Determination of Hardness of Well Water Supply in Enugu Metropolis (a Case Study of Asata, Coal Camp and New Haven)
CHAPTER ONE
AIM/OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The aim of this study is to determine experimentally the contaminants in well water from different Area in Enugu metropolis. The specific objectives are:
- To determine the chemical contaminants in well water.
- To compare the level of hardness of well water from different Areas in Enugu metropolis using Asata, Coal camp and New Haven as case study.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
CONCEPT OF WATER
Water, common name applied to the liquid state of the hydrogen-oxygen compound H2O. The ancient philosophers regarded water as a basic element typifying all liquid substances. Scientists did not discard that view until the latter half of the 18th century. In 1781 the British chemist Henry Cavendish synthesized water by detonating a mixture of hydrogen and air. However, the results of his experiments were not clearly interpreted until two years later, when the French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier proved that water was not an element but a compound of oxygen and hydrogen. In a scientific paper presented in 1804, the French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt demonstrated jointly that water consisted of two volumes of hydrogen to one of oxygen, as expressed by the present-day formula H2O.
Almost all the hydrogen in water has an atomic weight of 1. The American chemist Harold Clayton Urey discovered in 1932 the presence in water of a small amount (1 part in 6000) of so-called heavy water, or deuterium oxide (D2O); deuterium is the hydrogen isotope with an atomic weight of 2. In 1951 the American chemist Aristid Grosse discovered that naturally occurring water contains also minute traces of tritium oxide (T2O); tritium is the hydrogen isotope with an atomic weight of 3.
PROPERTIES OF WATER (PURE)
Pure water is an odorless, tasteless liquid. It has a bluish tint, which may be detected, however, only in layers of considerable depth. Under standard atmospheric pressure (760 mm of mercury, or 760 torr); the freezing point of water is 0° C (32° F) and its boiling point is 100° C (212° F). Water attains its maximum density at a temperature of 4° C (39° F) and expands upon freezing. Like most other liquids, water can exist in a supercooled state; that is, it may remain a liquid although its temperature is below its freezing point. Water can easily be cooled to about -25° C (-13° F) without freezing, either under laboratory conditions or in the atmosphere itself. Supercooled water will freeze if it is disturbed, if the temperature is lowered further, or if an ice crystal or other particle is added to it. Its physical properties are used as standards to define the calorie and specific and latent heat and in the metric system for the original definition of the unit of mass, the gram
OCCURRENCE OF WATER
Water is the only substance that occurs at ordinary temperatures in all three states of matter, that is, as a solid, a liquid, and a gas. As a solid, or ice, it is found as glaciers and ice caps, on water surfaces in winter, as snow, hail, and frost, and as clouds formed of ice crystals. It occurs in the liquid state as rain clouds formed of water droplets, and on vegetation as dew; in addition, it covers three-quarters of the surface of the earth in the form of swamps, lakes, rivers, and oceans. As gas, or water vapor, it occurs as fog, steam, and clouds. Atmospheric vapor is measured in terms of relative humidity, which is the ratio of the quantity of vapor actually present to the greatest amount possible at a given temperature.
Water occurs as moisture in the upper portion of the soil profile, in which it is held by capillary action to the particles of soil. In this state, it is called bound water and has different characteristics from free water. Under the influence of gravity, water accumulates in rock interstices beneath the surface of the earth as a vast groundwater reservoir supplying wells and springs and sustaining the flow of some streams during periods of drought
FUNCTIONS OF WATER
According to Ikeyi, (2007) water is the predominate chemical component of living organisms. Its unique physical properties are derived from water dipolar structures and capacity to form hydrogen bond.
Water is the major constitutent of living matter. From 50 to 90 percent of the weight of living organisms is water. Protoplasm, the basic material of living cells, consists of a solution in water of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, salts, and similar chemicals. Water acts as a solvent, transporting, combining, and chemically breaking down these substances. Blood in animals and sap in plants consist largely of water and serve to transport food and remove waste material. Water also plays a key role in the metabolic breakdown of such essential molecules as proteins and carbohydrates. This process, called hydrolysis, goes on continually in living cells.
CHAPTER THREE
MATERIALS AND METHODS
MATERIALS
APPARATUS
- Spatula
- Beakers
- Measuring cylinder
- conical flask
- Pipettes
- Dropping pipette
- Burettes
- Resort stand and clamps
- Volumetric flask
REAGENTS
- 8M potassium hydroxide
- Mono ethanol buffer (butter 10)
- 0.10m Ethylenediaminetetracetic Acid
- Potassium cyanide
- Hydroxyl Amine hydrochloride
- Erichrome black T indicator
- Patton and Readers indicator.
- Distilled water.
COLLECTION OF WATER SAMPLE
PREPARATION OF REAGENT 8M OF POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE
112.22g of potassium hydroxide was pipette weighed and dissolved in 250ml of distilled water ion was allowed to cool at room temperature before use.
ERICHROME BLACK, T
0.2g. Erichrome Black-T was weighed in a weighing balance , 15ml of triethanol amine and 5ml of absolute ethanol was added and the content was shaken thoroughly for complete dissolution.
PATTON AND READERS INDICATOR
1g of patton and readers and 10g of sodium sulphate was weighed. The compound was grind in a mortar for complete mixture.
CHAPTER FOUR
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
EDTA TITRATION WITH ERICHROME BLACK T.
Magnesium hardness as mg2+ 50ml of the sample used from targeted areas of Enugu well water.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
DISCUSSION
The various analysis carried out represents an equivalent mass of calcium oxide (cao) or calcium carbante (cac03) that, when dissolved in a unit volume of water samples would result in the same total molar concentration of mg2+ and ca2+the analysis are shown above. Part per million (PPM) is usually defind as lmg/L.caco3.
Complexometric titration of water hardness was used and one of the most widely used indicator is Erichrome Black T which act as a triprotic acid. The samples used are well water from Asata, coal camp and new haven respectively haing a volume of 50ML each which was pipette and added into 250ml of a different concial flask. A princh of potassium cyanide and hydroxylamine, hydrochloric was added to each of the sample differently, the mixture was welkl shaked for 5 minutes for a complete dissolution. 5ml of monoethanol buffer and 3 drops of erichrome black Tindicator was also added which was titrated with 0.10 EDTA in the butte. Results were found as follows.
Average amount of calcium for Asta is 2.48mg/L and magnesium is 0.592mg/L; Coal camp amount of cacium is 2.68mg/L and magnesium is 2.68mg/L and average amount of calcium and magbesium found at new haven is 2.48mg/L and 0.46mg/L.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the amount of calcium and magnesium found at Asata, coal camp and new haven well water in Enugu metropolis is above the standard of W.H.O (world health organization) and W.Q.A. (water quality association) standard of calcium and magnesium in water. But that not with standing the amount of total hardness of well water found in coal camp is high the one found in Asata and new haven, because of the amount of soil texture and soil PH found in the environment.
The PH of the soil is alkaline which added more of calcium and magnesium into the soil because of the environment the environment of coal in will and contain a lot of lmestion the measure headen with.
National research council has found that hard water can actually serve as dietary supplement for calcium and magnesium and also can lower cardioxoscular disease in man.
RECOMMENDATION
Finally recommendation have been made for maximum and minimum level of calcium and magnesium (40-80PPM) food drinking water and also with this research I recommend that these living in Asata coal camp and new haven to stop using realear softener there a no avidence to nwng that water hardness causes adverse health effect in human.
REFERENCES
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- Commenges .D. (2003) cardiovascular mortality and calcium and magnesium in drinking water; an ecological study in elderly people”. Journal of epidemiol. 18(4): 305-9
- Darren. A. (1999), “ion Exchange softening effects on metal and soil concentration in PH” journal AWWA 91(8): 85-97.
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