COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DISSSOLVED OXYGEN (DO) AND TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON (TOC) IN DETERMINATION OF LEVEL OF POLLUTION OF IMO RIVER (ONU-IMO)

ABSTRACT

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content of Imo River was studied as a means of determining the level of pollution in the river. Water samples were collected aseptically from three points in the river; upstream, midstream and downstream on daily basis for five days. Parameters of analysis covered the physico-chemical properties of the water in addition to the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC). Obtained results showed strong variations in the physic-chemical composition of the water between the samples of the sampling points on one hand and between the sampling days on the other. On the average (of five day sampling), the pH was 6.5 in the upstream water, 6.49 in the midstream and 6.6 in the downstream water; and the acidity of the sample from the three points were 10.38mg/l, 10.32mg/l and 10.04mg/l respectively. Hardness in the water samples was 10.75mg/l, 8.76mg/l and 9.06mg/l while the Total Solids was 226.86mg/l, 246.33mg/l and 245.40mg/l. When compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, the water was found to be of poor quality. Results of the analysis show an average Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level of 11.09mg/l, 10.69mg/l and 9.83mg/l while the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content was 0.04mg/l, 0.04mg/l, 0.06mg/l in the upstream, midstream and downstream respectively. The water was judged to be polluted and unfit for use especially in homes for domestic works. The establishment of a treatment plant was recommended for the Imo River water.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                                                                i

Certification                                                                                                                           ii

Dedication                                                                                                                               iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                                                  iv

Table of Contents                                                                                                                  v-vii

List of Tables                                                                                                                          viii

Abstract                                                                                                                                  ix

CHAPTER ONE                                                                                                                  

1.1 Introduction                                                                                                                      1

1.2 Aims and objectives                                                                                                         2

 CHAPTER TWO

2.1 Dissolved Oxygen (DO)                                                                                                   3

2.1.1 Sources of Dissolved Oxygen                                                                                       4

2.1.2 Temperature Impact                                                                                                      4

2.1.3 Environmental Impact                                                                                                   5

2.1.4 Factors that Influence Dissolved Oxygen                                                                     5

2.1.5 Natural Factors                                                                                                              5

2.1.6 Human Factors                                                                                                              6

2.1.7 How Dissolved Oxygen Affects Water Supplies                                                          6

2.1.8 Importance of Dissolved Oxygen                                                                                  6

2.1.9 Applications of Dissolved Oxygen                                                                                7

2.2 Total Organic Carbon (TOC)                                                                                           8

2.2.1 Sources of Organic Carbon                                                                                           9

2.2.2 Natural Sources                                                                                                             9

2.2.3 Anthropogenic Sources                                                                                                 9

2.2.4 Effects of Total Organic Carbon on Water Quality                                                      9

2.2.5 Effects of Total Organic Carbon on Wild Life                                                              10

2.2.6 Productivity and Food Web Effects                                                                              10

2.2.7 Applications of Total Organic Carbon                                                                          12

2.3 Physico-chemical Parameters                                                                                           12

2.3.1 pH                                                                                                                                  12

2.3.2 Temperature                                                                                                                  13

2.3.3 Total Hardness                                                                                                               13

2.3.4 Total Solids                                                                                                                    14

2.3.5 Nitrate                                                                                                                            14

CHAPTER THREE

3.1 Source of Water Sample                                                                                                   15

3.2 Water Sampling                                                                                                                15

3.3 Determination of Dissolved Oxygen                                                                                15

3.4 Determination of Total Organic Carbon                                                                          16

3.5 Determination of the Physico-chemical Properties                                                          17

3.5.1 Determination of pH                                                                                                      17

3.5.2 Determination of Temperature                                                                                      17

3.5.3 Determination of Total Hardness                                                                                  17

3.5.4 Determination of Total Solids                                                                                       18

3.5.5 Determination of Nitrate                                                                                               18

3.6 Statistical Analysis of Data                                                                                              19

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 Results                                                                                                                              20

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Discussion                                                                                                                         31

5.2 Conclusion                                                                                                                        32

5.3 Recommendation                                                                                                             32

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

                                                            LIST OF TABLES

TABLE        TITLE                                                                     PAGE

1       Upstream Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo River                                                21

2       Midstream Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo River                                              22

3       Downstream Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo River                                           23

4       Dissolved Oxygen and Total Organic Carbon Content of Imo River at the                      26 Upstream Point

5      Dissolved Oxygen and Total Organic Carbon Content of Imo River at the Midstream     27 Point

6      Dissolved Oxygen and Total Organic Carbon Content of Imo River at the Downstream  28 Point                                                                                                                    

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE            TITLE                                                    PAGE

1       Presentation of the Physico-Chemical Parameters of Imo River in a Bar Chart         24

2       Presentation of Dissolved  Oxygen Content of Imo River in a Graph                29

3     Presentation of Total Organic Carbon Content of Imo River in a Graph       

 CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The demand for fresh water is always there with the ever increasing population in the world. The oceans and rivers hold about 97% of the earth’s total resource of water while the remaining 3% is buried underground to be economically exploited. However only 0.003% of the total volume of the later fraction is exploitable, though, the hydrological circle replenishes this. Many fresh water resources are contaminated through human activities. Each day some 25,000 people are said to die from their everyday use of wastewater. Many millions more suffer from frequent and debilitating water borne illnesses. About half of the inhabitants of developing countries in particular do not have access to safe drinking water and 73% have no sanitation, some of their wastes eventually contaminate their drinking water supply leading to high level of suffering (Mason, 1996). The provision of water for domestic and other uses in rural and urban centres is one of the most intractable problems in Nigeria today. Access to adequate water of good quality is essential to health, food production and sustainable development. Every human use of water, whether for drinking, irrigation, and industrial processes or for recreation has some quality requirements in order to make it acceptable. This quality criterion can be described in terms of physical, chemical and biological properties of such water (Gore, 1985; Verma, 2003). In many places both surface and ground water is fouled with industrial, agricultural, and municipal wastes. According to the World Commission on water for the 21^st century, more than half of the world’s major rivers are so depleted and polluted that they endanger human health and poison surrounding ecosystems (Inter-press, 1999). The sources of water pollution vary and involve almost every significant human activity. These include mostly the dumping of domestic wastes, sewage, agricultural wastes and industrial effluents into water bodies (Collocott and Dabson, 1974). The wastes dumped on land are also eventually washed into water example animal dung, litters, wind deposited pollutants. Also disturbances of the soil mantle by ploughing during cultivation, road making, stream irrigation/channelization, and mining break the protective vegetation cover and encourage soil washout by storm water during rainfall. In some areas, air pollutants like oxides of nitrogen and sulphur become acidic contaminants during rainfall (Ademoroti, 1996). Increase in industrialization as a result of modern and sophisticated technology has introduced many synthetic materials into our environment. Some may be toxic or carcinogenic. The wastes arising from them find their way into water bodies, and hence they become contaminated. Aquatic biota is sensitive to pH. They cannot live in a medium having a salinity to which they are not adapted, also high temperatures encourages growth of bacteria and causes depletion in oxygen content of water (Bhatia, 2006).

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1. To determine the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content of Imo River.

2. To determine the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) content of Imo River.

3. To determine the Physico-chemical parameters of Imo River.

4. To compare the obtained results to World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.

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