TITLE: Measurement of WQI Parameters and Volatile Suspended Solids. Preamble

TITLE : Measurement of WQI parameters and Volatile Suspended Solids.
PREAMBLE :
1.1 Introduction
Water pollution happens when toxic substances enter water bodies such as
lakes, rivers and ocean. It also happens because of the contaminants are introduced
into the natural environments. These pollutions can degrades the quality of water
which come from human activities in industrial, agricultural or even factories.
The pollution of the water release substance into subsurface groundwater into
lakes, streams, rivers and oceans to the point where the substance interfere with
beneficial use of the water. In addition to release the substances such as chemicals
or microorganism, water pollution may also include the release of energy in the form
of radioactivity into water bodies.
The substance or pollutants include fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural

runoff, chemical waste from industrial discharge and chemical contamination from
hazardous waste sites.
1.2 Objective
At the end of the laboratory activities, students would be able to:
i. To analyse the water sample based on six parameters of Water Quality Index
(WQI).
ii. To determine the Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS) in the water sample.
1.3 Learning Outcomes
At the end of the laboratory activities, students would be able to:
i. Determine the suitable the laboratory tests to be conducted to address the

given problem
ii. Work in a group to produce the relevant technical report.
iii. Analyse test data and present the solution to the open-ended problem.
1.4 Theoretical Background
Water quality parameter is important in environmental monitoring to control

water quality and divided into three parameters which are physical, chemical and
biological. The physical parameter explains about the characteristics of water that
respond to the sense of sight, touch, taste or smell. The parameters of Water Quality
Index (WQI) was explained below :
a) pH
pH stands for “potential of hydrogen” referring to the amount of hydrogen found
in water. It is a quantitative measure to determine whether the water is alkaline or
acidic. It is an important parameter as its affects various processes during water
treatment. The pH of water is important whether in treating drinking water or waste
water. The pH of a drinking water should be in between 6.5 and 8.5. In pure water,
the concentration on the hydrogen ion is 10 -7 gram-equivalents per litre which
corresponds to a pH of 7. A solution with a pH below than 7 classified as acidic, and
a solution with a pH greater than 7 classified as alkaline. In wastewater treatment,
pH is controlled so that the chemical and microbial reaction will proceed as efficiently
as possible.
b) Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN)

Nitrogen or ammonia is a critical nutrient in biological wastewater treatment. All
aquatic organisms excrete wastes and aquatic plants and organisms eventually die
and these activities creates ammonia. Some bacteria in the water change this
ammonia to produce nitrite which is then converted by other bacteria to nitrate.
Nitrates are an oxidized form of nitrogen and are formed by combining oxygen and
nitrogen. In wastewater, ammonia tend to reach high levels due to bacterial actions,
so it is crucial to monitor the ammonia before the effluent is released to prevent the
damage of the local aquatic life.
c) Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Dissolved oxygen is to measure oxygen dissolved in the water or the amount of
oxygen available to living aquatic organism. It enters water by direct absorption from
the atmosphere or plant photosynthesis. Temperature of water and the volume of
moving water can affect dissolved oxygen level. The oxygen content in the water will
decrease when there is an increasing in the nutrients and organic materials from
wastewater. A reduction in DO can lead to anaerobic conditions, which is deleterious
to higher aquatic life forms. In wastewater treatment, the biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD) test is a laboratory test to measure the relative oxygen-depletion
effect of a waste contaminant when the contaminants reacts with nutrients and
bacteria.
d) Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Biochemical Oxygen Demand refers to the amount of oxygen consumed during
microbial utilization of organics. It is use to measure the oxygen needed to remove
waste organic matter from water in the biological process. The higher the BOD
value, the more oxygen will be demanded from the water to break down the
organics. In wastewater treatment plants, the BOD is used as an index of the degree
of organic pollution in water.
e) Chemical Oxygen demand (COD)

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a measure of the capacity of water to
consume oxygen during the decomposition or organic matter and the oxidation of
inorganic chemicals such as ammonia and nitrite. COD is used as a general
indicator of water quality and is an integral part of all water quality management
programs. Higher COD levels means a greater amount of oxidizable organic material
in the sample. Additionally, COD is often to estimate BOD as a strong correlation
exists between COD and BOD, however COD is a much faster and more accurate
test.
f) Suspended Solid (SS)
Suspended solid refer to small solid particles which remain in the suspension in
water as a colloid because of the density of the particle is lighter or equal to the water.
It can be removed by the sedimentation because of their comparatively large size. The
suspended solid concentration is used as one of the indicator of water quality.
Suspended solid can be or organic or inorganic origin. High concentrations of
suspended solids can cause many problems for stream health and aquatic life.
Volatile Suspended Solid (VSS)
Solids can dispersed in water in both suspended and dissolved forms.

However, suspended solids are classified under physical parameter while dissolved
solid fall under category of chemical parameter of water quality. There are many
sources of suspended solids in water as it may consist of organic, inorganic particles
and immiscible liquids. Suspended material is aesthetically displeasing, thus it
quality can physical doubt. Moreover, it may be objectionable in water as it provide
adsorption sites for chemical and biological agent.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Water samples were taken from Sungai Dua to determine the class of the river. Six
parameters of Water Quality Index (WQI) to evaluate the water sample which are
pH, Ammonia, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD),
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Suspended Solids (SS) are tested using
appropriate test. The experiment also to determine the Volatile Suspended Solids
(VSS) of the water sample.

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TITLE : Measurement of WQI parameters and Volatile Suspended Solids.

The substance or pollutants include fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural

At the end of the laboratory activities, students would be able to:

At the end of the laboratory activities, students would be able to:

i. Determine the suitable the laboratory tests to be conducted to address the

1.4 Theoretical Background

Water quality parameter is important in environmental monitoring to control

b) Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN)

c) Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

d) Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

e) Chemical Oxygen demand (COD)

Volatile Suspended Solid (VSS)

Solids can dispersed in water in both suspended and dissolved forms.

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