Table of Contents

LIST OF TABLES
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND SUBSTANCES
COLOR TEST
TURBIDITY TEST
PROCEDURE
APPARENT COLOR
TRUE COLOR
TURBIDITY TEST
DATA AND RESULTS
APPARENT COLOR AND TRUE COLOR
TURBIDITY TEST RESULTS

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
CONCLUSION
QUESTIONS
REFERENCES

List of Tables
Table 1: Color test
Table 2: Turbidity test

Abstract
For this lab is to determine the main physical characteristics of water in its various stages
through which passes during water treatment. Therefore help to determine the presence of
suspended solids in the water. To avoid any negative effect of these on environmental
friendliness is very important to know the conditions which water is. With testing color
and turbidity can determine the presence of different organisms, which can be harmful to
both the environment and humans. The presence of suspended solids should be a
minimum in water, as these can damage the pipes and machinery. As these processes are
important to prevent such mishaps.

Introduction
Lab report for this the main objective is to determine the color and turbidity values at
different stages during the water treatment plant. For this test for color and turbidity of
the water stages were performed 4 stages for the color test and 5 stages of water for
turbidity test. These tests are important to determine the physical characteristics of water
as the color and know what would be the degree to which light travels through water,
which contains solid particles this is known as turbidity test. If water is a colorless
material but this contains a number of solid particles that are not visible to the human
eye. So this is called the apparent color of the water to be filtered can give the true color
of this and units of this are in Pt-Co (cobalt-platinum). While haze is a unit of measure
that quantifies the degree to which the light traveling through a water column is scattered
by the organic suspension and inorganic particles, so that the light scattering increases
with increasing load suspended. And values are expressed in nephelometric turbidity
units (NTU).

Materials, Equipment and Substances

Color Test
Spectrophotometer (model DR 2000)
Sample cells
Filtering Apparatus
Membrane filter
Filter holder
Filter flask
Vacuum system
Beakers
Tweezers
Environmental water sample
Distilled water

Turbidity test
Turbidimeter (Model HACH 2100 AN)
Beakers
Environmental water sample
Distilled water

Data and Results

Apparent Color and True Color

Table 1: Color test

Sample
1
2
3
4

Apparent Color

True Color

(Pt.-Co)
853
593
35
26

(Pt.-Co)
93
19
10
25

Turbidity Test Results

Table 2: Turbidity test
Sample

Turbidity

1
2
3
4

(NTU)
28.4
75.3
1.66
1.52

Potable Water

0.417

Analysis of Results
The various tests were conducted in order to determine the true color and apparent water,
besides determining the turbidity of the different samples of wastewater. Wastewater
samples are taken from four stages along the process wastewater passing; the first sample
taken after preliminary treatment the second sample after primary treatment, the third

sample after secondary treatment and the fourth sample after (advanced treatment) on.
The apparent color for the samples were: 853 Pt.-Co, Co-Pt. 593, 35 Pt. Pt.-Co-Co and 26
respectively. The apparent colors to water containing suspended solids are retained by
filtration through a filter of 0.450 mm. Then the samples were filtered to calculate the
true color of the samples, this resulted in; Pt. 93-Co, Co-19 Pt. 10 Pt. Pt.-Co-Co and 25
respectively. The color in water depends on the wavelength of these solids. This test
measures the resistance of the light passing through the suspended solids in the water.
The results of the test are: 28.4 NTU, 75.3 NTU NTU 1.66, 1.52 and 0.417 NTU NTU,
respectively. These results regarding the results of the color test suggest that the
suspended solids are being removed from the wastewater as it moves into the plant to be
discharged to receiving water body.

Conclusion

As specified through this lab report measures the properties of color and turbidity; these
are limited by the High National Pollutant Elimination System (NPDES) of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for treatment plant wastewater. The color
property is directly involved with solids and liquids that inhabit it and turbidity to light

that gets through suspended solids found in the water. So in the laboratory results it was
concluded that for every stage, removal of suspended solids removal would be higher.
Finally, the processes that are taking place in treatment plants are being effective since
according to the values obtained good results are reflected.

Questions
1. Express the results of color in units of mg Pt. /L.
1 mg Pt/L = 1 Pt-Co. The results are the same in PT./L.
Sample

Apparent Color

True Color

1
2
3
4

(Pt./L)
853
593
35
26

(Pt./L)
93
19
10
25

2. Explain why the difference in true and apparent color.

Apparent color of water: the color due to dissolved substances and suspended matter
and determined in source water sample without centrifuging and without filtering.
And the true color is due only to the dissolved substances is determined after filtering
the water sample through a 0.45 micron membrane pore.
3. Your sample after filtration is in molecular world or biological world?
In our case our samples are in molecular world because after filtration we could see
the presence of dissolved or colloidal substances that remained in the filtrate of 0.45
mm.

4. In the experiment why we use first a white?

The term white is use for the spectrophotometer calibration. It consists in placing the
blank cell with filtered distilled water into cell holder and this will make the program
start from 0.

5. What interference occurs in the experiment?

This can contribute to interference in the results: stains on packaging, calibration of
the spectrophotometer is not correct and the lack of homogeneity of the sample.
6. What are the environmental effects of the series of turbidity, color, temperature
changes?
In the turbidity changes may occur in composition. This type of environmental effects
arise because a large volume of suspended sediment reduces the penetration of light,
thereby suppressing photosynthetic activity of algae phytoplankton and macrophytes.
This applies more to bodies that are farthest from the surface. This event may affect

the food chain in a body of water. Meanwhile the color, only affects the aesthetics of
the water. And the temperature can affect whether a decrease in DO occurs, thus
increasing this.
7. Would you consider that the velocity of the water resource determines the
composition of the suspended matter? Explain.
The velocity of the water resource largely determines the composition of the
suspended load. Suspended loads are carried in both the gentle currents of lentic lake
waters and the fast currents of lotic flowing waters. In the flowing waters, the
suspended load usually consists of grains less than 0.5mm in diameter. Suspended
loads in lentic waters usually consist of the smallest sediment fractions, such as silt
and clay.

8. What is an anthropogenic source of turbidity?

Chemical wastes and by products can affect the turbidity of the water because these
are not biodegradable.

9. What is the dissolved oxygen in your sample if it is pure water?

The dissolved oxygen in pure water is 30 mg/L.
10. Would survive a fish in the conditions of your treated sample? What is the
minimum quantity of oxygen dissolved to survive a fish in a river?
Various scientific studies suggest that 4-5 ppm of DO is the minimum
amount that will support a large, diverse fish population. The DO level
in good fishing waters generally averages about 9.0 parts per million
(ppm).

References
Malaver, R. (2011), Color and Turbidity Test, CE-5405 Environmental
Engineering Lab Handout, PUPR

Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico

Laboratory # 2: COLOR AND TURBIDITY

Carlos J. Rodriguez
Rodriguez

#5869
Ismael Vazquez

Virella

#57077
#63933
Dr. Roger Malaver Muoz

Date of Experiment: November 25, 2014

Date Submitted: December 2, 2014