Water/wastewater

testing and
characterization
Experimentation on Industrial Safety and
Industrial Visit
What is wastewater?

Wastewater is used water that has been affected by

Domestic,
Industrial and
Commercial use.

The composition of all wastewaters is constantly changing

& highly variable, which is why it is so difficult to pinpoint
a singular definition for this.

The composition of wastewater

99.9% water + 0.1% (solid material)

This 0.1% contains organic matter, microorganisms &

Wastewater effluents are released to a variety of
environments, such as Lakes,
Ponds,
Streams,
Rivers,
Delta and
Oceans.

Wastewater also includes storm runoff, as harmful

substances wash off roads, parking lots and rooftops.

The main task in treating the wastewater is simply to

remove most or all of this 0.1% of solids
 WasteWater & India
• As per the latest estimate of 2020
out of 22,900 MLD of wastewater generated in the
country,
only about 5900 MLD (26%) is treated before letting
out,
the rest i.e., 17000 MLD is disposed of untreated

• Twenty seven cities have only primary treatment facilities

and forty-nine have primary and secondary treatment
facilities

• The level of treatment available in cities with existing

treatment plant varies from 2.5 to 89% of the sewage
 NEED FOR WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
• To prevent groundwater pollution
• To prevent sea shore and soil contamination
• To prevent marine life
• Protection of public health
• To reuse the treated effluent
• For agriculture
• For groundwater recharge
• For industrial recycle
• Solving social problems caused by the accumulation of
wastewater
PROTECTING THE PUBLIC HEALTH
• Wastewater contains pathogenic microorganisms lead to
dangerous diseases to humans and animals
• Hazardous matter such as heavy metals that are toxic
produces odorous gases and bad smell
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
• Raw Wastewater leads to septic conditions in the
environment and leads to the deterioration of surface and
groundwater quality and pollutes the soil
• Raw wastewater is rich with nitrogen and phosphorus (N,
P) and leads to the phenomena of EUTROPHICATION
(EUTROPHICATION is the growth of huge amounts of
algae and other aquatic plants leading to the
deterioration of the water quality)
• Raw wastewater is rich with organic matter which
Blue Baby Syndrome

Diarrhea

Encephelitis
 CLASSIFICATION OF
WASTE WATER

Category of Waste COD

Water concentration
(mg/l)
Low strength Up to 750
Medium strength 750 - 3000
High strength 3000 – 10000
Very high strength > 10000
TYPES OF WASTEWATER FROM HOUSEHOLD

Type of Source of wastewater

Wastewater
Gray water Washing water from the
kitchen, bathroom, laundry
(without faeces and urine)
Black water Water from flush toilet (faeces
and urine with flush water)

Yellow water Urine from separated toilets

and urinals
Brown water Black water without urine or
TYPICAL WASTE WATER COMPOSITION
Physical characteristics

1. Solids
Composed of floating matter, settleable matter, colloidal
matter and
matter in solution.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
 Total suspended solids (TSS) include all particles suspended in
water which will not pass through a filter.
 As levels of TSS increase, a water body begins to lose its ability
to support a diversity of aquatic life.
 Suspended solids absorb heat from sunlight, which increases
water temperature and subsequently decreases levels of
dissolved oxygen
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
TDS are passed through the filter. TDS comprised of colloidal and dissolved
solids. Colloids are typically in the size range from 0.001 to 1μm.

Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS)

Those solids that can be volatilized and burned off when the TSS are ignited.

Volatile suspended solids data is critical in determining the operational

behavior and biological concentration throughout the system.
2. Turbidity
Measure of the light-transmitting properties of water, is another
test used to indicate the quality of waste discharges and natural
waters with respect to colloidal and residual suspended matter.

Units – NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units)

Equipment using to measure - electronic turbidity meter or a turbidity
tube
3. Colour
 Age of the waste water is determined qualitatively by its colour and
odour.
 Fresh wastewater is usually a light brownish- gray colour.
 Travel time of the collection system increases anaerobic conditions and colour of the
waste water changes sequentially for gray to dark gray, and ultimately to black.
 This black colour is due to the metallic sulfides which formed under the anaerobic
conditions.

4. Absorption / Transmittance
 This is measure of the amount of light, of a specified wave length, that is
absorbed by the constituents in a solution.
 Absorbance measure using the spectrophotometer.

5.Temperature
 The temperature of waste water is commonly higher due to the addition of warm water
from households and industrial activities.
 Temp. is effects on chemical reactions and reaction rates, aquatic life and the suitability
of the water.
6. Electrical Conductivity
 It is measure of the ability of a solution to conduct an electric current.
 EC is one of the important parameter used to determine the suitability of the water for
irrigation.
Chemical characteristics

1. pH
 This represent the hydrogen ion concentration.
 Waste water with an extreme concentration of hydrogen ion is difficult to treat
by biological means.
 For treated effluent discharged to the environment the allowable ph range usually varies
from 6.5 to 8.5.

2. Chlorides
 Human excreta, contain 6g of chlorides per person par day.
 Infiltration of salty water into sewers is also a potential source of high chlorides

3.Alkalinity
 Alkalinity in waste water results from the presence of the
 hydroxides (OH-), carbonates (CO32-), and bicarbonates (HCO3-) of elements
 such as Calcium, Magnesium, etc….
 Waste water is normally alkaline, receiving its alkalinity from material added during
domestic use.
 The alkalinity in waste water helps to resist changes in pH caused by the addition of
acids.
4.Nitrogen and Phosphorous
 Elements Nitrogen and Phosphorous, essential to the growth of microorganisms
 These are required to evaluate the treatability of waste water by biological processes.
 Insufficient Nitrogen and phosphorous can necessitate the addition of nitrogen to make
the waste treatable.
 But if control of algal growth in the receiving water is necessary, removal or reduction of
nitrogen in waste water prior to discharge may be desirable.

5. Metallic constituents
 Trace quantities of many metals such as Cadmium (Cd), Chromium(Cr),
 Copper(Cu), Iron (Fe), lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn), Mercury (Hg), Nickel (Ni)
 and Zinc(Zn) are important constituents of most waters.
Methods used to measure the aggregate organic material can be
divided
into two groups.

1. Methods used to measure the gross concentration of organic

matter greater
than about 1.0mg/l. – BOD, COD, Total Organic Carbon
(TOC)

2. Methods used to measure trace concentration in the range of

10-12 to 100 mg/l -
Determined using instrumental methods including gas
chromotography and
mass spectroscopy.
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The most wildly used parameter of organic pollution applied to

both waste water
and surface water is the 5 day BOD (BOD5). BOD test results are
used to;

 Determine the approximate quantity of oxygen that will be

required to biologically oxidized (Stabilized) the organic
matter.
 To determine the size of waste treatment facilities
 Measure the efficiency of some treatment processes.
 Determine the compliance with wastewater discharge permits.
waste water that can be oxidized chemically. Normally use the
dichromate in an
acid solution. The reasons for difference between the BOD and
COD are as follows;

1. Many Organic substances which are difficult to oxidize

biologically such as
lignin can be oxidized chemically.
2. Certain organic substances that are toxic to microorganisms
use in BOD test
oxidize by chemicals.

Total Organic Carbon (TOC)

The TOC of a wastewater can be used as a measure of its
pollution characteristics
and in some cases it has been possible to relate to TOC to BOD
Units of measurement for physical and chemical parameters

Measurements of chemical parameters are usually expressed in

“milligrams per liter (mg/L )”
or
“grams per cubic meter (g/m3)”

Concentrations also can be expressed as part per million (ppm).

ppm = mg/L
Specific gravity of fluid
 BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Main groups of Microorganisms: The main microorganisms of

concern in wastewater treatment are Bacteria, fungi, Algae,
Protozoa, Viruses, and pathogenic microorganisms groups
Bacteria:
Types: Spheroid, rod curved rod, spiral, filamentous.
Some important bacteria:
Pseudomonas: reduce NO3to N2 so it is very
important in biological nitrate removal in treatment
works.
Zoogloea: helps through its slime production in the
formation of flocs in the aeration tanks.
Sphaerotilus natuns: Causes sludge bulking in the
aeration tanks.
Bdellovibrio: destroy pathogens in biological
treatment.
Acinetobacter: Store large amounts of phosphate
under aerobic conditions and release it under an –
Nitrosomonas: transform NH4 into NO2-
Nitrobacter: transform NO2- to NO3-
Coliform bacteria:-The most common type is E-Coli or
Echerichia Coli, (indicator for the presence of
pathogens).
E-Coli is measured in (No/100mL)
Fungi
•Important in decomposing organic matter to simple
forms.
Algae
• Cause eutrophication phenomena. (negative effect)
• Useful in oxidation ponds. (positive effect)
• Cause taste and problems when decayed. (negative
effect)
Protozoa
•Feed on bacteria so they help in the purification of
treated waste water.
Viruses
• Viruses are a major hazard to public health.
• Some viruses can live as long as 41 days in water and wastewater
at 20ºC.
• They cause lot of dangerous diseases.

Pathogenic organisms
• The main categories of pathogens are: Bacteria, Viruses,
protozoa, helminthes
 MAIN PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE WATER

Parameters Description
Temperature •Slightly higher than in the drinking water
(40 - 45ºC) •Variations according to the seasons in the year (more
stable than the air temperature)
•Influences Microbial activity
•Influences solubility of gases
•Influences viscosity of the liquid

Colour Fresh sewage : Slightly grey

(300 TCU ) Septic sewage : Dark grey or black
Odour Fresh sewage : oily odour, relatively unpleasant
Septic sewage : Foul odour due to hydrogen sulphide gas
and other decomposition by-products
Industrial waste water : Characteristic odour

Turbidity •Caused by a great variety of suspended solids

(300 NTU ) •Fresher or more concentrated sewage : generally greater
turbidity
 MAIN CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF WASTE WATER

PARAMETERS DESCRIPTION
Total Solids Organic and Inorganic, Suspended and Dissolved, Settleable

Suspended Part of organic and inorganic solids that are non filterable
(100 mg/l)
Fixed Mineral compounds not oxidisable by heat, which are part of
the suspended solids
Volatile Organic compounds oxidisable by heat, which are part of the
suspended solids
Dissolved Part of organic and inorganic solids that are filterable.
(2100 mg/l) Normally considered having a dimension less than 10-3 μm.
Fixed Mineral compounds of the dissolved solids
Volatile Organic compounds of the dissolved solids
Settleable Part of organic and inorganic solids that settle in 1 hour in an
‘Imhoff’ cone. Approximate indication of the settling in a
sedimentation tank.
Organic matter Heterogeneous mixture of various organic compounds. Main
Components : Proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.
Indirect Biochemical Oxygen Demand. Measured at 5 days and 20ºC. Associated
Determination with the biodegradable fraction of carbonaceous organic compounds.
BOD 5 (50 mg/l) Measure of the oxygen consumed after 5 days by the microorganisms in
the biochemical stabilization of the organic matter.
COD Chemical Oxygen demand. Represents the quantity of oxygen required
(250 mg/l) to chemically stabilize the carbonaceous organic matter. Uses strong
oxidizing agent under acidic conditions.
Ultimate BOD Ultimate Biochemical oxygen demand. Represents the total oxygen
consumed at the end of several days, by the microorganisms in the
biochemical stabilisation of the organic matter.
Total Nitrogen Total Nitrogen includes organic Nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.
It is an essential nutrient for the microorganisms growth in the
biological waste water treatment. Organic nitrogen and ammonia
together are called Total Kjeldhal Nitrogen (TKN) - 100 mg/l
Organic Nitrogen in the form of proteins, amino acids and urea.
Nitrogen
Ammonia (50 Produced in the first stage of the decomposition of organic nitrogen.
mg/l)
Total Total phosphorus exists in organic and inorganic forms. It is an
Phosphorus essential nutrient in biological waste water treatment.
(10 mg/l)
Organic Combined with organic matter
Phosphorus
Inorganic Orthophosphates and Poly phosphates
Phosphorus
pH Indicator of the acidic or alkaline conditions of the waste
(5.5 - 9) water. A solution is neutral at pH 7. Biological oxidation
process normally tends to reduce the pH.
Chlorides Originating from the drinking water, Human and Industrial
(1000 mg/l) wastes.
Oils and Fraction of organic matter which is soluble in hexane. In
Grease domestic sewage the sources are oils and fats used in foods.
(10 mg/l)
 DISCHARGE LIMITS

Parameter Standards
Biochemical Oxygen demand 1[3 30
days at 27ºC] mg/l max.
Chemical Oxygen Demand, mg/l, 250
max.
Suspended solids mg/l, Max. 100
pH Value 5.5 to 9.0
Temperature shall not exceed 5ºC above the receiving
water temperature
Oil and grease mg/l Max. 10
Total residual chlorine mg/l Max. 1

Ammonical nitrogen (as N), mg/l 50

Max.
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (as NH3) 100
mg/l, Max.
Bio-assay test 90% survival of fish after 96 hours in 100%