PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL

AND BIOCHEMICAL
PROPERTIES
OF WASTEWATER

Department of Environmental Engineering

NED University of Engineering and Technology

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Physical Characteristics
1. Total solid
2. Total Volatile solid
3. Total fixed Solid
4. Total Suspended Solid
5. Volatile Suspended Solid
6. Fixed Suspended Solid
7. Total Dissolve Solid
8. Volatile Dissolve Solid
9. Fixed Dissolve Solid
10. Settleable Solid

Cont.
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Significance

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Solids in wastewater
Waste water TVS
TFS
Evaporate and dried at TS Ignited at
Residue
103° C 500°C

Evaporation
Waste water Ignited at
= TSS Residue
Pass through 500°C =
Remain on = FSS
filter VSS
filter

Waste water Dried Burned at

Residue
Pass through filtrate 500°C
= FDS
filter = TDS = VDS

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 Summary
 TS = TVS + TFS
 TSS = VSS + FSS
 TDS = TS – TSS
 TDS = VDS + FDS
 TVS = VSS + VDS
 TFS = FSS + FDS

TS =Total Solid
TVS=Total Volatile Solid
TFS=Total Fixed Solid
TSS=Total Suspended Solid
VSS=Volatile Suspended Solid
FSS=Fixed Suspended Solid
TDS=Total Dissolve Solid
VDS=Volatile Dissolve Solid
FDS=Fixed Dissolve Solid
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Particle Size

 Particle quantify by
1. Serial Filtrations
2. Electronic particles size counting
3. Microscopic counting
4. Optical imaging

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1. Serial Filtration

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2.Electronic particles size counting

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3. Microscopic counting

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4. Optical imaging

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Physical Characteristics
11. Particle Size Distribution
12. Turbidity
13. Colour
14. Transmittance
15. Odour
16. Conductivity
17. Density
18. Temperature

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Significance (Temperature)

 Chemical Reaction/Reaction Rate

 Aquatic Life
 Oxygen content
 Undesirable plants and fungus

 Biological
Activity
 Optimum 25-35 C
 > 50°C……aerobic digestion, nitrification stop
 15°C……methane bacteria die away
 5°C…….autotrophic nitrifying bacteria die away
 2°C….chemo-heterotroph become inactive

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 Chemical Characteristics
A-Inorganic Chemicals
1- Non metallic, Gases, Nutrients
2- Metallic Constituents

B-Organic Chemicals

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1-Non-metallic Constituents (Nutrients)

i. pH
ii. Chloride
iii. Alkalinity
iv. Nitrogen
v. Phosphorous
vi. Sulphur
vii. Gases
viii. Odour

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 iv-Nitrogen
 Important forms in waste water are ammonia,
ammonium ion, nitrate, nitrite and nitrogen gas
 N2 biological activity, bacteria, root nodule bacteria of legumes) fixed into
inorganic compound (NO3 )
 Cyanobacteria (blue green algae)…….N2 fixation in
aquatic environment

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 Mineralization of N-compound
 a. Ammonification
 b. Nitrification

 Ammonification)
N-compound aerobic/anaerobic bacteria NH3, NH-4

Nitrification (Aerobic)
NH3 ammonia oxidizing bacteria NO2- nitrite oxidizing bacteria NO3-

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 2-Metallic Constituents

Name Concern
Arsenic (As) Carcinogen, mutagen, fatigue, dermatitis
Barium (Ba) Increase blood pressure, nerve block
Cadmium (Cd) Carcinogen, highly toxic, kidney, liver
failure
Chromium (Cr) Corrosive on tissue, kidney damage
Lead (Pb) Brain and kidney damage, birth defects
Mercury (Hg) Toxic to central nervous system
Selenium (Se) General weakness, irritation, depression
Silver (Ag) Discoloration of skin eye and mucous
membrane

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 Q-6a. The following test results were obtained for a
wastewater sample taken at a wastewater treatment plant. All
of these tests were performed using a sample size of 50 mL.
Determine the concentration of total solids, total volatile
solids, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, total
dissolved solids and total volatile dissolved solids. The samples
used in the solids analyses were all either evaporated, dried or
ignited to constant weight.

a. Tare mass of evaporating dish = 53.5433 gm

b. Mass of evaporating dish plus residue after evaporation at
105°C = 53.5794 gm
c. Mass of evaporating dish plus residue after ignition at 550°C=
53.5625
d. Tare mass of filter after drying at 105°C = 1.5433gm
e. Mass of filter and residue after drying at 105°C = 1.5554 gm
f. Mass of filter and residue after ignition at 550°C = 1.5476 gm
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Q-6b.

 A laboratory provide the following analysis of 50 ml of

wastewater sample. Total solids: 200mg/L, total suspended
solids:160mg/L, fixed suspended solids:40mg/L and volatile
suspended solids:120mg/L.
a. What is the concentration of total dissolve solids of this
sample?
b. Sample was filtered through a filter paper and the filter
was placed in furnace at 550°C overnight. What will be the
weight of solids remain on filter after overnight
exposure?

Ans: 40mg/L, 2mg

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 Q-6c.
 Total suspended solids for the series of wastewater samples
were found to be 175, 197, 113 and 247 mg/L, respectively.
If the following test results were obtained, determine the
volume of samples used in the analysis.

Item Weight (gm)

A B C D
Tare mass of glass fiber filter 1.5244 1.5243 1.5241 1.5246
Mass of glass fiber filter and
1.5953 1.5379 1.5449 1.5667
residue after drying at 104ºC

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B-Organics of Wastewater
1. Aggregate Organic Constituents
2. Individual Organic Constituents

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1. Aggregate Organic Constituents

 Compose of C, H, O and some cases N

 Proteins (40-60%)
 Carbohydrates (25-50)
 Oil and fats (8-12)
 Urea
 Synthetic organic compounds

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 Aggregate
a) Biochemical oxygen demand....BOD, BOD5,
b) Ultimate biochemical oxygen demand.....UBOD20
c) Chemical oxygen demand......COD
d) Total organic carbon.....TOC

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 BOD
 Determination of dissolve oxygen used by
microorganisms in the decomposition or
biochemical oxidation of organic matter
 Aerobic biological decomposition is continued until
all organic matter is consumed
 It involves three steps

1. Waste is oxidized to new products to obtained

energy (for cell synthesis and cell maintenance)
……..oxidation

COHNS + O2 + nutrients bacteria

CO2 + NH3 +
energy + end products
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2. Some waste is converted into new cell
tissues…..synthesis
COHNS + O2 + bacteria + energy C5H7NO2

3. New cells begin to use their own cell tissue to

obtain energy for cell maintenance…..endogenous
respiration
C5H7NO2 + 5O2 bacteria 5CO2 + 2H2O + NH3 + energy

1………BOD
1 + 2 + 3 = UBOD

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 BOD = D1 – D2 (No seeded dilution water)
P
 BOD = (D1 – D2) - (B1 – B2) x f

P
D1 = DO of diluted sample after preparation mg/L
D2 = DO of diluted sample after 5 days mg/L
P = fraction of waste water sample volume to total
combined volume
B1 = DO of seed control before incubation mg/L
B2 = DO of seed control after incubation mg/L
F =fraction of seeded dilution water volume in
sample to volume of seeded dilution water in seed
control (total combine volume)

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Q-6d. The following information is available for a seed 5-day BOD
test conducted on a wastewater sample. 15 mL of the waste sample
was added directly into a 300 mL BOD incubation bottle. The initial
DO of the diluted sample was 8.8 mg/L and the final DO after 5 days
was 1.9 mg/L. The corresponding initial and final DO of the seeded
dilution water was 9.1 and 7.9 respectively. What is the 5-day BOD of
the wastewater sample?

 BOD5 = D1 – D2 (No seeded dilution water)

P
 BOD5 = (D1 – D2) - (B1 – B2) x f
P
D1 = DO of diluted sample after preparation mg/L
D2 = DO of diluted sample after 5 days mg/L
P = fraction of waste water sample volume to total combined volume
B1 = DO of seed control before incubation mg/L
B2 = DO of seed control after incubation mg/L
F =fraction of seeded dilution water volume in sample to volume of seeded
dilution water in seed control (total combined volume) 27
2-Individual Organic Compounds
a) Volatile Organic compounds
b) Disinfectant by-products
c) Pesticides
d) Agricultural Chemicals
e) Emerging Organic Compounds

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a) Volatile Organic Compounds
 Boilingpoint < 100 C
 Highly mobile in vapor state
 Pose health risk in environment
 Cause increase in reactive HC in atmosphere
 Form photochemical oxidant

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b) Disinfectant by- c) Pesticides
products  Carbomate pesticides
 Trihalomethane  Organochlorine
 Haloacetic acid pesticides
 Trichlorophenol
 Aldehydes

d) Agricultural Chemicals
Acidic herbicides
glyphosphate herbicides

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e) Emerging Organic Compounds

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Reference
 Wastewater Engineering Treatment and reuse
Author: George Tchobanoglous, Franklin L.
Burton, H. David Stensel (Metcalf and Eddy Inc.)

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