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pH Levels in Wastewater Discharge

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a water source is, ranging from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. A pH below 7 indicates acidity, while above 7 indicates a base. pH is determined by the relative amounts of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, with more hydrogen ions resulting in acidic water and more hydroxyl ions making water more basic. The pH of natural waters is controlled by the carbon dioxide and bicarbonate system and can be impacted by temperature, pollution sources, and wastewater discharge. pH is an important factor in water treatability and determining corrosion levels, though other parameters also contribute to corrosion.

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916 views1 page

pH Levels in Wastewater Discharge

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a water source is, ranging from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. A pH below 7 indicates acidity, while above 7 indicates a base. pH is determined by the relative amounts of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, with more hydrogen ions resulting in acidic water and more hydroxyl ions making water more basic. The pH of natural waters is controlled by the carbon dioxide and bicarbonate system and can be impacted by temperature, pollution sources, and wastewater discharge. pH is an important factor in water treatability and determining corrosion levels, though other parameters also contribute to corrosion.

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Ryan Reyes
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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  • Water pH and Its Importance: Explains the concept of pH, its measurement range, and significance in determining water's acidity or alkalinity, including implications for natural and treated waters.

pH is a measure of how acidic / basic water is. It ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral.

pH’s
below 7 indicate acidity, while pH’s above 7 indicate a base. pH is really a measure of the
relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water. Water that has more free
hydrogen ions is acidic, whereas water that has more free hydroxyl ions is basic. Since pH can be
affected by chemicals in the water, pH is an important indicator of water that is changing
chemically (Swenson & Baldwin, 1965).
The pH of water is a measure of the acid base balance and is controlled by the carbon dioxide
bicarbonate balancing system in most natural waters. An increased concentration of carbon
dioxide will lower the pH, while a decrease will cause it to rise. Temperature affects equilibrium
and pH, too. In pure water, a decrease in pH of about 0.45 occurs as the temperature is raised by
25 °C (APHA, 1989).
pH is important in the determination of water corrosivity, but it is complex to deal with a number
of certain other parameters. Natural waters contain gas, colloidal substances and a variety of
electrolytes and non-electrolytes that determine the extent of corrosion in the system together
with a pH. However, in general, the lower the pH, the higher the potential level of corrosion
(Webber et al., 1989).
Pollution is a common cause which, depending on the chemical involved, can increase or lower
the pH. This may come from agricultural runoff, discharge of waste water or industrial runoff.
Mining operations (particularly coal) produce acid runoff and acidic groundwater seepage if the
surrounding soil is poorly buffered. Wastewater discharge that contains detergents and soap-
based products can cause a water source to become too basic (Fondriest, 2013).
As a chemical component of the wastewater, pH directly affects the treatability of wastewater
regardless of whether the treatment is physical / chemical or biological. Because it is such a
critical component of the makeup of the wastewater, it is therefore critically important to
treatment. Before proceeding with treatment, you have to identify the parameters, the impurities
that are in the wastewater. Once you know what you are dealing with, you determine the starting
and the ending pH values, along with treatment procedures; then you have to select the
appropriate chemicals best suited for treatment (Alarcorp, 2016).

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