ENE130

(Water and Wastewater

Engineering 1)

Asso. Prof. Dima Franca T. Apao

Department of Chemical Engineering & Technology
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
 Lesson 4
EVALUATION PARAMETERS for
WASTEWATER
 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTEWATER
AND THEIR SOURCES
CHARACTERISTICS SOURCES
Physical properties:
1. Color Domestic and industrial waste water, natural decay
of organic materials
2. Odor Decomposing waste water, industrial waste water
3. Solids Domestic water supply, domestic and industrial
wastewater, soil erosion, inflow/infiltration
4. Temperature Domestic and industrial waste water
* Temperature affects aquatic life and it affects chemical reactions and reaction rates.
An increase in T results to increase in reaction rate resulting to O2 depletion. O2
solubility in water decreases as T increases and the bacterial activity increases.

Chemical constituents: SOURCES

1. Organic:
Carbohydrates,fats,oils Domestic, commercial and industrial waste water
and grease,proteins,
surfactants,volatile organics
Pesticides Agricultural wastewater
Phenols Industrial wastewater
Others Natural decay of organic materials
 CHARACTERISTIC SOURCES

2. Inorganic:
Alkalinity, chlorides Domestic waste water, domestic water supply,
groundwater infiltration
Heavy metals Industrial waste water
Nitrogen Domestic and agricultural waste water
pH Domestic, commercial and industrial waste water
Phosphorus Domestic, commercial and industrial waste water,
natural runoff

3. Gases:
Hydrogen sulfides, methane Decomposition of urban wastewater
Oxygen Domestic water supply, surface water
infiltration
 PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL PARAMETERS BY WHICH
WASTEWATER IS MEASURED

1. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

▪ BOD is the most widely used parameter of organic pollution applied
to both wastewater and surface water.

▪ It is the amount of dissolved oxygen used by organisms while

consuming organic matter in a wastewater sample.

▪ Many factors can influence this test, such as temperature of

incubation, dilution rate, nitrification, toxic substances,
nature of bacterial seed and presence of anaerobic organisms.
There are two stages of decomposition in the BOD test:
1. The carbonaceous stage, or first stage, represents that portion of oxygen demand
involved in the conversion of organic carbon to carbon dioxide.
2. The nitrogenous stage, or second stage, represents a combined carbonaceous
plus nitrogeneous demand, when organic nitrogen, ammonia, and nitrite are
converted to nitrate.
The generalized reactions are as follows:
3 nitrite −for min g bacteria
(a) NH 3 + O2 ⎯⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯
⎯→ HNO2 + H 2O (Nitrosomonas bacteria)
2

(b) (Nitrobacter bacteria)

NH 3 + 2O 2 ⎯
⎯→ HNO 3 + H 2O
Nitrogenous oxygen demand generally begins after about 6 days. For some sewage,
especially discharge from wastewater treatment plants utilizing biological treatment
processes, nitrification can occur in less than 5 days if ammonia, nitrite,
and nitrifying bacteria are present. In this case, a chemical compound that prevents
nitrification should be added to the sample if the intent is to measure only the
carbonaceous demand. The results are reported as carbonaceous BOD
(CBOD), or as CBOD5 when a nitrification inhibitor is used.
2. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
▪ The COD test is used to measure the content of organic matter of both
wastewater and natural waters.
▪The oxygen equivalent of the organic matter that can be oxidized is
measured by using a strong chemical oxidizing agent in acidic medium,
which is potassium dichromate.
▪ The test must be performed at an elevated temperature; silver
nitrate is required as a catalyst to aid in the oxidation.
▪The principal reaction is

▪COD of a waste is in generally higher than BOD because more compounds

can be chemically oxidized than can be biologically oxidized.
▪The test is extensively used because it takes less time (about 3 hours) than
other tests such as the BOD5, which takes 5 days. The COD test does not,
however, differentiate between biodegradable and non-biodegradable
organic matter. Also, COD test is expensive.
3. Total suspended solids (TSS)
▪ This is the sum of the organic and inorganic solids concentrations in water

1. Suspended solids - which represent the solids that are in suspension in the
water. Generally comprised of 70%organic and 30% inorganic
solids and can be removed by physical or mechanical means.
2. Organic solids
About 50% of solids present in urban wastewater are derived from the
waste products of animal and vegetable life. Sometimes called the
combustible fraction or volatile solids as these can be driven off at high
temperature.
3. Inorganic solids - these substances are inert and are not subject to decay. These
include sand, gravel and silt.
4. Settleable solids - this is a subset of suspended solids and represents that fraction
of suspended solids that will settle in a given period.
5. Colloidal suspended solids - these refer to solids that are not truly dissolved and
yet do not settle readily. They tend to refer to organic and inorganic solids
that rapidly decay.
4. pH
▪ This expresses the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution and indicates the
level of acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution.
▪ pH = -log [H+] , where [H+] = concentration of H+ ions in moles per liter
▪If the pH of the wastewater is outside the range 5-10, bacterial growth is very low,
slowing down the biological degradation of organic waste.
▪ The pH of aqueous systems can be measured using a pH meter or by a universal
indicator
5. Total phosphorus
▪ Phosphorus is essential to the growth of algae and other biological organisms.
But because of noxious algal blooms that occur in surface waters, the amount of
phosphorus compounds from wastewater is controlled .
▪ This parameter is normally divided into three fractions, namely:
1. Orthophosphate - dissolved inorganic phosphate (P04-3 , HPO4-2 , H2PO4-, H3PO4)
2. Polyphosphates – are complex compounds generally derived from detergents

3. Organically bound phosphate - dissolved and suspended organic phosphates

6. Nitrogen
Like phosphorus, nitrogen is essential to the growth of protists and plants, so it
is known as bio-stimulant. Because nitrogen is an essential building block in the
synthesis of protein, nitrogen data is required to evaluate the treatability of
wastewater by biological processes.

Total nitrogen refers to the to the sum of measurements of total oxidized

nitrogen.
▪ Forms of nitrogen
1. Organic nitrogen
Organic nitrogen maybe in the form of humus or the intermediate
products of organic matter decomposition.
2. Ammonia nitrogen
– exists in aqueous solution as either NH4+ or NH3, depending on the pH
of the solution, in accordance with the following equilibrium reactions:
NH3 + H2O NH4+ + OH-
▪At pH levels above 7, the equilibrium is displaced to the left, at pH levels
below 7, the ammonium ion is predominant

3. Nitrite nitrogen
- is determined colorimetrically
- relatively unstable and is easily oxidized to nitrate form
- extremely toxic to most fish and other aquatic species

4. Nitrate nitrogen
– also determined by colorimetric methods
- is the most highly oxidized form of nitrogen found in wastewaters
- if present in drinking water above 45 mg/L as NO3- can cause
fatal effects on infants.
7. Heavy metals
▪ Trace quantities of many metals, such as Ni, Mn,Pb, Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu, Fe, Hg are
important constituents of most waters. Many of these metals are classified as
priority pollutants although some of these metals are necessary for growth of
biological life . It is the presence of these metals in excessive amounts will
interfere with many beneficial uses of water because of its toxicity.

8. Gases
1. Dissolved oxygen
– this is required for the respiration of aerobic microorganisms. However, oxygen
is only slightly soluble in water
* The quantity of dissolved gases in water is affected by:
a. Solubility of the gas
b. Partial pressure of the gas in the atmosphere
c. Temperature
* if T is increased, the rate of biological reactions that use oxygen is
increased, that will decrease the DO in the water. In summer months,
stream flow is lower that compounds the problem of increased T.
d. Purity of the water
 2. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
▪ H2S is formed from anaerobic decomposition of organic matter containing
sulfur or from the reduction of mineral sulfites and sulfates.
▪ This gas is colorless, inflammable compound with the characteristic odor of
rotten eggs. This is the most important gas formed from the standpoint of
odors.

3. Methane (CH4)
▪ Methane is the principal by-product of anaerobic decomposition of organic
matter in wastewater
▪ It is colorless, odorless, combustible hydrocarbon of high fuel value

Read DENR DAO No. 2016-08 for General Effluent Standards of Pollutants.
https://pab.emb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/DAO-2016-08-WQG-and-
GES.pdf