Professional Documents
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QUALITY OF WATER
4.1 Impurities in water, their classification and effects
Characteristics:
Dissolved impurities make bad taste, hardness and alkalinity. The concentration
is measured in PPM (parts per million) or mg/l and obtained by weighing the
residue after evaporation of the water sample from a filtered sample.
a. Salts of Ca and Mg
b. Minerals
c. Gases
Constituents Effects
a. Calcium and Magnesium
i. Bicarbonate Alkalinity
ii. Carbonate Alkalinity and hardness
iii. Sulphate
Hardness
iv. Chloride
Hardness, corrosion
b. Metals and Compounds
i. Lead Cumulative poisoning
ii. Arsenic Toxicity, poisoning
iii. Iron Oxide
iv. Manganese Taste, red colour, corrosiveness, hardness
v. Barium Black or brown colour
vi. Cadmium Toxic effect on heart, nerves
vii. Cyanide
Toxic, illness
viii. Boron
ix. Selenium Fatal
x. Silver Affects central nervous system
xi. Nitrates Highly toxic to animals and fish
Discoloration of skin, eyes
Blue baby condition, infant poisoning, colour
and acidity
c. Gases
i. Oxygen Corrosive to metals
ii. Carbon Acidity, corrosiveness
iii. Hydrogen Sulphide
Odour, acidity and corrosiveness
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Permanent hardness is due to the presence of sulphates, chlorides and nitrates
of calcium and magnesium and is also known as non-carbonate hardness
(NCH). Permanent hardness cant be removed by simple boiling but requires
special treatment of softening.
Eq. wt. of Mg = 12.2, Eq. wt. of Ca = 20, Eq. wt. of Sr = 43.8, Eq. wt.
of CaCO3 = 50
Effects of Hardness:
HC O3
Bicarbonate Alkalinity=
C O3
Carbonate Alkalinity=
CH = Total Alkalinity
NCH = TH CH
CH = TH
NCH = 0
Problem:
The analysis of water from a well shows the following results in mg/l.
++ ++ + + - -- -
Ca = 65, Mg = 51, Na = 100, K = 25, HCO3 = 248, SO4 = 220, Cl = 18,
--
CO3 = 240
Find Total Hardness (TH), Carbonate Hardness (CH) and Non-Carbonate Hardness
(NCH).
Solution:
65 x 50 51 x 50 mg
TH = + =371.52
20 12.2 l
248 240 mg
TA= + =603.28
1.22 0.6 l
Here, TA > TH
++
1. The analysis of a water sample shows the following results in mg/l. Ca =
++ + + - -- -
7, Mg = 12, Na = 20, K = 25, HCO3 = 68, SO4 = 7, Cl = 40. The
concentration of Sr is equal to hardness of 2.52 mg/l and the carbonate
alkalinity in water is zero. Calculate TH, CH and NCH.
2. Total hardness obtained from the analysis of water is found to be 117 mg/l.
The analysis further showed that the concentrations of all the three
principle cations causing hardness are numerically same. If the value of
CH = 57 mg/l, calculate:
i. NCH.
ii. The concentration of principle cation (Ca, Mg, Sr)
iii. Total Alkalinity (TA)
a. Algae
b. Bacteria
c. Virus
d. Helminthes or Worms
Water borne diseases are caused due to drinking water contaminated with
pathogenic microorganisms. Some of the most common water borne diseases
are typhoid fever, dysentery (amoebic and bacillary), gastro-enteritis, infectious
hepatitis, schistosomiasis, etc.
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Water washed diseases are caused by poor personal hygiene and skin or eye
contact with contaminated water. Examples of water washed diseases include
scabies, trachoma and flea, lice and tick-borne diseases.
Transmission routes refer to the ways in which a healthy person gets attacked by
diseases.
a. Faecal-oral route
b. Penetration of skin
c. Due to vector
4.4.6 Preventive Measures
4.5.1 Physical Examination of Water (tests for temperature, colour and turbidity)
4.5.2 Chemical Examination of Water (tests for pH, suspended, dissolved and
total solids)
1. Test for pH
pH=log 10 ( H ) =log 10 ( H1 )
For pure water, pH = 7.
For water with maximum acidity, pH value is zero, while for water with maximum
alkalinity, pH value is 14.
For potable waters, the pH value should between 6 and 9, and preferable
between 7 and 8.5.
Total Solids - all solids in water. Total solids are measured by evaporating all of
the water out of a sample and weighing the solids which remain.
Dissolved Solids - solids which are dissolved in the water and would pass
through a filter. Dissolved solids are measured by passing the sample
though a filter, they drying the water which passes through. The solids
remaining after the filtered water is dried are the dissolved solids.
Suspended Solids - solids which are suspended in the water and would
be caught by a filter. Suspended solids are measured by passing sample
water through a filter. The solids caught by the filter, once dried, are the
suspended solids.
Settleable solids - suspended solids which would settle out of the
water if given enough time. Settleable solids are measured by
allowing the sample water to settle for fifteen minutes, then by
recording the volume of solids which have settled to the bottom of
the sample.
Nonsettleable solids - suspended solids which are too small and
light to settle out of the water, also known as colloidal solids.
Nonsettleable solids are measured by subtracting the amount of
settleable solids from the amount of suspended solids.
The amount of total solids should preferable be less than 500 ppm.
1. Presumptive Phase
This test is based on the ability of coliform group (E-coli) to ferment the lactose
broth and producing gas.
Procedure:
The other bacteria than E. coli present also may ferment in presumptive test so
the confirmed test to indicate E. coli is necessary. This test consists of growing
cultures of coliforms on media which suppress the growth of other organisms.
Procedure:
3. Completed Phase
This test is based on the ability of the culture grown in the confirmed test to
again ferment the lactose broth.
Procedure:
i. The bacterial colonies or cultures grown in the confirmed test are kept into
lactose broth fermentation tubes and agar tubes.
ii. The tubes are then kept in the incubator at 37C for a period of 24 to 48
hours. If gases are seen in tubes after this period, it indicates the presence
of E. coli and the test is +ve and it contains the pathogens, then detailed
tests are necessary for pathogens.
iii. If result is ve, it indicates the absence of E. coli and hence absence of
pathogens.
Example:
If we take 10 test tubes out of which 3 test tubes are positive after third test and
in each test tube, 1 ml of sample is kept,
3
Hence , MPN per 100 ml= x 100=35.85 number of coliforms per 100 ml sample
7 x 10
no . of coliform colony
coliform colony per 100 ml= x 100
x
where, x = sample
Problems: