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Chemical Analysis of Water

Analysis of Water Chemistry

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Aries Falag-ey
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252 views3 pages

Chemical Analysis of Water

Analysis of Water Chemistry

Uploaded by

Aries Falag-ey
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Water chemistry analyses 

are carried out to identify and quantify the chemical components and
properties of water samples. The type and sensitivity of the analysis depends on the purpose of the
analysis and the anticipated use of the water. Chemical water analysis is carried out on water used
in industrial processes, on waste-water stream, on rivers and stream, on rainfall and on the sea.[1] In
all cases the results of the analysis provides information that can be used to make decisions or to
provide re-assurance that conditions are as expected. The analytical parameters selected are
chosen to be appropriate for the decision making process or to establish acceptable normality.
Water chemistry analysis is often the groundwork of studies of water
quality, pollution, hydrology and geothermal waters. Analytical methods routinely used can detect
and measure all the natural elements and their inorganic compounds and a very wide range of
organic chemical species using methods such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. In
water treatment plants producing drinking water and in some industrial processes using products
with distinctive taste and odours, specialised organoleptic methods may be used to detect smells at
very low concentrations.

Environmental water
Samples of water from the natural environment are routinely taken and analysed as part of a pre-
determined monitoring programme by regulatory authorities to ensure that waters remain unpolluted,
or if polluted, that the levels of pollution are not increasing or are falling in line with an agreed
remediation plan. An example of such a scheme is the harmonised monitoring scheme operated on
all the major river systems in the UK.[2] The parameters analysed will be highly dependent on nature
of the local environment and/or the polluting sources in the area. In many cases the parameters will
reflect the national and local water quality standards determined by law or other regulations. Typical
parameters for ensuring that unpolluted surface waters remain within acceptable chemical standards
include pH,
major cations and anions including ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, conductivity, phenol, chemic
al oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).

Drinking water supplies


Surface or ground water abstracted for the supply of drinking water must be capable of meeting
rigorous chemical standards following treatment. This requires a detailed knowledge of the water
entering the treatment plant. In addition to the normal suite of environmental chemical parameters,
other parameters such as hardness, phenol, oil and in some cases a real-time organic profile of the
incoming water as in the River Dee regulation scheme.

Industrial process water


In industrial process, the control of the quality of process water can be critical to the quality of the
end product. Water is often used as a carrier of reagents and the loss of reagent to product must be
continuously monitored to ensure that correct replacement rate. Parameters measured relate
specifically to the process in use and to any of the expected contaminants that may arise as by-
products. This may include unwanted organic chemicals appearing in an inorganic chemical process
through contamination with oils and greases from machinery. Monitoring the quality of the waste
water discharged from industrial premises is a key factor in controlling and minimising pollution of
the environment. In this application monitoring schemes analyse for all possible contaminants arising
within the process and in addition contaminants that may have particularly adverse impacts on the
environment such as cyanide and many organic species such as pesticides.[3] In then nuclear
industry analysis focuses on specific isotopes or elements of interest. Where the nuclear industry
makes waste water discharges to rivers which have drinking water abstraction on them, radio-
isotopes which could potentially be harmful or those with long half-lives such as tritium will form part
of the routine monitoring suite.

Research
Many aspects of academic research and industrial research such as in pharmaceuticals, health
products, and many others relies on accurate water analysis to identify substances of potential use,
to refine those substances and to ensure that when they are manufactured for sale that the chemical
composition remains consistent. The analytical methods used in these area can be very complex
and may be specific to the process or area of research being conducted and may involve the use of
bespoke analytical equipment.

Forensic analysis
In environmental management, water analysis is frequently deployed when pollution is suspected to
identify the pollutant in order to take remedial action.[4] The analysis can often enable the polluter to
be identified. Such forensic work can examine the ratios of various components and can "type"
samples of oils or other mixed organic contaminants to directly link the pollutant with the source. In
drinking water supplies the cause of unacceptable quality can similarly be determined by carefully
targeted chemical analysis of samples taken throughout the distribution system.[5] In manufacturing,
off-spec products may be directly tied back to unexpected changes in wet processing stages and
analytical chemistry can identify which stages may be at fault and for what reason.

Methodology
To ensure consistency and repeatability, the methods use in the chemical analysis of water samples
are often agreed and published at a national or state level. By convention these are often referred to
as "Blue book"s.[6][7]
Certain analyses are performed in-field (e.g. pH, specific conductance) while others involve sampling
and laboratory testing.[8]
The methods defined in the relevant standards can be broadly classified as:

 Conventional wet chemistry including the Winkler method for dissolved


oxygen , precipitation , filtration for solids, acidification, neutralisation titration etc. Colourimetric
methods such as MBAS assay which indicates anionic surfactants in water and on
site comparator methods to determine chlorine and chloramines. Nephelometers are used to
measure solids concentrations as turbidity. These methods are generally robust and well tried
and inexpensive, giving a reasonable degree of accuracy at modest sensitivity.
 Electro chemistry including pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen using oxygen electrode.
These methods yield accurate and precise results using electronic equipment capable of feeding
results directly into a laboratory data management system
 Spectrophotometry is used particularly for metallic elements in solution producing results
with very high sensitivity, but which may require some sample preparation prior to analysis and
may also need specialised sampling methods to avoid sample deterioration in transit.
 Chromatography is used for many organic species which are volatile or which can yield a
characteristic volatile component of after initial chemical processing.
 Ion chromatography is a sensitive and stable technique that can
measure lithium, ammonium NH4 and many other low molecular weight ions using ion
exchange technology.
 Gas chromatography can be used to determine methane, carbon dioxide, cyanide, oxygen,
nitrogen and many other volatile components at reasonable sensitivities.
 Mass spectrometry is used where very high sensitivity is required and is sometimes used as
a back-end process after gas liquid chromatography for detecting trace organic chemicals.
Depending on the components, different methods are applied to determine the quantities or ratios of
the components. While some methods can be performed with standard laboratory equipment, others
require advanced devices, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

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