvesting of shellfish for commercial
purposes;
2) Tourist zones and national marine parks and
reserves established under Presidential
Proclamation No. 1801; existing laws and/or
declared as such by appropriate government
agency.
3) Coral reef parks and reserves designated by law
and concerned authorities.
Class SB 1) Recreational Water Class I (Areas regularly
used by the public for bathing, swimming, skin
diving, etc.);
2) Fishery Water Class I (Spawning areas for
Chanos chanos or "Bangus" and similar species).
Class SC 1) Recreational Water Class II (e.g. boating,
etc.); 2) Fishery Water Class II (Commercial
and sustenance fishing);
3) Marshy and/or mangrove areas declared as fish
and wildlife sanctuaries;
Class SD 1) Industrial Water Supply Class II (e.g.
cooling, etc.);
2) Other coastal and marine waters, by their
quality, belong to this classification.
Table 2. Coastal and Marine water classification and Usage

Characteristics of Wastewater
A. Physical Characteristics
1. Color – generally an indication of the age of sewage (e.g. fresh: grayish, septic: Black)
this color parameter indicates the freshness of sewage also.
Measurement
 Visual Comparison Method
Nessler Tubes – color comparison of tubes containing water of different colors and
assigned a color unit ranging from 1 to 70 where 1 color unit Pt = ½ m/L Co.

 Photoelectric Colorimeters
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2. Odor – comes from septic decomposition at organic wastes and is due to the presence of
gases such as:

Compound Odor Structure

Amines Fishy CH3NH2(CH3)3N
Ammonia Ammoniacal NH3
Diamines Decayed fish NH2(CH2)4NH2, NH2(CH2)5NH2
Hydrogen Sulfide Rotten eggs H2S
Mercaptans Skunk CH3SH, CH3(CH2)3SH
Organic Sulfides Rotten cabbage (CH3)2S, CH3SSCH3
Skatole fecal C8H5NHCH3

Measurement

 Olfactometer
 Sensory Method – Panels of Human Subjects are initially exposed to odor free air
and then the sampled air which has been diluted with-odor free air to give the
MDTOC. The number of dilutions give TON
MDTOC / TON
Where MDTOC = minimum detectable threshold odor concentration and
TON = threshold odor number

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟+𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑖𝑟

TON =
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟
3. Turbidity – the amount of suspended matter in water/waste water and is obtained by
measuring its light scattering ability. It is also a measure of the ability of sunlight to pass
through the water and the ability of water to disperse different materials disposed into it. A
typical clear lake has a turbidity of about 25 units while muddy water exceeds 100 units.
Measurement
 Jackson Turbidity Meter – JTU (Jackson Turbidity Unit)
1 unit = 1 mg/L silica in H2O

 Secchi Disk Depth – depth in which secchi disk may still be visible to the naked
eye when submerged into the water.
4. Temperature – lowers the solubility of oxygen in water and increases the rate at which
oxygen-consuming microbes attack the organic waste.
5. Total Solids – Solid residue when water is evaporated at 103 – 105 ֯C
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B. Chemical Characteristics
1. pH- a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of water
2. Calcium and Magnesium Salts – cause hardness in water and the formation of scales and
deposits on the pipeline and fittings in the industry
3. Nitrogen and Phosphorus- basic components of fertilizer serves as nutrient for microbial
growth in particular algae. Excessive amounts can lead to algae blooms which cause
eutrophication or the overabundance in the growth of algae giving water a pea-soup
appearance.
4. Trace Metal – refers to the heavy metal which are toxic even in a small concentration.
 Biomagnification – involves the accumulation of trace metals through each
species of the food chain
 Mercury – easily converted to the toxic methyl mercury which causes Minamata
disease which is neurological disease characterized by trembling, inability to walk
and speak and even serious convulsions that can lead to death.
 Cadmium – responsible for the itai-itai disease (ouch-ouch) disease which is an
extreme and painful disease that cause the disintegration of bones.
 Silver – causes argyria the blue-gray discoloration of the skin and mucous
membrane.
 Arsenic – recognized poison, carcinogenic.
 Chromium – causes neurological disease.
 Lead – leads to fetal malformation, mental disability, irritability, loss of appetite
and reduction of sex drive.
5. Proteins – principal constituents of animal organisms and in a large quantity causes
extremely foul odors.
6. Carbohydrates – include sugars, starches, cellulose and loss fibers.
Sugar + bacteria –--ferment alcohol + CO2
7. Oil, fats, greases - prevent natural aeration reducing the use of the street for fishing.
8. Surfactants – substances that cause foaming in water.
9. Phenols – cause taste problems in water particularly when the water in chlorinated.
10. Pesticide and Agricultural Chemicals – have the capacity to biomagnify and at certain
concentration, are carcinogenic.

C. Biological Characteristic
𝑀𝑃𝑁
Measurement: where MPN = most probable number
100 𝑚𝑙
Uses: Escherichia Coli
1. Measurement of Organic Content
 Dissolved Oxygen (DO) – actual quantity of free O2 present in the water. Factors affecting
the DO are temperature and total dissolved solids.
 Theoretical Oxygen Demand (ThOD) – a measure of the amount of oxygen needed to
oxidize completely an organic matter whose chemical formula is known.
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 Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) – a measurement of the oxygen needed by the
microorganism to decompose biodegradable organics at a specified time (5 days),
temperature (20 ֯C) and pH (7) (amount of oxygen required).
 Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) – a measure of the amount of O2 needed to oxidize
organics using strong oxidizing agents (KMnO4 or K2Cr2O2) in an acid media.
 Total Organic Demand (TOD) - organics are covered in a stable end product in a Pt-
catalyzed combustion chamber and is determined by monitoring the O2 content present in
the products.
 Total Organic Carbon (TOC) – organic matter is oxidized in a high temperature furnace
to convert C to CO2.

2. Kinetic of BOD
BODt = LO (1 – e-Kt )
Where L = amount of O2 present in H2O at any time, t;
LO = amount of O2 present in water at t = 0; BODt = BOD at any time; t and k = deoxygenation
constant, time-1
For polluted and waste water k20 ֯C = 0.10/day
For sewage k20 ֯C = 0.23/day

At different temperatures kT = k20 ᶿ(T-20)

ᶿ = 1.056 (T = 20 -30 ֯C)

1.135 (T < 20 ֯C)

1.047 (T > 30 ֯C)

Table 3. Significant Parameters for Selected Types of Industries

Type of Industry Significant Waste Water Parameters

A. BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
B. CEMENT, CONCRETE, LIME &
GYPSUM
C. DAIRY PRODUCT PROCESSING
D. FERRO ALLOY MFG. (electric furnace
with wet air pollution control)
E. FERTILIZER INDUSTRY Nitrogen
Fertilizer Industry Phosphate Fertilizer
Industry
BOD5, pH, Suspended Solids, Settleable
Solids, Oil and Grease
pH, Suspended Solids, Dissolved Solids,
Temperature
BOD5, COD, pH, Suspended Solids,
Dissolved Solids Settleable Solids
Suspended Solids, Chromium (hexavalent)
Oil and Grease, Phenols, Phosphates
Chloride, Chromium, Dissolved Solids,
Nitrate, Suspended Solids pH, Phosphorus,
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F. GRAIN MILLNG INDUSTRY
G. INORGANIC CHEMICALS, ALKALIES
AND CHLORINE INDUSTRY
H. LEATHER TANNING & FINISHING
INDUSTRY
I. LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY
J. MEAT, FISH AND FRUIT CANNING
K. MEAT PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
L. METAL FINISHING INDUSTRY
M. MINERAL ORE PROCESSING (Mining
Industry)
N. ORGANIC CHEMICALS INDUSTRY
O. PETROLEUM REFINING INDUSTRY
P. PLASTIC MATERIALS & SYNTHETIC
INDUSTRY
Q. PULP & PAPER INDUSTRY
R. STEEL INDUSTRY
S. SUGAR CANE PROCESSING
INDUSTRY
T. TEXTILE MILL INDUSTRY
U. THERMAL POWER GENERATION
Suspended Solids, Temperature, Cadmium,
Arsenic
BOD5, Suspended Solids, Temperature
pH, Total Suspended Solids, Total Dissolved
Solids, Chlorides, Sulfates, COD,
Temperature
BOD5, COD, Chromium, Oil and Grease, pH,
Suspended Solids, Color, Dissolved Solids
BOD5, COD, Total Suspended Solids, pH,
Color, Total Coliforms
BOD5, COD, Suspended Solids, pH, Oil &
Grease, Dissolved Solids
BOD5, pH, Suspended Solids, Settleable
Solids, Oil and Grease, Total Coliforms,
Toxic Materials
Oil and Grease, Heavy Metals (Cr, Cd, etc.).
Suspended Solids, Cyanide
Suspended Solids, Heavy Metals (Hg, Cn, Cd,
etc.), Arsenic
BOD5, COD, pH, Total Suspended Solids,
Total Dissolved Solids, Oil (Free-Floating)
BOD5, Heavy Metals, COD, Oil (Total) pH,
Phenols, Suspended Solids, Temperature,
Total Dissolved Solids
BOD5, COD, pH, Total Suspended Solids,
Oil and Grease, Phenols
BOD5, COD, pH, Total Suspended Solid, E.
Coli, Color, Heavy Metals, Dissolved Solids,
Oil & Grease, Phenols
Oil and Grease, pH, Cyanide, Phenol,
Suspended Solids, Temperature, Chromium
BOD5, pH, Suspended Solids, Oil and grease
BOD5, COD, pH, Suspended Solids,
Chromium, Phenols, Color, Oil and Grease
BOD5, Color, Chromium, Oil and Grease,
pH, Phosphate, Suspended Solids,
Temperature
Water Chemistry