ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY Page |1

GOVT. POSTGRADUATE COLLEGE SHEIKHUPURA

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Assignment

Topic: Water Pollution and its Treatment

Name: Muhammad Umar Farooq

Class: BS Chemistry

Subject: CHEM-401

Roll Number: 019504 (CR)

Submitted to: Sir Hassan Rasheed

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Contents

• Water Resources on Earth

• Water Pollution

• Parameters of Water Pollution

• Source of Water Pollution

• Water Pollutants

• Water Pollution and Some Biological Effects

• Treatment of Water Pollution

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Water is essential for the existence of all life forms. In addition to household uses, water is vital
for agriculture, industry, fishery and tourism etc. Increasing population, urbanization and
industrialization have led to the decreased availability of water. The quality of water used is
also being deteriorated as it is getting more and more polluted. You may be aware of at least
some health hazards and harmful effects of water pollution.

Water Resources on Earth

As we know that about three fourths of our planet earth’s surface are covered by water.
However, very little of it is available for consumption. Most (about 97%) of the water on earth
is present in the seas and oceans. It is too salty to be of any use for drinking, agriculture and
industrial purposes. The remaining 3% is fresh water; 75% of which is locked up in the polar ice
caps and in glaciers and quite deep under the earth’s surface as underground water. The fresh
water, which we can use, comes to us from two sources:

• Surface water
• Ground water

Surface Water:
“Precipitation (rain or snow) that runs-off into stream, rivers and lakes is called
surface water.”
Rain and snow are good natural resources of fresh water. It is estimated
that of all the precipitation (rain water and snow) that falls on the earth, about one-third is
absorbed by the plants and another one-third seeps down into the soil and the remaining
one third runs off the surface into streams and rivers. This part of precipitation, which
runs off to form streams, rivers and lakes, is called the surface water. Surface water has a
natural tendency to clean itself as it contains certain organisms that break down pollutants into
harmless substances.

Ground water: The part of precipitation that seeps into the ground as a result of gravity and
fills the pores between soil particles and rocks under it is called ground water. The water
bearing layers of soil and rocks are called aquifers. Ground water is very important for
agricultural and industrial purposes. Ground water in the form of wells and springs is often the
only source of water supply especially in villages and small towns.

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In spite of a good number of water resources, we have shortage of usable water. This is
due to increasing population, urbanization and industrialization. There is a need to optimize
use of water and also conserve surface run off of water by means of rainwater harvesting,
groundwater conservation, making use of recycling methods etc.

Water Pollution

A large amount of water is discharged back after domestic and industrial usage. This is
contaminated with domestic waste and industrial effluents. When this contamination
reaches beyond certain allowed concentrations, it is called pollution and the contaminants
are called the pollutants. Water pollution may be defined as the contamination of
streams, lakes, seas, underground water or oceans by substances, which are harmful for
living beings. If the concentration of substances naturally present in water increases then
also, the water is said to be polluted.

“Water pollution may be defined as the contamination of streams, lakes, seas,

underground water or oceans by substances, which are harmful for living beings.
Industrialization and population explosion are two important factors for water
pollution.”

Parameters of Water Pollution

Water may be called polluted when the following parameters stated below reach beyond
a specified concentration in water:

• Physical parameters: Colour, odour, turbidity, taste, temperature and electrical

conductivity constitute the physical parameters and are good indicators of
contamination.

For instance, colour and turbidity are visible evidences of polluted water while an
offensive odour or a bitter and difference than normal taste also makes water unfit
for drinking.

• Chemical parameters: This includes the number of carbonates, sulphates, chlorides,

fluorides, nitrates, and metal ions. These chemicals form the total dissolved solids,

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present in water.

• Biological parameters: The biological parameters include matter like algae, fungi,
viruses, protozoa and bacteria. The life forms present in water are affected to a
good extent by the presence of pollutants. The pollutants in water may cause a
reduction in the population of both lower and higher plant and animal lives. Thus, the
biological parameters give an indirect indication of the amount of pollution in water.

Source of Water Pollution

Water pollutants refer to the substances which are capable of making any physical, chemical
or biological change in the water body. These have undesirable effect on living organisms.
As mentioned earlier, the water used for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes is
discharged with some undesirable impurities in it. This contamination leads to the pollution
of water, which is generally called the fresh water pollution. Fresh water pollution may
be classified into two types:

• Surface Water Pollution

• Ground Water Pollution

Surface Water Pollution

When pollutants enter a stream, river or lake these gives rise to surface water pollution.
The surface water pollution has a number of sources. These can categorize as:

• Point and Non-point Sources

• Natural and Anthropogenic Sources

Point and Non-point Sources:

The well-defined sources that emits pollutants or effluents directly into different water
bodies of fresh water are called point sources. Domestic and industrial waste are examples
of this type. The point sources of pollution can be effectively checked. On the other hand,
the non-point sources of water pollution are scattered or spread over large areas. This
type of sources delivers pollutants indirectly through environmental changes and account

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for majority of the contaminants in streams and lakes. For example, the contaminated
water that runs off from agriculture farms, construction sites, abandoned mines, enters
streams and lakes. It is quite difficult to control non-point sources.

Natural and Anthropogenic Sources:

As mentioned earlier, an increase in the concentration of naturally occurring substances is

also termed pollution. The sources of such an increase are called natural sources.
Siltation (which includes soil, sand and mineral particles) is one such natural source. It is
a common natural phenomenon, which occurs in most water bodies. Indiscriminate
deforestation makes soil loose and flood waters bring silt from mountains into streams,
rivers and lakes.
On the other hand, the human activities that result into the pollution of water are called
anthropogenic or manmade sources of water pollution. For example, domestic (sewage and
waste water), industrial and agricultural wastes that goes into the rivers, lakes, streams and
seas are anthropogenic sources. Certain materials that are leached from the land by run-off
water and enter the various water bodies also belong to this category.

Ground Water Pollution

When the polluted water seeps into the ground and enters an aquifer, it results into ground
water pollution. The most of our villages and many townships, ground water is the only source
of drinking water. Therefore, pollution of groundwater is a matter of serious concern.
Groundwater gets polluted in a number of ways. The dumping of raw sewage on soil, seepage
pits and septic tanks cause pollution of groundwater. The porous layers of soil hold back solid
particles while the liquid is allowed to pass through. The soluble pollutants are able to mix with
the groundwater. In addition to these, the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers and
unchecked release of toxic wastes and even carcinogenic substances by industrial units many
results in slow trickling down through the earth’s surface and mixing with the groundwater.
This problem is very serious especially in areas where water table is high (i.e., where water is
available near surface of earth).

The ground water can move over large distances by virtue of the large empty space
available below the earth’s surface. This way if some impurities seep into the ground
water at one point, they may be observed at a different point far removed from the point
of source. In such a case it is difficult to estimate the source of water pollution. However,

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suspended impurities and bacterial contaminants are removed in the process of seepage
by the soil acting as an absorbent and filter, and water acting as a solvent.

Since the movement of groundwater through the porous rock is very slow, pollutants
which get mixed with the groundwater are not readily diluted. Furthermore, groundwater
does not have access to air (in contrast to surface water) therefore, oxidation of pollutants
into harmless products in groundwater does not occur.

Water Pollutants

Water pollutant can be broadly put under the following types:

• Sewage Pollutants (Domestic and Municipal Waste)

• Industrial Pollutants
• Agricultural Pollutants
• Radioactive and Thermal Pollutants

(i) Domestic and Municipal Pollutants

The sewage contains garbage, soaps, detergents, waste food and human excreta and is the
single largest sources of water pollution. Pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms
(bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae) enter the water system through sewage making it infected.
Typhoid, cholera, gastroenteritis and dysentery are commonly caused by drinking infected
water.

Water polluted by sewage may carry certain other bacteria and viruses cannot grow by
themselves, but reproduce in the cells of host organisms. They cause a number of
diseases, such as, polio, viral hepatitis and may be cancer which are resistant to like
the organic matter is oxygen demanding substances. They are responsible for
deoxygenation of water-bodies which is harmful for aquatic life.

Other ingredients which enter the various water bodies are the plant nutrients, i.e.,
nitrates and phosphates. They support growth of algae, commonly called algal bloom
(blue-green species). This process is called eutrophication.

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(ii) Industrial Pollutants

Many industries are located near rivers or fresh water streams. These are responsible for
discharging their untreated effluents into rivers like highly toxic heavy metals such as
chromium, arsenic, lead, mercury, etc. along with hazardous organic and inorganic wastes
(e.g. acids, alkali’s, cyanides, chlorides, etc.).
River Ganges receives wastes from textile, sugar, paper and pulp mills, tanneries,
rubber and pesticide industries. Most of these pollutants are resistant to breakdown
by microorganisms (called nonbiodegradable), therefore damage the growth of crops
and the polluted water is unsafe for drinking purposes.

Factories manufacturing plastic, caustic soda and some fungicides and pesticides
release mercury (a heavy metal) along with other effluents in nearby water body.
Mercury enters the food chain through bacteria, algae, fish and finally into the human
body. The toxicity of mercury became evident by the Minamata Bay tragedy in
Japan during the period 1953-60. Fish died due to mercury consumption and those
who ate fish were affected by mercury poisoning and quite a few died? The milder
symptoms of mercury poisoning are depression and irritability but acute toxic effects
can cause paralysis, blindness, insanity, birth defects and even death. The high
concentration of mercury in water and in fish tissues results from formation of soluble
monomethyl mercury ion, (CH3, Hg+) and volatile dimethylmercury [(CH3)2 Hg] by
anaerobic bacteria in sediments.

(iii) Agricultural Waste

Manure, fertilizers, pesticides, wastes form farms, slaughterhouse, poultry farms, salts and silt
are drained as run-off from agricultural lands. The water body receiving large quantities of
fertilizers (phosphates and nitrates) or manures becomes rich in nutrients which leads to
eutrophication and consequent depletion of dissolved oxygen. Consumption of water rich in
nitrates is bad for human health especially for small children.

Pesticides (DDT, dieldrin, aldrin, malathion, carbaryl etc.) are used to kill insect and rodent
pests. Toxic pesticide residues enter the human body through drinking water or through food
chain (biomagnification). These compounds have low solubility in water but are highly soluble
in fats. For example, the concentration of DDT in river water may be very low but some fish
over a period of time accumulate so much of DDT that they become unfit for human
consumption. The use of pesticides in our country is increasing very rapidly.

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Some of these chemicals which are highly toxic become metabolized by animals that graze on
fields. Therefore, these poisonous chemicals have been often observed in the human food
chains. The presence of these chemicals in humans even in minute amounts can cause
hormonal imbalance and may lead to cancer.

(iv) Physical Pollutants

Physical pollutants can be of different types. Some of them are discussed below:

a) Radioactive Wastes:
Radionuclides found in water are radium and potassium-40.
These isotopes originate from natural sources due to leaching from minerals. Water bodies are
also polluted by accidental leakage of waste material from uranium and thorium mines, nuclear
power plants and industries, research laboratories and hospitals which use radioisotopes.
Radioactive materials enter human body through water and food, and may be accumulated in
blood and certain vital organs. They cause tumors and cancer.

b) Thermal Sources: Various industries, nuclear power plants and thermal plants require
water for cooling and the resultant hot water is often discharged into rivers or lakes.

This results in thermal pollution and leads to the imbalance in the ecology of the water body.
Higher temperature lowers the dissolved oxygen level (which is very essential for marine life) by
decreasing the solubility of oxygen in water. Fish and other aquatic organism can get affected
by a sudden change in water temperatures.

c) Sediments: Soil particles carried to streams, lakes or oceans form the sediments. The
sediment become polluting due to their large amount. Soil erosion defined as the soil
carried by flood water from crop land, is responsible for sedimentation. The sediments
may damage the water body by introducing a large amount of nutrient matter.

d) Petroleum Products: Petroleum products are widely used for fuel, lubrication, plastics
manufacturing, etc. and happen to be poisonous in nature. Crude oil and other related
products generally get into water by accidental spillage from ships, tankers, pipelines
etc. Besides these accidental spills, oil refineries, oil exploration sites and automobile

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service centers pollute different water bodies. Oil slick which floats on the water surface
causes death of marine life and severely affects the ecosystem of the ocean.

Water Pollution and Some Biological Effects

Some of them are as follow:

• Eutrophication
• Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
• Biomagnification

(i) Eutrophication:
Eutrophication is a process by which a water body slowly becomes rich in plant nutrients such
as nitrates and phosphates due to soil erosion and run off from the surrounding land. Let us try
to understand this phenomenon. A water system like a lake or any reservoir may get a large
inflow of organic matter from domestic wastes and run off from the surrounding land.
Increasing human population, intensive agriculture and rapid industrial growth have led to an
increasing release of domestic waste, agricultural residues, industrial wastes and land run-off
into various water bodies. Nutrients are released from organic waste by aerobic (oxygen
requiring) bacteria which start decomposing it. Dissolved oxygen is consumed in this process. As
more and more organic matter enters a water body, more is the deoxygenation of the water
body and larger is the production of nutrients. These nutrients fertilize an abnormal growth of
algae and other large water plants such as duckweed. As more plants grow, some of them die
also due to larger oxygen demand and therefore, oxygen deficiency in the water body (i.e.,
deoxygenation of the water body). Such a water body is said to be eutrophied and the process
is called eutrophication. The word eutrophication is derived from the Greek word which means
well-nourished as (eu: true, trophos: feeding).

“Eutrophication of a water body results due to the release of large amount of

nutrients by the action of aerobic bacteria on organic wastes entering a water
body naturally or by human activity.”

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(ii) Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD):

The quality of oxygen used up by microorganisms at 27ºC and in darkness during 3 days in
breaking down organic wastes in a water body is called its biological oxygen demand (BOD).

It can be explained in the following manner.

You know that there are many organic compounds or waste present in a water body. The
microorganisms present in the system act upon this waste for their own consumption and
growth. In the process the metabolic activity requires oxygen which is met by the dissolved
oxygen present in water. It is this amount of oxygen which is defined as biological oxygen
demand (BOD). The BOD value of an aquatic system depends upon:

• The type and amount of organic waste

• The organisms acting on it
• Temperature and pH

The greater the amount of organic waste in the water body, the greater is the amount of
oxygen required to break it down biologically and therefore higher is the BOD value of water.
This value is a good measure in evaluating the degree of pollution in a water body. The less
polluted water shows comparatively low value of BOD. Its value is used as a criterion for
managing water pollution of a water body. An evaluation is made by determining oxygen
concentration in water before and after incubation at 20 0C in dark for 5 days.

(iii) Biomagnification:

A variety of toxic chemicals move through food chains. Toxic pesticides may be sprayed
for controlling insect pests, fungi, herbs, but they concentrate in the food chain and harm to
other (non-target) organisms. For example, DDT was sprayed to control mosquitoes at a
concentration expected to be harmless to non-target organisms like fish and birds. DDT
accumulated in the marshes and planktons. Planktons were eaten by fish and the fish had a
higher concentration of DDT in its body. Further, when birds ate the fish, they accumulated still
higher concentration. This increase in concentration of accumulated toxic chemicals as one
goes higher in the food chain is termed biomagnification. Biomagnification has at times
threatened the reproduction and survival of carnivores (secondary consumers) who occupy the
highest level of the food chain.

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TREATMENT OF WATER POLLUTION

Waste water generated by household activity, industries or garbage landfills is called sewage,
which is classified as the municipal water pollution. Sewage contains solid matters in the form
of suspended colloidal and dissolved organic matter, detergent, mineral matter, nutrients and
gases. Sewage is one of the major causes of water borne diseases and therefore the treatment
of sewage is one of the important tasks. For a long time, treatment of municipal waste in the
form of sewage involved mainly of the removal of suspended solids, oxygen demanding
materials and harmful bacteria.

The treatment of this waste water is carried out in the following three stages:

(i) Primary treatment

(ii) Secondary treatment, and
(iii) Tertiary treatment

Primary Treatment

When the waste water is to be dumped off into a river or flowing steam, the treatment is
carried out by sedimentation, coagulation and filtration. This is known as primary treatment. If
the water is required for drinking purposes, it has to undergo further treatment called
secondary and tertiary treatments. The following steps are performed to do primary treatment
of water:

a) Sedimentation: This step is carried out in large tanks specially built for this purpose
in sewage treatment plant. The polluted water is allowed to settle so that silt, clay and other
matter settle to be bottom and water is slowly allowed to move out. Fine particles do not settle
and are thus required to be removed in the next step.

b) Coagulation: Fine particles and colloidal suspension are combined into large particles
by a process called coagulation. This step is carried out by the addition of special chemicals
called coagulants (flocculants) such as potash alum. The large particles either settle to the
bottom or are moved in the next step.

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c) Filtration: Suspended particles, flocculants, bacteria and other organisms are filtered
by passing the water through a bed of sand or finely divided coal or through some fibrous
materials. The total impurities collected in these steps are called sludge. It is used as a valuable
fertilizer. On composting (i.e. the action of anaerobic bacteria), it releases sludge gas. It consists
mainly of methane gas which is used for cooking purposes.

Secondary or Biological Treatment

The water after primary treatment is not fit for drinking purposes and has to undergo further
treatment. This is done through secondary or biological treatment. A commonly used method is
to allow polluted water to spread over a large bed of stones and gravel so that the growth of
different microorganisms needing nutrients and oxygen is encouraged. Over a period of time a
fast-moving food chain is set up. For example, bacteria consume organic matter from the
polluted water; protozoa live on bacteria. Every form of life including algae and fungi help in the
cleaning up process. This is called secondary treatment of water.
It involves the following processes:

a) Softening: By this treatment undesirable cations of calcium and magnesium are

removed from hard waters. Either water is treated with lime and soda ash to precipitate Ca+2
ions as carbonates or it is passed through cation exchangers. This makes water soft.

b) Aeration: In this process, soft water is exposed to air by forcing air through it to add
oxygen to water. This encourages bacterial decomposition of organic matter into harmless
products such as carbon dioxide and water. The addition of oxygen reduces carbon dioxide.
sulphide etc. The water is as yet not fit for drinking purposes. The pathogenic and other
microorganisms need to be killed. This is done in the next treatment.

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Tertiary Treatment

The tertiary treatment is actually disinfecting water. Chlorine is the most commonly used
disinfectant used for killing bacteria. However, chlorine also reacts with traces of organic
matter present in water and forms undesirable chlorinated hydrocarbons (toxic and potentially
carcinogenic). It is therefore desirable to reduce the organic matter in water before passing
chlorine gas. Other methods of disinfection such as ultraviolet radiation, ozone gas treatment
or reverse osmosis are preferred over chlorine treatment. But these methods are more
expensive.

In a treatment plant, the waste is passed through a series of screens, chambers and chemical
processes to reduce its bulk and toxicity. During primary treatment a large percentage of
suspended solids and inorganic material is removed from sewage. The secondary stage reduces
organic material by accelerating natural biological processes. Tertiary treatment is done when
water is to be reused. Here 99% of solids are removed and various chemical processes are used
to ensure that water is free from infecting materials.

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