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EXERCISE 8. WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS

Water is the second most important need for life to exist after air. As a result, water quality has
been described extensively in the scientific literature. The most popular definition of water quality is ―it is
the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water‖. Water quality is a measure of the
condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and/or to any human need
or purpose.
Physical properties of water quality include color, odor, taste, solids, temperature, electric
conductivity and turbidity. Chemical characteristics involve parameters such as pH, hardness, iron,
manganese, nitrogen content, and dissolved oxygen. Biological indicators of water quality include
bacteria, algae, viruses and protozoa.
Based on its source, water can be divided into ground water and surface water. Both types of
water can be exposed to contamination risks from agricultural, industrial, and domestic activities, which
may include many types of pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizers, hazardous
chemicals, and oils.
Water quality can be classified into four types—potable water, palatable water, contaminated
(polluted) water, and infected water. The most common scientific definitions of these types of water
quality are as follows:

1. Potable water: It is safe to drink, pleasant to taste, and usable for domestic purposes. It has been
treated and disinfected so that it is free from disease-producing organisms, poisonous substances,
chemical or biological agents, and radioactive contaminants which make it unfit for human consumption
or other uses.
2. Palatable water: It is aesthetically pleasing; It is pleasing in appearance and taste. It is significantly free
from color, turbidity, taste, and odor. Water may be palatable and at the same time not be potable.
3. Contaminated (polluted) water: It is that water containing unwanted physical, chemical, biological, or
radiological substances, and it is unfit for drinking or domestic use.
4. Infected water: It is contaminated with pathogenic organism.

TURBIDITY is the cloudiness of water. It is a measure of the ability of light to pass through water. It is
caused by suspended material such as clay, silt, organic material, plankton, and other particulate
materials in water. Turbidity in drinking water is aesthetically unacceptable, which makes the water look
unappetizing. Turbidity is measured by an instrument called nephelometric turbidimeter, which
expresses turbidity in terms of (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) NTU or TU. A TU is equivalent to 1 mg/L
of silica in suspension. Turbidity more than 5 NTU can be visible to the average person while turbidity in
muddy water, it exceeds 100 NTU. Groundwater normally has very low turbidity because of the natural
filtration that occurs as the water penetrates through the soil.

TEMPERATURE. Palatability, viscosity, solubility, odors, and chemical reactions are influenced by
temperature. Thereby, the sedimentation and chlorination processes and biological oxygen demand
(BOD) are temperature dependent. It also affects the biosorption process of the dissolved heavy metals
in water. Most people find water at temperatures of 10–15°C most palatable.

COLOR. Materials decayed from organic matter, namely, vegetation and inorganic matter such as soil,
stones, and rocks impart color to water, which is objectionable for aesthetic reasons, not for health
reasons. Color is measured by comparing the water sample with standard color solutions or colored
glass disks. One color unit is equivalent to the color produced by a 1 mg/L solution of platinum
(potassium chloroplatinate (K2PtCl6))
The color of a water sample can be reported as follows:
 Apparent color is the entire water sample color and consists of both dissolved and suspended
components color. It is determined on the original sample without filtration or centrifugation.
 True color is measured after filtering the water sample to remove all suspended material.
Color is graded on scale of 0 (clear) to 70 color units. Pure water is colorless, which is equivalent to 0
color units.
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TASTE AND ODOR in water can be caused by foreign matter such as organic materials, inorganic
compounds, or dissolved gasses. These materials may come from natural, domestic, or agricultural
sources.
The numerical value of odor or taste is determined quantitatively by measuring a volume of
sample A and diluting it with a volume of sample B of an odor-free distilled water so that the odor of the
resulting mixture is just detectable at a total mixture volume of 200 ml.

SOLIDS occur in water either in solution or in suspension. These two types of solids can be identified
by using a filter that the water sample passes through. By definition, the suspended solids are retained
on the top of the filter and the dissolved solids pass through the filter with the water.
If the filtered portion of the water sample is placed in a small dish and then evaporated, the solids as a
residue. This material is usually called total dissolved solids or TDS.

Both organic and inorganic particles of all sizes can contribute to the suspended solids concentration.
Total suspended solids (TSS) are particles that are larger than 2 microns found in the water column.
Anything smaller than 2 microns (average filter size) is considered a dissolved solid. Total dissolved
solids (TDS) is the term used to describe the inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter
present in solution in water. The principal constituents are usually calcium, magnesium, sodium, and
potassium cations and carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate anions.

Total solid(TS) = Total dissolved solid(TDS) +Total suspended solid(TSS)

TDS level less than 300 mg/litre is considered as excellent; between 300 and 600 mg/liter is good; 600-900
is fair; 900 -- 1200 is poor and; TDS level more than 1200 mg/liter is unacceptable.

Fixed solids is the measure of solid matter in a water that remains after the total solids, total
dissolved solids or total suspended solids have been evaporated and then ignited (in a furnace) to burn
off the combustible portion. Volatile solids are the combustible portion

As far as drinking water is concerned , upto 200 TDS water is safe for drinking. Even up to 400 also it’s
fine

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY (EC) of water is a measure of the ability of a solution to carry or

conduct an electrical current. Since the electrical current is carried by ions (cations / anions) in solution,
the conductivity increases as the concentration of ions increases. The electrical conductivity can be
used to estimate the TDS value of water as follows:
TDS(mg/L) ≅ EC(dS/m or umho/cm)×(factor)

Determine the conversion factor needed to convert TDS to conductivity. The conversion factor will
depend on the types of minerals and salts dissolved in the water. If the actual conversion factor cannot
be found, then 0.67 is frequently used as an approximate conversion factor. (for ESTIMATION
PURPOSES ONLY!)

pH is one of the most important parameters of water quality. It is defined as the negative logarithm of
the hydrogen ion concentration. It is a dimensionless number indicating the strength of an acidic or a
basic solution. Actually, pH of water is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. Acidic water contains
extra hydrogen ions (H+) and basic water contains extra hydroxyl (OH−) ions
pH ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. pH of less than 7 indicates acidity, whereas a pH
of greater than 7 indicates a base solution. Pure water is neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 25°C. Normal
rainfall has a pH of approximately 5.6 (slightly acidic) owing to atmospheric carbon dioxide gas. Safe
ranges of pH for drinking water are from 6.5 to 8.5 for domestic use and living organisms need.
Excessively high and low pHs can be detrimental for the use of water. A high pH makes the
taste bitter and decreases the effectiveness of the chlorine disinfection, thereby causing the need for
additional chlorine. The amount of oxygen in water increases as pH rises. Low-pH water will corrode or
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dissolve metals and other substances. Pollution can modify the pH of water, which can damage
animals and plants that live in the water

HARDNESS is a term used to express the properties of highly mineralized waters. The dissolved
inorganic minerals in water cause problems such as scale deposits in hot water pipes and difficulty in
producing lather with soap.
Calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions cause the greatest portion of hardness in naturally
occurring waters. They enter water mainly from contact with soil and rock, particularly limestone
deposits.
These ions are present as bicarbonates, sulfates, and sometimes as chlorides and nitrates. Generally,
groundwater is harder than surface water. There are two types of hardness:
 Temporary hardness which is due to carbonates and bicarbonates can be removed by boiling,
and
 Permanent hardness which is remaining after boiling is caused mainly by sulfates and chlorides

Water hardness can be expressed in many different units including French degrees, German degrees,
Clark degree, grains per gallon, mg/L CaCO3 (calcium carbonate), and ppm (parts per million).

Water with more than 300 mg/L of hardness is generally considered to be hard, and more than
150 mg/L of hardness is noticed by most people, and water with less than 75 mg/L is considered to be
soft. From health viewpoint, hardness up to 500 mg/L is safe, but more than that may cause a laxative
effect
The TDS measurement is a better reflection of the total mineral content of the water rather than
a water hardness measurement. However, for ESTIMATION PURPOSES only, the water hardness
can be roughly calculated by dividing the ppm (parts per million) measurement of the TDS by 10 ,
giving a hardness value with an error of only 2-3 French degrees.

Approximate Hardness in Of = TDS in ppm / 10

French degrees, Of Hardness

0-7 Very soft
7-15 Soft
15-25 Slightly Hard
25-32 Moderately hard
32-42 Hard
Above 42 Very Hard

Materials
Buchner funnel
Suction flask
Filter paper
Balance
Volumetric flask
Evaporating dish
Hot plate
Procedures (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZmXXft4qI)

A. Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

1) Shake the bottle containing the water sample for TSS analysis. Carefully pour out 500ml of water in
a 500ml volumetric flask
2. Weigh filter paper. Record the mass in your data table.
3. Prepare the vacuum filtration set up assembling Buchner funnel, Buchner flask (suction/ vaccum
flask) and vacuum pump. Turn on the vacuum pump.
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4. Place the weighed filter paper in the vacuum filtration set up.
5. Pour gradually the water sample into the funnel until all samples are filtered
6. Turn off the vacuum
7. The filtered water (filtrate) will be reserved for TDS analysis.
8. Remove the filter paper from the funnel.
9. Air dry the filter paper. (Use oven for faster drying)
10. Weigh the mass of the filter paper with suspended solids. Record it in your data table.
11. The mass of the suspended solids can be computed by:

Mass of suspended solids

= (mass of filter paper with solids from procedure 10) – (mass of filter paper from procedure 2)

TSS(ppm) = (mass of suspended solids in milligrams / volume of water sample in L)

B. Total Dissolved solids (TDS)

1. Get the mass of a clean dry 500 ml beaker.
2. Pour 200ml of filtrate (filtered water from procedure A) into the beaker
3. Place it in a hot plate and evaporate up to dryness.
4. Allow the beaker to cool.
5. Weigh the mass of the beaker with recovered dissolved solids. Record in your data table.
6. The mass of the dissolved solids can be computed by:

Mass of dissolved solids

= (mass of beaker with solids from procedure 5) – (mass of beaker from procedure 1)

TDS(ppm) = (mass of dissolved solids in milligrams / volume of water sample in L)

C. pH
1. Fill the beaker with water sample.
2. Place the pH meter in the beaker. Make sure that the probe of the pH meter is fully immersed in the
substance being measured.
3. Record your reading in data table.
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Name: _______________________________ Course: ________________ Date: _____________

EXERCISE 8. WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS

A. TSS
Mass of filter paper, g
Mass of dry filter paper with suspended solids, g
Mass of suspended solids, g
Volume of water sample, mL
TSS, ppm

Computation:

B. TDS
Mass of beaker, g 148.5 grams
Mass of beaker with dissolved solids, g 148.92 grams
Mass of dissolved solids, g
Volume of water sample, mL 200 mL
TDS, ppm

Computation:

C. pH of water sample ______________________________________________________

D. Total Solids: __________________________________

Show computation for TS

E. Approximate EC: ____________________________

With the following formula, TDS ≅ EC×0.67, compute for electrical conductivity.

F. Approximate Hardness: ____________________________

With the formula given in the introduction, compute for French degrees and interpret the hardness

G. As an engineer in your field of specialization, why do you need to learn the water quality parameter,
cite specific application.