Environmental Chemistry (ENE-213)

Course Instructor: Dr. Sofia Baig

Lab Report-14

DETERMINATION OF OIL & GREASE IN WATER SAMPLE

Submitted To: Engr. Muhammad Irfan

Submitted By: Group-01

National University of Sciences &Technology (NUST)

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 Contents
Objective ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Theory: ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Sources:....................................................................................................................................... 3
Principle ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Environmental Significance ...................................................................................................... 3
Apparatus and Chemicals: ....................................................................................................... 3
Procedure ................................................................................................................................... 4
Precautions: ................................................................................................................................ 4
Readings and Calculations: ...................................................................................................... 4
Conclusion: ................................................................................................................................. 4
References: ................................................................................................................................. 4

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DETERMINATION OF OIL & GREESE IN WATER SAMPLE

Objective:
The objective of this experiment was to determine the oil and grease content of wastewater
through the use of the partition gravimetric method. Knowledge about this experiment helped
us understand the concept regarding oil and grease in wastewater and how to present the data
after getting it.

Theory:
Greases are usually oils with thickener added. At room temperature, greases are usually solid,
while oils are usually liquid. Oil and grease is any material recovered as a substance soluble in
petroleum ether, Hexane or Tri-chloro-tri-fluro-ethane.
Oil and grease have low solubility and tend to form floating scum layers in surface waters and
waste waters. Oil and grease originate from domestic and industrial wastes, and the main
concern is that they can cause problems in sewage and waste water treatment plans.
If it is present in excessive amount, they may interfere with aerobic and anaerobic biological
processes and lead to decreased water treatment efficiency. Oils, fats, waxes, hydrocarbons and
high molecular fatty acids contribute to the oil and grease measurement. Organic toxic waste
(oil and grease) causes ecology damage. If it enters water bodies through untreated wastewater,
it can be mutagenic and carcinogenic for human beings as well as other organisms. These
chemicals are also insoluble in water and form a layer on the water surface, blocking the
sunlight, ultimately affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Fats are especially stable and are not easily
degraded by bacteria.
Sources:
Fat, oil and grease (FOG) is a by-product of cooking foods such as vegetable oils, meats and
dairy products. Food Service Establishments such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs are a
prime source of FOG, which can pass into the sewer system during cleaning processes.
Lakes, rivers, storm water runoff, and wastewater are all monitored for oil and grease. Sources
of oil and grease are mainly anthropogenic.
Other sources are:
1. Kerosene & Lubricating Oils
2. Natural decaying process.

Principle:
Oil and grease are determined by extraction of wastewater samples with an extracting solvent
Gravimetric method is used for their determination.
The extractable substances (oil and grease) are extracted from sample with n-hexane (solvent)
and then the n-hexane is evaporated Residue left over is weighted to determine the
concentration of oil and grease in mg/L.
Environmental Significance:
Oil and grease includes fats, oils, waxes, and other related constituents found in water,
generally wastewater. If these compounds are not removed before discharge of treated
wastewater, oil and grease can interfere with biological life in surface waters and create
unsightly films.

Apparatus and Chemicals:

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• HCl, Hydrochloric acid
• Sodium sulphate anhydrous
• Solvent: n-hexane
• Separatory funnel
• Pipette
• Flask

Procedure:
1. Pour 350 milliliters of the wastewater sample from sample container in a clean 500 mL
flask using a separatory funnel.
2. Weigh the cleaned and dried 100 mL conical flask. Note its weight.
3. Add 20 mL of sample into conical flask.
4. Heat the flask for 15 minutes at 70 degrees Celsius.
5. Weigh the flask again.
6. The oil and grease content is calculated using the following formula:
𝑾𝟐−𝑾𝟏
Oil and Grease (mg/L) = × 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎
𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝑳

Precautions:
 Students must wear lab coats and gloves while visiting the lab for practical.
 Safely handle all chemicals and apparatus.
 Properly place the equipment in appropriate places at the end of the lab.
 Caution is advised with the interpretation of results. This method is designed to fully
recover most organic compounds with boiling points that are equal to or greater than that of
n-hexane.

Readings and Calculations:

Conclusion:
As a conclusion of this experiment we can conclude that we had achieved all the objectives of
this experiment. From this experiment we had learnt on how to determine the oil & grease in
waste water and also discussed how to remove it from waste water. Removal requires chemical
addition to lower the pH followed by addition of dissolved oxygen or nitrogen to remove the
emulsified oils as they break free from the wastewater.

References:
• http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/oil/oilfaq.cfm
• https://www.southernwater.co.uk/help-advice/keep-it-clear/fat-oil-and-grease
• https://3cp1hp1be6xw3gh24m2wvbul-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-
content/uploads/2019/04/Maintaining-Regulatory-Method-Compliance-while-
Automating-Oil-and-Grease-Analysis-Long-3.pdf
• Lab Notes & Slides.