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Environmental Engineering Exercise 3 Alkalinity

Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of water to neutralize acids and is primarily due to the presence of bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydroxide ions. It helps buffer aquatic environments and maintain pH levels suitable for aquatic life. Alkalinity is measured through titration with an acid to specific pH endpoints and is often expressed in terms of mg/L calcium carbonate. The document provides examples of calculating alkalinity from data on bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydroxide ion concentrations and from titration results. It also discusses how aeration and carbon dioxide levels impact each type of alkalinity.

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Sherald Agustin
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274 views

Environmental Engineering Exercise 3 Alkalinity

Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of water to neutralize acids and is primarily due to the presence of bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydroxide ions. It helps buffer aquatic environments and maintain pH levels suitable for aquatic life. Alkalinity is measured through titration with an acid to specific pH endpoints and is often expressed in terms of mg/L calcium carbonate. The document provides examples of calculating alkalinity from data on bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydroxide ion concentrations and from titration results. It also discusses how aeration and carbon dioxide levels impact each type of alkalinity.

Uploaded by

Sherald Agustin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sherald G.

Agustin, RChE Exercise 3 - Alkalinity


Student No. 2021290060 3Q/ March 26, 2022

1. What is alkalinity and what produces it in natural waters?


The ability of a water to neutralize acids is measured chemically as alkalinity. Alkalinity is
also a measure of a water's ability to withstand change or buffering capacity. When acids or bases
are added, the pH changes. Alkalinity of natural waters is due primarily to the presence of weak
acid salts although strong bases may also contribute (i.e., OH-) in extreme environments.
Bicarbonates are the most common kind of alkalinity found in nature. The partitioning of CO2 from
the atmosphere and weathering are the sources of this water. Carbonate minerals can be found
in rocks and soil. Other weak acid salts, such as borate, Organic bases, such as silicates,
ammonia, phosphates, and organic bases derived from natural organic matter, may be used.
Small quantities are present. Since the 1960s, alkalinity has been measured in milligrams per liter
of CaCO3.

2. Of what benefit is alkalinity in natural waters?


Alkaline compounds in the water such as bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides
remove H+ ions and lower the acidity of the water (which means increased pH). Fish and other
aquatic life require a pH range of 6.0 to 9.0, and alkalinity protects live species that require a
specific pH range by buffering against sudden pH fluctuations. Acid rain and other acid pollutants
will be buffered by higher alkalinity levels in surface water, reducing pH shifts that are hazardous
to aquatic life. Alkalinity is also crucial in wastewater and drinking water treatment since it affects
cleansing processes like anaerobic digestion. If the alkalinity level in the water is higher than the
natural level of alkalinity in the soil, it may not be acceptable for irrigation.

3. What pH end points are used to characterize the alkalinity of water?


For samples whose initial pH is above 8.3, the titration is made in two steps. In the first
titration is conducted until the pH is lowered to 8.3, the point at which phenolphthalein indicator
turns from pink to colorless. The second phase of the titration is conducted until the pH is lowered
to about 4.5, corresponding to the bromocresol green end point. When the pH of a sample is less
than 8.3, a single titration is made to a pH of 4.5.

SHERALD G. AGUSTIN
4. What end-point indicators are commonly used for alkalinity measurements?
Total alkalinity or phenolphthalein alkalinity are two ways to measure alkalinity. Both types
can be determined using a titration with standard sulfuric acid to an endpoint pH, which can be
defined using indicators such as phenolphthalein and bromocresol green-methyl red, or by using
a pH meter. Titration to a pH of 8.3 determines phenolphthalein alkalinity, which gives the whole
hydroxide and half of the carbonate present. Titration to a pH of 5.1, 4.8, 4.5, or 3.7, depending
on the amount of carbon dioxide present, determines total alkalinity. All carbonate-bicarbonate
alkalinity and hydroxide alkalinity are included in total alkalinity. Meanwhile, the most common
form of alkalinity is bicarbonate and alkalinity are measured in milligrams per liter of CaC03.

5. What are the three major kinds of alkalinity found present in natural waters?
Titrations can be used to differentiate between three forms of alkalinity: hydroxide,
carbonate, and bicarbonate. Titration of the water sample to the phenolphthalein or metacresol
purple indicator endpoint, roughly pH 8.3, determines carbonate alkalinity. Titration of the water
sample to the endpoint of the methyl orange, bromocresol green, or bromocresol green–methyl
red indicators, about pH 4.5, determines total alkalinity. The bicarbonate alkalinity is the difference
between the two. If the carbonate, or phenolphthalein, alkalinity is more than 50% of the total
alkalinity, OH alkalinity is present. As a result, the hydroxide alkalinity can be computed by
subtracting the total alkalinity from two times the phenolphthalein alkalinity.

6. Alkalinity is normally measured in terms of CaC𝑶𝟑 . What is the formula weight of


this compound? In what way this formula weight makes CaC𝑶𝟑 a convenient
reference material for alkalinity?
The molecular weight of calcium carbonate is 100.09 g/mol. In terms of equivalence,
calcium carbonate is expressed as 50.045 g/eq. The formula weight can be used to determine
the equivalence of calcium carbonate which is essential for expressing alkalinity in terms of
CaCO3 .

7. Calculate the alkalinity as CaCO3 of a water that contains 85 mg/L of HCO3, 120
mg/L of CO3 and 2 mg/L of OH.

SHERALD G. AGUSTIN
8. What effect does the removal of carbon dioxide from water through aeration have
on each of the three kinds of alkalinity found present in natural waters?
Aeration of water is a typical procedure for removing carbon dioxide, ammonia, and
volatile organic compounds. Carbon dioxide removal tends to lower [H+] and so elevate the pH
of the water. After aeration, water with a higher alkalinity will have a higher pH, whereas water
with a lower alkalinity will have a lower pH.
Algal blooms are common in many surface waterways. In locations where algae is quickly
proliferating, pH levels as high as 10 have been seen, particularly in shallow water. Algae utilize
carbon dioxide in their photosynthetic activity, and the removal of this gas is what causes the high
pH.

SHERALD G. AGUSTIN
9. What effect does the addition of carbon dioxide have on the alkalinity of water?
In freshwater, a higher carbon dioxide concentration will induce a minor fall in pH at a
given alkalinity, but it will also cause a higher alkalinity. As a result, as the alkalinity rises, the pH
also rises.

10. On analysis, a series of samples was found to have the following pH values: 5.5,
3.0, 11.2, 8.5, 7.4, and 9.0. What can you conclude regarding the possible presence
of significant bicarbonate, carbonate, or hydroxide alkalinity in each sample?
Alkaline compounds in the water such as bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides
remove H+ ions and lower the acidity of the water (which means increased pH). Without this acid
neutralizing capacity of these compounds, any acid added to waters would cause an immediate
change in the pH which may impose negative effects to aquatic life.

11. Calculate the phenolphthalein and total alkalinities of the following samples:
(a) A 50-mL sample required 5.3 mL 0.020 N H2SO4 to reach the phenolphthalein
end point and a total of 15.2 mL to reach je methyl orange end point.

SHERALD G. AGUSTIN
(b) A 100-mL sample required 20.2 mL of 0.020 N H2SO4 to reach the
phenolphthalein end point and a total of 25.6 mL to reach the methyl orange end
point.

SHERALD G. AGUSTIN

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