WATER RESOURCE TECHOLOGY

(EVT 525)
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

FACULTY & PROGRAMME : AS229

SEMESTER : PART 2

NAME : NURDIANA BINTI SALEHUDIN

STUDENTS ID : 2021124233

GROUP : AS2992C

LECTURER’S NAME : DR. NIK AZLIN NIK ARIFFIN

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 5 DECEMBER 2021

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

No. Contents
1 1.0 Introduction

2 2.0 Chemical characteristics

a. Dissolved oxygen (DO)
b. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
c. Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
d. Total organic carbon (TOC)
e. Ammoniacal nitrogen

3 3.0 Biological characteristics

a. Bacteria
b. Virus
c. Fungi
d. Multi-cellular organisms

4 4.0 Conclusions

5 5.0 References
1. 0 Introduction

Water quality play an important part of environmental monitoring. Poor water quality
affects not only aquatic life, but also the surrounding ecosystem. The characteristic
of water quality can be physical, chemical or biological factors. The physical
properties of water quality include color, turbidity and temperature. For chemical
properties such as dissolved oxygen and pH. Biomarkers of water quality include
fungi and virus and more. These parameters are relevant to the exploration of
surface of water in seas,rivers, lakes, groundwater and industrial process. Monitoring
quality of water helps researchers predict and learn about the natural processes of
the environment and determine the impact of humans on ecosystems. These
parameters are useful for restoration projects to ensure that environmental standards
are met (Fondriest, n.d).

There are many chemical properties of water. All substances that dissolve in water
can be described as chemical water quality. Water is known as a universal solvent
because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid. This means that
whenever water flows through either the soil or our body, valuable chemicals,
minerals and nutrients are carried together (N.Radi, 2015). Some of the important
chemical properties are hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), salinity, total organic carbon
(TOC), pH, ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), total solids (TS), dissolved solids (DS), total
dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS) and suspended solids (SS) and
volatile solids (VS).

Last bit not least for biological characteristics, the absence of organisms in the water
is one of the most useful indicators of its water quality. In streams, rivers and lakes,
the diversity of fish and insect species is a measure of biological balance and water
health. Many different species of organisms usually indicate contaminated streams
and lakes. The disappearance of certain species and the oversupply of other
organisms are generally one of the effects of pollution (Prof Martins, 2014). Some of
the important biological properties are bacteria, fungi, virus and multicellular
organism.
2.0 Chemical characteristic

a. Dissolved oxygen
Dissolved oxygen (DO) refers to the level of free, non-compound oxygen present in
water or other liquids. It is an important parameter in assessing water quality
because of its influence on the organisms living within a body of water. A dissolved
oxygen level that is too high or too low can harm aquatic life and affect water quality.
Dissolved oxygen is the presence of these free oxygen (O2) molecules within
water.The bonded oxygen molecule in water (H2O) is in a compound and does not
count toward dissolved oxygen levels (Fondriest, n.d).

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an analysis to measure the amount of gaseous (O2)

dissolved in an aqueous solution (N.Radi, 2015). The sources of DO in surface water
primarily atmospheric reaeration and photosynthetic activity of aquatic plants.
Dissolved oxygen also play important role in chemical reaction in water and in
survival of aquatic organisms. For example, fish and crustaceans obtain oxygen for
respiration through their gills, while plant life and phytoplankton require dissolved
oxygen for respiration when there is no light for photosynthesis. Microbes such as
bacteria and fungi also require dissolved oxygen. These organisms use DO to
decompose organic material at the bottom of a body of water. Microbial
decomposition is an important contributor to nutrient recycling (Fondriest, n.d).

The process begin when dissolved oxygen enters the water either through the air
or as a by product of plants. In air, oxygen can diffuse slowly from the surrounding
atmosphere onto the surface of the water or rapidly mix with water as a result of
natural or artificial aeration. While dissolved oxygen produce from photosynthesis of
plants in water. Most photosynthesis occurs at the surface, but most processes occur
in water. Light can penetrate water but the depth it can penetrate depends on
dissolved solids and other light-scattering factors present in the water (Fondriest,
2013).

How dissolved oxygen enters water Dissolved oxygen can enter the water as a by
product of photosynthesis.
 Furthermore, in the surface water the concentration of dissolved oxygen
typically range from 2-1 mg/l. Next, the saturation of dissolved oxygen decreases
when the temperature of water increases but when the atmospheric pressure
increase, the saturation of dissolved oxygen increases (USGS, n.d).

b. Biochemical oxygen demand

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of oxygen required by aerobic
microorganisms such as bacteria to decompose the organic matter at specified
temperature. Commonly lake or stream contains small amounts of oxygen in the form
of dissolved oxygen (DO). Dissolved oxygen is an essential component of natural
water bodies, supporting aquatic life and the aesthetic appearance of streams and
lakes. The breakdown of organic matter in water is measured in terms of biochemical
oxygen demand. Environmental stress and other anthropogenic factors can reduce
the amount of dissolved oxygen in water bodies. However, biological oxygen
demand is essentially a measure of the amount of oxygen required to remove
organic waste. Sources of biological oxygen demand include leaves and wood, dead
plants and animals, wastewater treatment plant and others (Tuser, 2020).

There are a few methods approved for determining biological oxygen demand.
One of them known as Standard Methods 5210B. This method analyzes the
difference in dissolved oxygen from a sample for five days. A known volume of
sample has its initial DO content recorded and after a five day incubation period at
20°C then the sample is removed from the incubator and the final DO content is
taken (Tuser, 2020).

This method analyzes the difference in dissolved oxygen in a sample over a 5-day
period. For a known sample volume, the initial DO content is recorded after a 5 day
incubation period at 20 °C. Then, the sample removed from the incubator and the
final DO content determined. BOD values are then calculated based on the size and
depletion of the sample used. DO readings are usually expressed in parts per million
(ppm). A higher BOD means more oxygen is needed, which means lower water
quality while the lower BOD means less oxygen is being removed from the water, so
the water is generally cleaner. This is because cold water retains oxygen better than
warm water and DO is usually lower in summer. The biggest problem with the BOD
test is time since the retention time of the BOD sample is 48 hours from the moment
it is collected. For BOD to work properly, there must be enough healthy bacteria in
the bottle (Tuser, 2020).
 The process of BOD in water

c. Chemical oxygen demand

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen that must
be present in water to oxidize chemical organic materials like petroleum. COD is
used to gauge the short-term impact wastewater effluents will have on the oxygen
levels of receiving waters. Chemical oxygen demand is similar to biochemical oxygen
demand in that they are both used to calculate the oxygen demand of a water sample.
The difference between the two is that chemical oxygen demand measures
everything that can be oxidized, whereas biochemical oxygen demand only
measures the oxygen demanded by organisms (Corrosionpedia, n.d).

The COD test uses a chemical which is potassium dichromate in a 50% sulfuric
acid solution that oxidizes both organic (predominate) and inorganic substances in a
wastewater sample, which results in a higher COD concentration than BOD
concentration for the same wastewater sample since only organic compounds are
consumed during BOD testing (Dr. Brian, 2020).

COD is used when treated wastewater is discharged into the environment. It

can introduce pollution in the form of organic content to receiving waters. The high
levels of wastewater COD indicate concentrations of organics that can deplete
dissolved oxygen in the water which is leading to negative environmental and
regulatory consequences. To help determine the impact and ultimately limit the
amount of organic pollution in water, chemical oxygen demand is an essential
measurement The application of COD is determine the amount of organic pollutants
found in the surface such rivers and lakes.
 The process of COD

d. Total organic carbon

Total organic carbon (TOC) is a measure of the total carbon of organic compounds
in clean water and water systems. It is often used as non -specific indicator of water
quality or cleanliness of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment (Dr.Nik, 2021).
TOC also involves in remove the inorganic carbon (IC) content and then measuring
the leftover carbon. This analysis involves purging an acidified sample with carbon-
free air or nitrogen to measurement known as non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC).

The technique on this analysis is a two-stage process known as TC-IC. It

measures the amount of inorganic carbon evolved from an acidified aliquot of a
sample and amount of total carbon carbon (TC) present in sample (Dr.Nik, 2021).
Another analysis TIC-NPOC employs acidification of the sample to envolve carbon
dioxide and measure the inorganic carbon (IC) then oxidized and measure the
remaining non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) (Dr.Nik,2021).

Furthermore, whether the method used in TOC is TC-IC or NPOC, it may be

divided into three stages which is acidification, oxidation and detection and
quantification. Thus, the first stage is acidifiction of the sample to remove the
inorganic carbon and purgeable organic carbon. The release of these gases to the
detector for measurement is depend on types of analysis is interest, the former for
TC-IC and the latter for TOC (NPOC) (Dr. Nik, 2021).

Flow chart of TOC

e. Ammoniacal nitrogen
Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) is a measure for the amount of ammonia which is a
toxic pollutant often found in landfill leachate and in waste products such as sewage,
liquid manure and other liquid organic waste products. Ammonia is extremely soluble
in water and produce ammonium hydroxide. Ammonium hydroxide is one of the
transient constituents in water as part of the nitrogen cycle. Ammoniacal nitrogen
undergo two condition which are anaerobic and anoxic (without oxygen). Under
anaerobic conditions, ammonia is oxidized to nitrite and further oxidized to nitrite
through nitrification process. For anoxic conditions, nitrite formed in converted to
nitrogen gas with no oxygen present through denitrification (Dr.Nik, 2021).

There is no standard for ammoniacal nitrogen discharge. The average for public
sewage treatment facilities comply to the stipulated Standard A and B. For standard
A only 15 mg/L and standard B 25 mg/L.

The process of ammoniacal nitrogen in water.

3.0 Biological characteristics
a. Bacteria
Bacteria are single celled microbes. The cell structure is simpler than that of other
organisms as there is no nucleus or membrane bound organelles. Nowdays, to
determine or test a water supply for specific disease-causing organisms is need a lot
money. Furthermore, the water supply may be contaminated by human wastes but
the disease organism is not shown in the sample is taken so the risk of future
exposure to the a disease may be present. So, bacteria is use for test to indicate the
present human or animal waste in water. Commonly the bacteria used as indicator
organisms to measured microbiological quality in the water are coliforms, E-coli and
Enterococcus.

Fecal coliforms especially E.coli indicate the mammal or bird feces in water. Then,
enterococcus bacteria also indicate feces from warm blooded animal in the water.
These two bacteria does not cause disease but form a reddish-brown slime that
coats inside of pipes or clogs water to indicate the present of organisms in there.

Coliform Bacteria & E. Coli in Drinking Water

b. Virus
Viruses are the smallest form of microorganism and may also be present in well
water, cistern water and lake water. Viruses make their way into water supply by the
fecal waste of infected animals or humans. The human health risk to ingesting water
contaminated with viruses can range from gastroenteritis to meningitis. It is important
to know that contaminated water can be ingested while bathing, showering, brushing
teeth, drinking water, or by eating food that has been exposed to infected water.
There are some ways that to kill virus such chemical disinfection often uses halogens
such as chlorine and ultraviolet (UV) light, ultrafiltration. These processes can
eliminate 99.9 - 99.9999% of harmful microorganisms.

Chlorination is method of disinfection involves adding chlorine to water to make it

safer to drink. It is common, cost-effective, and quick for killing many pathogenic
microorganisms. Next, the UV disinfection method which does not involve chemicals.
UV systems expose water to light at just the right wavelength for killing microbes that
may be present in the water. The effectiveness of UV treatment depends on the
strength and intensity of the light, the amount of time the light shines through the
water and the quantity of particles present in the water.

c. Fungi
Fungi are ubiquitous, heterotrophic organisms present in oceans, fresh water and
drinking water. Fungi also are natural inhabitants of soil and water some species
behave as pathogen or opportunistic in humans. Virus and bacteria mostly cannot
survive in multiply environment but fungi can survive in water and more infectious
and resistant to disinfection that most other organisms (Dr. Nik, 2020).

Fungal pathogens acts as agents of many of infections are part of this trend and
found as the cause of infections in immunocompromised patients. Most common
disease such Norwalk and Hepatitis A. Norwalk disease is a mild and brief illness
that develops 1-2 days after contaminated food or water is consumed and lasts for
24-60 hours. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and
upon occasion headache and low fever. Severe illness requiring hospitalization is
most unusual (Charles,2021).

Example of fungi in water

d. Multi-cellular organisms
A multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell, in
contrast to a unicellular organism. For example, Giardia Lamblia and
Cryptosporidium parvum are protozoan parasites infecting the digestive tract of
human and other warm blooded animals. It is has been demostrated that semi-
aquatic mammals can serve as zoonotic host trasmitted the disease to humans who
take and consume contaminated water (Dr.Nik, 2021).

The research shown that Giardia and Cryptosporidium are highly resistant to
chlorine which used to disinfect of contaminated water. They also difficult removed
through filtration. Even it have a lot of disadvantages to human but as well the growth
of multicellular organisms in contaminated water can help digest the poisons from the
water.

Example of multicellular in water

4. 0 Conclusions
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water
based on the standards of its usage. Water quality monitoring is used to alert us to
current and emerging problems to determine compliance with drinking water
standards, and to protect other beneficial uses of water. Poor quality of water
affected a health risk for people and ecosystems.

Good water quality is essential for a healthy marine ecosystem. Algae and coral
reef communities thrive in clean water with relatively low nutrients. Too many
nutrients in the water can cause algae overgrowth which can choke corals and algae.
Contaminants such as metals, oil, pesticides and fertilizers run into land and water,
causing algal overgrowth and other harmful effects. There are several guidelines for
action to restore and maintain the water quality conditions necessary to maintain the
health of plant and animal populations.

There are things we can do to prevent deterioration of protected water quality,

including maintaining and participating in advanced wastewater treatment programs
that remove unwanted nutrients and harmful bacteria, using suction stations for ship
washing equipment, and using as many environmentally friendly products as possible
and reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides in your home.
Last but not least, these characteristic are the factors help to maintain the quality of
water in our earth from contaminants and away from dangerous disease.
5.0 References

1. Fondriest, Environmental. Inc (n.d). Water Quality. Retrieved by Fondriest

Environmental Learning Center :
https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/

2. Fondriest Environmental, Inc. (2013). Dissolved Oxygen. Retrieved by

Fundamentals of Environmental Measurements Web.
https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-
quality/dissolved-oxygen/

3. N.Radi, N.S. (2015). Water Quality Management. Retrieved by

https://slideplayer.com/slide/4381623/

4. Prof Martins. O, Dr. Ojekunle. O.Z, Dr. Oluwasanya. G.O. (2014). Water Quality
Assessment and Pollution Control. Retrieved by
https://www.slideserve.com/gurit/water-quality-assessment-and-pollution-control

5. USGS. (n.d). Dissolved water and water. Retrieved by USGS science for a
changing world :
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/dissolved-oxygen-
and-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

6. Tuser, C. (2020). What is Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)? . Retrieved by

https://www.wwdmag.com/instrumentation-bod/what-biological-oxygen-demand-bod

7. Dr. Brian. H.K. (2020). Understanding Laboratory Wastewater Tests: I.

ORGANICS (BOD, COD, TOC, O&G). Retrieved by niversity of Georgia Biological &
Agricultural Engineering and Poultry Science Departments, and the Faculty of
Engineering Outreach Service :
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C992&title=Understandin
g%20Laboratory%20Wastewater%20Tests:%20I.%20ORGANICS%20(BOD,%20CO
D,%20TOC,%20O&G)
8. Corrosionpedia Inc. (n.d). Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). Retrieved by
Corrosionpedia Inc : https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/3207/chemical-
oxygen-demand-cod

9. Dr. Nik Azlin. (2021). Water Quality Characteristics. Lecture notes EVT525, Uitm
Shah Alam, Selangor.

10. Charles P. D (2021). Medical Definition of Disease, Norwalk. Retrieved by

MedicineNet : https://www.medicinenet.com/disease_norwalk/definition.htm