Environmental - Lecture 9

Industrial Safety and
Environmental Management
23MECH40H
Prof. Tamer A. Mohamed

Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department
The British University of Egypt
Water Pollution
Contents
• Introduction
• Sources of water pollution
• Classification and types of water pollutants
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Contents
• Introduction
What is Water ?
 Water is an inorganic chemical compound.

 71% of the Earth’s surface area.
 60-70% of human body, ¾ of human brain, major portion of all
living organisms.
 Essential for all known forms of life, acts as a metabolite,
temperature buffer, solvent and living environment.
THREE MAIN SOURCE:
1. RAIN
2. GROUND WATER
3. SURFACE WATER
What is Water Pollution ?
It occurs when a body of water is adversely affected due to
the addition of large amounts of materials to the water.
Any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of
water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that
drinks or uses or lives (in) it.
Contents
• Introduction
Sources
The sources of water pollution are categorized as being
a point source or a non-point source of pollution.
Point sources of pollution occur when the polluting

substance is emitted directly into the waterway. A pipe
spewing toxic chemicals directly into a river is an
example.
A non-point source occurs when there is runoff of
pollutants into a waterway, for instance when fertilizer
from a field is carried into a stream by surface runoff.
Point source
examples
Non point source
examples
Stream bank
erosion may
contribute
sediment,
Irrigation return flows may contain
nutrients, salts,
sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, and
and organic
salts.
material.
Animal Operations
may contribute
nutrients, pathogens,
and organic material.
Construction runoff may contribute

sediments.
Point and Nonpoint Sources
NONPOINT SOURCES
Rural homes
Urban streets Cropland
Animal feedlot
Suburban POINT
development SOURCES
Factory
Wastewater
treatment
plant
Contents
• Introduction
Disease-causing agents. These are bacteria, viruses,
protozoa and parasitic worms that enter sewage
systems and untreated waste.
Oxygen-demanding wastes; wastes that can be decomposed by
oxygen-requiring bacteria. When large populations of decomposing
bacteria are converting these wastes it can reduce oxygen levels in the
water. This causes other organisms in the water, such as fish, to die.
Water-soluble inorganic pollutants, such as acids,
salts and toxic metals. Large quantities of these
compounds will make water unfit to drink and will
cause the death of aquatic life.
Suspended sediment, because it causes reduction in
the water's light absorption and the particles spread
dangerous compounds such as pesticides through the
water.
Water-soluble radioactive compounds can cause
cancer, birth defects and genetic damage.

Toxic Substances A toxic substance is a chemical
pollutant that is not a naturally occurring substance in
aquatic ecosystems. The greatest contributors to toxic
pollution are herbicides, pesticides and industrial
compounds.
Organic Substances
 Occurs when an excess of organic

matter, such as fertilizers or sewage,
enters the water. When organic matter
increases in a pond, the number of
decomposers will increase. These
decomposers grow rapidly and use a
great deal of oxygen during their growth.
This leads to a reduction of oxygen as the
decomposition process occurs. A lack of
oxygen can kill aquatic organisms. As the
aquatic organisms die, they are broken
down by decomposers which leads to
further reduction of the oxygen levels.
Organic Substances
Also can occur when inorganic pollutants as nitrogen and
phosphates accumulate in aquatic ecosystems. High levels of
these nutrients cause an overgrowth of plants and algae. As the
plants and algae die, they become organic material in the water.
The enormous decay of this plant matter, in turn, lowers the
oxygen level. The process of rapid plant growth followed by
increased activity by decomposers and a reduction of the
oxygen level is called eutrophication.
Thermal
Occurs when water is used as a coolant near a power or
industrial plant and then is returned to the aquatic
environment at a higher temperature than it was
originally. Thermal pollution can lead to a decrease in
the dissolved oxygen level in the water while also
increasing the biological demand of aquatic organisms
for oxygen.
Ecological When chemical pollution,
organic pollution or thermal pollution
are caused by nature rather than by
human activity.
 An example of ecological pollution would
be an increased rate of siltation of a
waterway after a landslide which would
increase the amount of sediments in runoff
water.
 Another example would be when a large
animal, such as a deer, drowns in a flood
and a large amount of organic material is
added to the water as a result.
 Major geological events such as a volcano
eruption might also be sources of
ecological pollution.
Contents
• Introduction
Biochemical oxygen demand is the amount of
oxygen consumed by bacteria and other
microorganisms while they decompose
organic matter under aerobic conditions.
BOD effects on aquatic life
Method of Measuring DO
• https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-m
easurements/measurements/measuring-wate
r-quality/dissolved-oxygen-sensors-and-metho
ds
/
Five-Day BOD Test
Five-Day BOD Test
Modeling BOD as a First-Order Reaction
• Suppose we imagine a flask with some biodegradable

organic waste in it. As bacteria oxidize the waste, the amount
of organic matter remaining in the flask will decrease with
time until eventually it all disappears.
Modeling BOD as a First-Order Reaction
The solution is: (1)
(2)
Combining (1) & (2):

Example on BOD rate
Example on BOD rate
Solution
Example on BOD rate
Solution

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Industrial Safety and

Prof. Tamer A. Mohamed

 Water is an inorganic chemical compound.

Point sources of pollution occur when the polluting

Construction runoff may contribute

Urban streets Cropland

 Occurs when an excess of organic

• Suppose we imagine a flask with some biodegradable

The solution is: (1)

Combining (1) & (2):

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