University of Basra

College of Engineering

Civil engineering Department

SANITARTY ENGINEERING LAB.

EXPERIMENT ON DETERMINATION OF PH

By The Students:
AHMED SAAD ADNAN (A-3)
SHAHAD ABDULREDAH KARIM (A-18)

SUPERVISED Dr. SAAD ABU- ALHAIL ALKHALIL

PREFACE:
How to determine PH in Water and Wastewater
Test procedure is in accordance to:
1. APHA Standard Methods Tor the Examination of Water and Wastewater.
20th Edition. Method 4500-H' B.
2. Methods for Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes.
EPA-600/4-79-020. USEPA. Method 150.1.

AIM:
To determine the PH of the given water sample with the conditions.

INTRODUCTION:
The term PH is refers is to the measure of hydrogen ion concentration in a solution and
defined as the negative log of H+ ions concentration in water and wastewater. The values of
PH 0 to a little less than 7 are termed as acidic and the values of PH a little above 7 Io 14
are termed as basic or alkaline. When the concentration of H+ and OH- ions are equal then
it is termed as neutral PH.

PH = -Log [H+] , high [H+] >> PH <7 , low [H+] >> PH> 7

ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:
Determination of pH is one of the important objectives in biological treatment of the
wastewater. In anaerobic treatment, if the PH goes below 5 due to excess accumulation of
acids, the process is severely affected. Shifting of PH beyond 5 to 10 upsets the aerobic
treatment of the wastewater. In these circumstances, the PH is generally adjusted by
addition of suitable acid or alkali to optimize the treatment of the wastewater. PH value or
range is of great importance for any chemical reaction. A chemical shall be highly
effective at a particular PH. Chemical coagulation, disinfection, water softening and
corrosion control are governed by PH adjustment. Lower value of PH below 4 will
produce sour taste and higher value above 8.5 a bitter taste. High PH causing cancer in
human beings.

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APPARATUS:
PH meter with temperature device, accurate and uniform to 0.1 pH unit with a range of
0 to 14. Follow manufacturer's instructions on use and care of device.

SAMPLE HANDLING AND PRESERVATION:

 Preservation of sample is not practical. Because biological activity will continue after a
sample has been taken. Changes may occur during handling and storage.
 The characteristics of the water sample may change. To reduce the change in samples
taken for the determination of PH, keep samples at 4℃. Do not allow the samples to
freeze.
 Analysis should begin as soon as possible.

PRECAUTIONS:

The following precautions should be observed while performing the experiment:

1. Temperature affects the measurement of PH at two points. The first is caused by the
change in electrode output at different temperatures. This interference can be
controlled by the instrument having temperature compensation or by calibrating the
electrode-instrument system at the temperature of the samples. The second is the
change of pH inherent in the sample at different temperatures. This type of error is
sample dependent and cannot be controlled; hence both the PH and temperature at the
time analysis should be noted.
2. In general, the glass electrode, is not subject to solution interferences like color, high
salinity, colloidal matter, oxidants, turbidity or reductants.
3. oil and grease, if present in the electrode layer, should be removed by gentle wiping
or detergent washing, followed by rinsing with distilled water, because it could
damage the electrode response.
4. Before using, allow the electrode to stand in dilute hydrochloric acid solution for at
least 2 hours.
5. Electrodes used in the PH meter are highly fragile. Hence handle it carefully.

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PROCEDURE:
Three major steps are involved in the experiment. They are:
1. Preparation of Reagents.
2. Calibrating the Instrument.
3. Testing of Sample.

TESTING OF SAMPLE:
 In a clean dry 50 or 100 mL beaker take the water sample and place it for test.
 Now place the electrode in the beaker containing the water sample and check for the
reading in the PH meter. Stir the sample gently while measuring PH to insure
homogeneity. Wait until you get a stable reading.
 The PH of the given water sample is------.
 Take the electrode from the water sample. Wash it with distilled water and then wipe
gently with soft tissue.

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CALCULATION:
To determine the value of pH of the given water sample the readings obtained are required
to be tabulated.

SAMPLE TEMP. OF PH
SAMPLE (Co)
NO.
1 22.4 8.74
2 22.8 8.49
3 22.6 7.14
4 22.5 8.21

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DISCUSES:
 What factors affect the electrode life?
PH glass is susceptible to chemical attacks. Temperature changes can alter the rate of
this attack. For every 30C° rise in temperature, the rate of attack increases tenfold.
Accordingly, process solutions with elevated temperature shock electrode life. Strong
acids and strong alkane solution, to a greater extent, attract the glass member.
Even natural solution that contain high concentrations of alkali ions, sodium ions in
particular, attack the glass. Using a PH sensor with a glass formulation that is inappropriate
for the application may render the sensor inoperable often only a short time without any
visible glass defects. Hydrofluoric acid (HF) will readily position the glass member when
the PH is below 6.00 the greater the fluoride ion contraction, the fast, the electrode will
fall the fluoride strips away the gel layer of the glass members rendering it imperative.

 How does the temperature affect PH measurements?

Temperature affects the pH measurement in two ways .The First is a change in pH due
to changes in dissociation constant of the ions in the solution being measured ,This implies
that as solutions temperature Changes, the PH. value also changes ,presently available
instrumentation Cannot account for this change because the dissociation constant vary from
Solution to The Solution
The Second reason temperature affects the pH measurement, is glass electrode
resistance, since the glass measurement electrode is an ionic. Conductor it stands to reason
that the resistance of the glass. Will Change as the Solution temperature changes as
temperature rises. Resistance across the glass bulb decreases. This change in resistance
versus temperature is Constant and can be calculated depending on the specific type of glass
formulation of the electrode.

 Can pH be negative or higher than 14?

It’s possible to Calculated a negative PH Value whither or not an acid actually has a
negative PH value isn’t something you can verify very well in the lab. Any acid thot yields
a concentration of hydrogen with a molarity greater than 1 will be calculated to have a
negative PH
For example, the PH of 12M HCL is calculated to be Log(12)= -108 however You Can't
Just dip a glass pH electrode in the HCL measure a negative PH, glass pH electrode Suffer
from a defect called “acid error” which Causes to apply a Correction for this defect to obtain
the true PH value.

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CONCLUSION:
PH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration in water. Values lower than 7 indicate
acidity and values higher than 7 indicate alkalinity. Drinking water with a pH between 6.5
and 8.5 is generally considered satisfactory. Acidic waters tend to be corrosive to plumbing
and tap, particularly if the PH is below 6. Alkaline waters are less corrosive. Waters with a
pH above 8.5 may tend to have a bitter taste.
The PH of the water samples are well within the limit of the drinking water standards.
The PH of the ground water is slightly towards the alkaline side because of some soil and
rocks chemicals might have dissolved in it. In case of the PH of the fresh water, aquatic
plants uses up hydrogen molecules for photosynthesis. Which causes the concentration of
hydrogen ions to decrease and therefore the pH is towards the alkaline side. The sea water is
mostly alkaline in nature because of the presence of different type of salts.