Water quality and physicochemical parameters of outgoing waters in a pharmaceutical plant

Abstract

This work has focused on a pharmaceutical plant waters and the environmental impact of its discharges. The Water Quality Index (WQI), the Organic Pollution Index (OPI) and the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) of incoming and outgoing waters were analyzed over seasonal variations for 5 months using classical and mathematical indices. Highly significant increases were observed at the output (p < 0.001) for electrical conductivity, alkalinity, calcium and sodium; very significant (p < 0.01) for nitrites, COD and BOD 5 ; significant (p < 0.05) for turbidity, potassium and chlorides. The sulfates, nitrates, phosphates, ammonia, TSS, magnesium, aluminum, iron and manganese showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). These parameters remained high all over the study period except for the BOD 5 . The WQI was reported in input waters in the range 85.9-89.5 indicating water safe for domestic use, range 42.3-60.9 (medium to bad) in output waters highlighting the water pollution. The OPI highlighted waters with low-to-moderate pollution, essentially due to high levels of nitrites. The SAR was found in "medium-to-high" salinity and "low sodium" ranges, thus precautions required in soils but without significant global effects. The COD/BOD 5 ratio highlighted a wastewater sometimes difficultly biodegradable (ratio > 3). In conclusion, often throughout all the study period, the outgoing waters were found with bad quality and non-negligible risks for soils; it is thus strongly advocated that these waters must undergo appropriate treatment to improve its physicochemical quality.

Chemical and Microbiological Assessment of Wastewater Discharged along the Mediterranean Sea

“…Similar studies reported high rates of these quality parameters in raw wastewater influent at WW plants from Tunisia and Algeria, with values up to 1720, 1450, and 747 mg/L for COD, TSS, and BOD 5 , respectively [34][35][36]. In the other hand, other research showed that the average effluent content of several quality parameters like COD, BOD 5 , TSS, and NO 3 − showed an increase as compared to treated wastewater samples [37,38]. This result was linked to the performance and outcome of the wastewater treatment process used.…”

Assessment of the Present State and Future Fate of River Saraswati, India: Water Quality Indices and Forecast Models as Diagnostic and Management Tools

“…A high concentration of free CO 2 , turbidity, and BOD and a low DO concentration indicate high organic loading, sedimentation, and microbial activities. [ 70,71 ] Thus, for PR‐2, the scores of all the underlying determinants of CCMEWQI, i.e., F1, F2, and F3, showed the highest values(Figure 5). The pollution level was found to be lower at PR‐1 relative to PR‐2 due to the dilution effect exerted by the influx of water from the river Ganga into PR‐1, which acts as the bridge between the river Saraswati and the Ganga at PR‐1.…”

Integrated Electrochemical Biosensors for Detection of Waterborne Pathogens in Low-Resource Settings

“…While it is currently possible to collect in situ real-time quantitative data in fresh and wastewater systems for a plethora of physicochemical parameters, this is currently a challenge for waterborne pathogens [69][70][71]. At present, there is a lack of literature to back-up the practical concept of real-time data collection for waterborne pathogen populations except in water infrastructure facilities.…”