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INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of experiment
Water safety is one of the concerns in our daily life. Nowadays, even clear water may
contain pollutants which cannot be seen with our naked eyes. Polluted water may
contain dissolved salt, acids and also very small particles. Water from any sources has
to be analyzed to detect the pollutants in water and then taking any possible steps to
prevent further harms to the environment and pollutions to the water.
There are several indicators that can be used in conducting water quality analysis,
which are physical, chemical and biological indicators. Physical Indicator includes
temperature, conductivity, total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, total dissolved solids
(TDS), odor of water, color of water and taste of water. Chemical Indicator includes
pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved
oxygen (DO), heavy metals, nitrate and orthophosphates. Biological Indicator includes
Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Coliform bacteria.
For our experiment, the water sample from UTMs lake will be analysed with
TSS, pH, conductivity and turbidity test. TSS is also called non-filterable residue. TSS
test is carried out to find out the amount of total suspended solid present in the water
which will be carried out using filter paper. pH test is a measure of the acidity of water.
Conductivity test will measure the conductivity of water sample. Larger conductivity
value means higher amount of ions present in the water sample. Turbidity is the
cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by suspended solids that are generally invisible
to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air.
2.2 pH
Acidic and basic are two extremes that describe chemicals, just like hot and cold are
two extremes that describe temperature. Mixing acids and bases can cancel out their
extreme effects; much like mixing hot and cold water can even out the water
temperature. A substance that is neither acidic nor basic is neutral.
The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is. It ranges from 0 to 14.
A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic, and a pH greater than 7 is basic. Each
whole pH value below 7 is ten times more acidic than the next higher value. For
example, a pH of 4 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 5 and 100 times (10 times 10)
more acidic than a pH of 6. The same holds true for pH values above 7, each of which
is ten times more alkalineanother way to say basicthan the next lower whole value.
For example, a pH of 10 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 9.
Pure water is neutral, with a pH of 7.0. When chemicals are mixed with water, the
mixture can become either acidic or basic.
that settle out can smother fish eggs and those of aquatic insects, as well as suffocate
newly-hatched larvae. The material that settles also fills the spaces between rocks and
makes these microhabitats unsuitable for various aquatic insects, such as mayfly
nymphs, stonefly nymphs and caddis fly larva. Suspended solids can result from
erosion from urban runoff and agricultural land, industrial wastes, bank erosion, bottom
feeders (such as carp), algae growth or wastewater discharges.
Prevention methods include protection of the land in our watershed from erosion
by use of conservation tillage measures and giving urban runoff time to settle out
before reaching our surface waters.
2.4 Turbidity
Turbidity is a measure of water clarity how much the material suspended in water
decreases the passage of light through the water. Suspended materials include soil
particles (clay, silt, and sand), algae, plankton, microbes, and other substances. These
materials are typically in the size range of 0.004 mm (clay) to 1.0 mm (sand). Turbidity
can affect the color of the water.
Higher turbidity increases water temperatures because suspended particles absorb
more heat. This, in turn, reduces the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) because
warm water holds less DO than cold. Higher turbidity also reduces the amount of light
penetrating the water, which reduces photosynthesis and the production of DO.
Suspended materials can clog fish gills, reducing resistance to disease in fish, lowering
growth rates, and affecting egg and larval development. As the particles settle, they can
blanket the stream bottom, especially in slower waters, and smother fish eggs and
benthic macroinvertebrates.
Turbidity is generally measured by using a turbidity meter. Volunteer programs
may also take samples to a lab for analysis. Another approach is to measure
transparency (an integrated measure of light scattering and absorption) instead of
turbidity. Water clarity/transparency can be measured using a Secchi disk or
transparency tube. The Secchi disk can only be used in deep, slow moving rivers; the
transparency tube, a comparatively new development, is gaining acceptance in
programs around the country but is not yet in wide use.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Conductivity
Materials
: Water sample
Apparatus
Procedures
1
2
3
4
least 30 minutes.
200mL water sample is measured and transferred into a beaker.
The probe is dipped into the water sample.
RED LINE is fixed by turning the mode knob. This is to let the red line knob to
3.2 pH
Materials
Apparatus
Procedures
1
The pH meter is switched on. Cal/measure button is pressed until cal is shown
on the screen.
The probe is put into the blank solution with pH 4 and button enter is pressed
3
4
Apparatus
6
7
3.4 Turbidity
Materials
Apparatus
Procedures
1
The turbidity meter is switched on and warmed for a while. Ensure that the cell
2
3
reading. The step is repeated for 200 NTU and 2000 NTU.
After calibration, the NTU for water sample is measured by pouring the water
X 1000 mg/ g
Conductivity test
TSS test
Turbidity test
: NTU value
7.0 REFERENCE
Environmental Protection Agency United States, (n.d), What is pH, Retrieved 30 October,
2014 from http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/measure/ph.html.
EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d), Turbidity, Retrieved 30 October,
2014 from http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/vms55.cfm.
EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d), Conductivity, Retrieved 30
October, 2014 from http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/vms59.cfm.
Fundamentals of Environmental Measurements, (n.d), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Retrieved
30
October,
2014
from
http://www.fondriest.com/environmentalmeasurements/parameters/water-quality/turbidity-total-suspended-solids-waterclarity/#Turbid1
North Dakota, Department of Health Surface Water (n.d), Total Suspended Solid (TSS),
Retrieved
30
October,
2014
from
https://www.ndhealth.gov/WQ/SW/Z6_WQ_Standards/WQ_TSS.htm