Water quality parameters

Arya V
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
 Water quality parameters

• To determine the extent of

pollution
• To determine if the water is fit
for intended use
• To choose the treatment
scheme

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 Water quality parameters

Physical Chemical Biological

Solids pH Bacteria
Turbidity Alkalinity Virus
Color Dissolved ions Protozoa
Temperature Organic matter Helminths
Taste and Odor Heavy metals
Refractory organics
Nutrients
 Solids in water

• Solids in water can be

in suspended, colloidal
Particle type Size
or in dissolved form
range, µm
Suspended 1 to 100
Colloidal 10-3 to 1
Dissolved 10-5 to 10-3
 Suspended solids (SS)

• Can be organic or inorganic particles

• Mostly found in surface water than groundwater
• Domestic wastewater contains organic suspended solids in
large amounts
• In wastewater treatment, SS is used to measure the quality of
effluent
• Measure by gravimetric methods and expressed in mg/L

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 Turbidity

• Turbidity is a measure of the extent to which light is either

adsorbed or scattered by the suspended material in water
• Indirect measure of solids in water
• Commonly used in water treatment plants (WTP) to measure
the quality of potable water
• Turbidity in surface waters are mostly due to the presence of
colloidal particles
• Measured using turbidimeter and expressed as NTU
(Nephelometry turbidity unit)

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 Why solids are removed initially at a
WTP

• SS provides adsorption sites for chemical and biological

agents. Hence, disinfection or other treatment methods for
removing pathogens and dissolved contaminants won't be
effective in the presence of solids
• Organic solids may be degraded biologically,
forming objectional by-products

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 Chemical water quality parameters

• Chemical parameters are the constituents of dissolved solids

or ions

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 Alkalinity

• Measure of the ability of water to neutralize acids

• Most common constituents of alkalinity are bicarbonate
(HCO3-), carbonate(CO32-) and hydroxide (OH-)
• Alkalinity is pH dependent
• Measured by titration
• Used to determine the buffering capacity of water
• Used as a process control variable in water and wastewater
treatment

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 Hardness

• Defined as the concentration of multivalent metallic cations

in solution
• In natural waters, hardness is caused by calcium and
magnesium ions
• Hardness is classified as carbonate hardness and
noncarbonate hardness depending on the anion with which it
associates
• Carbonate hardness is equivalent to alkalinity
• Carbonate hardness precipitates readily as upon boiling
• Measured by titration and expressed as mg/L as CaCO3

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 Significance of hardness

• Prevents lathering and

increases soap Type of water Hardness, mg/L
consumption as CaCO3
• Scaling in boilers Soft <50
Moderately 50-150
hard
Hard 150-300
Very hard >300

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 Dissolved ions

• Several dissolved ions are significant in water treatment

considering their adverse effects on public health
• Anions such as chloride, nitrate, sulfate, fluoride

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 Metals

Nontoxic metals
• Sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, aluminium,
copper and zinc
• Iron and manganese cause color problems and growth of
bacteria which use iron and manganese as energy source may
produce taste and odor problems

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 Heavy metals

• Harmful to humans and other organisms in small quantities

• Reach waterbodies through mining, industrial or agricultural
sources
e.g. Arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, silver

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 Organics

• Biodegradable and refractory (nonbiodegradable) organics

• Biodegradable organics are utilized by microorganisms
• Biodegradable organics can be degraded under aerobic
(oxygen-present) or anaerobic (oxygen-absent) conditions

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 Biochemical oxygen demand
Amount of oxygen consumed during microbial utilization of organics

▪ In a lab test, we find BOD 5 or BOD3 by incubating the

sample at 20ᵒC for 5 days or at 27ᵒC for 3 days after
adding essential nutrients for the microbial process.
▪ Determined by measuring the initial and final
dissolved oxygen concentration in the sample
• DOI Initial DO Conc.
BOD = (𝐷𝑂𝐼 −𝐷𝑂𝐹 )/𝑃 • DOF Final DO Conc.
• P Dilution factor
BOD kinetics

http://web.deu.edu.tr/atiksu/toprak/bod04.jpg
 BOD Kinetics
• Rate at which organics ▪ Lt is the oxygen equivalent
are utilized is directly of the organics at time t
proportional to the and k is a reaction
amount available. constant.
▪ L0 is the oxygen
equivalent of the total
mass of organics.

▪ Value of reaction constant k

is temperature dependent.
▪ Change in k is given by van’t
Hoff-Arrhenius equation.

𝐾𝑇 = 𝐾20 𝜃 𝑇−20

• 𝜽 value taken is 1.047

• 𝑲𝑻 represents the value
at temperature T
water.usgs.gov
 Chemical oxygen demand

• Amount of oxygen required to oxidize the organic material in

wastewater
• Using dichromate solution
• Treatability of wastewater

BOD/COD >0.5 biodegradable

 Refractory organics

• Resistant to biological degradation

• Surfactants, industrial solvents, pesticides,
pharmaceuticals, personal care products etc.
• Toxic to aquatic life and lead to bioaccumulation

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 Nutrients

• Nitrogen and phosphorus are the

limiting nutrients in aquatic plant
growth
• High amounts of nutrients in
surface water lead to the excessive
growth of algae which is known as
eutrophication

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 Nitrogen

• Total Nitrogen in water= Organic Nitrogen+ Ammonia+

Nitrite+ Nitrate
• Nitrogen species in water is transformed into different forms
by microbial action
• Ammonia is oxidized to nitrite and then to nitrate by the
process known as Nitrification
• During Denitrification, nitrate is converted to nitrogen
• Nitrifiers and denitrifiers are used in wastewater treatment
plants for biological removal for nitrogen species
 BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS
Pathogens 1. BACTERIA
✓ Typhoid fever – salmonella typhi
• Organisms capable of infecting ✓ Paratyphoid fever – salmonella
or transmitting diseases to paratyphi
humans ✓ Cholera – vibrio cholerae

• Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, ✓ Bacillary dysentery – shigella

dysentrial
helminths 2. PROTOZOA
• Most critical parameter in ✓ Amoebiasis
drinking water quality ✓ Amoebic dysentery – entamoeba
histolytica
3. VIRUS
✓ Polio
✓ Infectious hepatitis
4. HELMINTHS
✓Swimmer’s itch

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 Indicator organisms
Analysis of water for all known pathogens is not practical

Purity of water is checked using indicator organisms

Indicator organism is one whose presence presumes that contamination

has occurred and suggests the nature and extent of contamination

Escherichia coli belonging to fecal coliform group are commonly used as

the indicator organisms in water quality analysis

Mutiple tube fermentation technique is popularly used for coliform

analysis and the result is expressed as Most probable number (MPN)

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 15 April 2020 Page 26

Permissible limits of various parameters as per IS 10500 : 2012 (BIS)

Parameter Acceptable limit Permissible limit Treatment Risks associated

Color 5 Hazen unit 15 Hazen unit Filtration, Distillation, RO Acceptance decrease

Odour Agreeable - Air stripping, activated Acceptance decrease

carbon

pH 6.5-8.5 No relaxation Soda ash and white Metallic tastes/ bitter

vinegar treatment taste, deposition

Total dissolved solids 500 mg/L 2000 mg/L RO, distillation, Scaly deposits
deionization

Turbidity I NTU 5 NTU Sand filtration Cloudiness, haziness

Hardness (as CaCO3) 200 mg/L 600 mg/L Softening processes, ion Poor lathering with soaps,
exchange laundry expenses

Alkalinity (as CaCO 3) 200 mg/L 600 mg/L Ion exchange No health risks, however
excess can lead to nausea
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Contd…

Parameter Acceptable limit Permissible limit Treatment Risks associated

Aluminium 0.03 mg/L 0.2 mg/L Cation exchange, Risks to dialysis patients
Distillation, RO

Ammonia 0.5 mg/L No relaxation Ion exchange with zeolite Toxic for aquatic life

Iron 0.3 mg/L No relaxation Oxidizing filter Brackish color, bitter taste

Copper 0.05 mg/L 1.5 mg/L Ion exchange, RO, Anaemia, liver damage
distillation

Cyanide 0.05 mg/L No relaxation Ion exchange, RO, Thyroid, nervous system damage
chlorination

Lead 0.01 mg/L No relaxation Ion exchange, activated Nervous system damage, at high doses
carbon death

Mercury 0.001 mg/L 5 NTU RO, distillation Damage to brain, kidney, death at high
doses

Zinc 5 mg/L 15 mg/L Ion exchange, RO, Metallic taste, toxic

distillation
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Contd…

Parameter Acceptable limit Permissible limit Treatment Risks associated

Manganese 0.1 mg/L 0.3 mg/L Ion exchange, chlorination Laundry expenses,
discoloration

Sulphate 200 mg/L 400 mg/L Ion exchange with zeolite Bitter/medicinal taste,
deposits

Nitrate 45 mg/L No relaxation Anion exchange, distillation Blue baby syndrome in

infants

Chloride 250 mg/L 1000 mg/L RO, distillation High blood pressure, salty
taste
Fluoride 1 mg/L 1.5 mg/L Activated alumina, distillation Teeth and bone fluorisis

Arsenic 0.01 mg/L 0.05 mg/L Activated alumina, RO, distillation Skin problem, carcinogen

Chromium 0.05 No relaxation Ion exchange, RO Kidney and liver damage,

lung cancer
Cadmium 0.003 No relaxation Ion exchange, RO, distillation Liver and kidney damage,
nausea
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Contd…

Biological
parameters
Parameter Limit Treatment Risks associated

Total coliform Nil/100 ml Chlorination, UV, Gastrointestinal tract

bacteria ozonation infections
E. Coliform bacteria Nil/100 ml Chlorination, UV, Gastrointestinal tract
ozonation infections