JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY Determination Percentage of Iron in the Water

Compiled by: Group 3 Noor Fathi M. Mega Roudloh M. Claudia Niken S. 093194022 093194025 093194031

International Chemistry Education Class 2009 SURABAYA STATE UNIVERSITY MATHEMATIC AND NATURAL SCIENCE FACULTY CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT 2012

I. TITLE :

Determination Percentage of Iron in the Water II. KIND AND SORCE OF SAMPLE: River Water in Karang Pilang, in front of PDAM factory

III. PURPOSE :

Knowing percentage of iron in the water

IV. SUPPORTING THEORY

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust. Iron's very common presence in rocky planets like Earth is due to its abundant production as a result of fusion in high-mass stars, where the production of nickel-56 (which decays to the most common isotope of iron) is the last nuclear fusion reaction that is exothermic. An important principle to remember about chemical reactions is that, if allowed enough time, they will reach equilibrium with the surrounding environment. When the conditions of that environment are changed, such as pumping water from an underground acquifer, the chemical equilibrium is upset. This will lead to either solution of certain elements such as iron or their precipitation. A general rule of thumb is that oxygenated water will have only low levels of iron. The reason is that both iron react with oxygen to form compounds that do not stay dissolved in water. Surface water and shallow groundwater (Figure 1) usually have enough dissolved oxygen to maintain iron and manganese in an undissolved state. In surface water, iron and manganese are most likely to be trapped within suspended organic matter particles.

Waters that do not have regular contact with the atmosphere tend to be low in oxygen (oxygen poor). Iron in an oxygen poor environment are relatively soluble and can cause high levels of dissolved iron and manganese. However, if iron is associated with sulfur as iron sulfide rather than iron carbonate, dissolved iron remains low. Dissolved oxygen generally decreases with depth, so these types of conditions are more likely to occur in deep wells. Sometimes oxygen poor conditions can also occur in relatively shallow wells that have stagnant water with very slow turnover. Iron problem is most likely to develop in water from wells with high carbonate and low oxygen as shown in the middle well in Figure 1. Problems occur when this type of water is pumped to the surface. The chemical equilibrium is changed upon exposure to the atmosphere. The end result is precipitation of iron compounds in plumbing, on fixtures, and on clothing, dishes, and utensils.

Figure of the amount of iron dissolved in water often follows a trend of low to high back to low again as depth of the well increases.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1030w.htm Iron does not clearly alter in pure water or in dry air, but when both water and oxygen are present (moist air), iron corrodes. Its silvery color changes to a reddish-brown, because hydrated oxides are formed. Dissolved electrolytes accelerate the reaction mechanism, which is as follows: 4Fe + 3O2 + 6H2O 4Fe3+ + 12OH 4Fe(OH)3 or 4FeO(OH) + 4H2O Usually the oxide layer does not protect iron from further corrosion, but is removed so more metal oxides can be formed. Electrolytes are mostly iron (II) sulphate, which forms during corrosion by atmospheric SO2. In sea

regions atmospheric salt particles may play an important role in this process. Iron (II) hydroxide often precipitates in natural waters. The Environmental Effects of Iron in Water Iron is a dietary requirement for most organisms, and plays an important role in natural processes in binary and tertiary form. Oxidized tertiary iron cannot be applied by organisms freely, except at very low pH values. Still, iron usually occurs in this generally water insoluble form. Adding soluble iron may rapidly increase productivity in oceanic surface layers. It might than play an important role in the carbon cycle. Iron is essential for nitrogen binding and nitrate reduction, and it may be a limiting factor for phytoplankton growth. Solubility in salt water is extremely low. The iron cycle means reduction of tertiary iron by organic ligands (a process that is photo catalysed in surface waters), and oxidation of binary iron. Iron forms chelation complexes that often play an important role in nature, such as haemoglobin, a red colouring agent in blood that binds and releases oxygen in breathing processes. Organisms take up higher amounts of binary iron than of tertiary iron, and uptake mainly depends on the degree of saturation of physical iron reserves. Iron is often a limiting factor for water organisms in surface layers. When chelation ligands are absent, water insoluble tertiary iron hydroxides precipitate. This is not thought to be hazardous for aquatic life, because not much is known about hazards of water borne iron. Mollusks have teeth of magnetite of goethite. Green plants apply iron for energy transformation processes. Plants that are applied as animal feed may contain up to 1000 ppm of iron, but this amount is much lower in plants applied for human consumption. Generally plants contain between 20 and 300 ppm iron (dry mass), but lichens may consist up to 5.5% of iron. When soils contain little iron, or little water soluble iron, plants may experience growth problems. Plant uptake capacity strongly varies, and it does not only depend on soil iron concentrations, but also upon pH values, phosphate concentrations and competition between iron

and other heavy metals. Limes soils are often iron deficit, even when sufficient amounts of iron are present. This is because of the generally high pH value, which leads to iron precipitation. Iron usually occurs in soils in tertiary form, but in water saturated soils it is converted to binary iron, thereby enabling plant iron uptake. Plants may take up water insoluble iron compounds by releasing H+ ions, causing it to dissolve. Micro organisms release iron siderochrome, which can be directly taken up by plants. Iron may be harmful to plants at feed concentrations of between 5 and 200 ppm. These cannot be found in nature under normal conditions, when low amounts of soil water are present. A number of bacteria take up iron particles and convert them to magnetite, to apply this as a magnetic compass for orientation. Iron compounds may cause a much more serious environmental impact than the element itself. Iron In Drinking Water Iron can be a troublesome chemical in water supplies. Making up at least 5 percent of the earths crust, iron is one of the earths most plentiful resources. Rainwater as it infiltrates the soil and underlying geologic formations dissolves iron, causing it to seep into aquifers that serve as sources of groundwater for wells. Although present in drinking water, iron is seldom found at concentrations greater than 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) or 10 parts per million. However, as little as 0.3 mg/l can cause water to turn a reddish brown color. Therefore, in accordance with the Decree of the Minister of Health PERMENKES R.I 416/MENKES/PER/IX/1990 that the content of iron in the drinking water should not exceed 0.3 mg/L. Iron is mainly present in water in two forms: either the soluble ferrous iron or the insoluble ferric iron. Water containing ferrous iron is clear and colorless because the iron is completely dissolved. When exposed to air in the pressure tank or atmosphere, the water turns cloudy and a reddish brown substance begins to form. This sediment is the oxidized or ferric form of iron that will not dissolve in water.

Appendix A decree of the Minister of State for Population and Environment No: KEP-02/MENKLH/I/88 dated January 19, 1988 guidance setting environmental quality standards, the water quality standard for Fe parameters are as follows:
1. Quality raw in water source Raw water quality class A

Parameter

Unit mg/ L

Max suggested 0,1

Max allowed 1

Method of analysis
Spectrophotometric spectrophotometric

Tools
spectrophot

Iron (Fe)

ometer AAS

atomic absorption
Raw water quality class B

Parameter Dissolved Iron (Fe)

Unit mg/ L

Max

Max

suggested allowed 1 5

Method of analysis
Spectrophotometric spectrophotometric

Tools
spectrophot

ometer AAS

atomic absorption
2. Waste water quality standards *

Parameter Dissolved iron (Fe)

Unit mg/L

Group Waste water Quality Standard I 1 II 5 III 10 IV 20

*) Levels of waste materials that meet the water quality standard observation waste is not permitted by diluting the water is directly taken from the water source. Standard addition The method of standard addition is used in instrumental analysis to determine concentration of a substance (analyte) in an unknown sample by comparison to a set of samples of known concentration, similar to using a calibration curve. Standard addition can be applied to most analytical

techniques and is used instead of a calibration curve to solve the matrix effect problem. Standard addition is frequently used in atomic absorption spectroscopy and gas chromatography. The matrix effect problem occurs when the unknown sample contains many impurities. If impurities present in the unknown interact with the analyte to change the instrumental response or themselves produce an instrumental response, then a calibration curve based on pure analyte samples will give an incorrect determination. One way to solve this problem is to use standard addition. The standard solution (solution of known concentration of analyte) is added to the unknown solution so any impurities in the unknown are accounted for in the calibration. The operator does not know how much was in the solution initially but does know how much standard solution was added, and knows how the readings changed before and after adding the standard solution. Thus, the operator can extrapolate and determine the concentration initially in the unknown solution. In practice, the volume of standard solution added is kept small to avoid dilution of the unknown impurities. A typical procedure involves preparing several solutions containing the same amount of unknown, but different amounts of standard. For example, five 25 mL volumetric flasks are each filled with 10 mL of the unknown. Then the standard is added in differing amounts, such as 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mL. The flasks are then diluted to the mark and mixed well. The idea of this procedure is that the total concentration of the analyte is the combination of the unknown and the standard, and that the total concentration varies linearly. If the signal response is linear in this concentration range, then a plot similar to what is shown above is generated. V. DESIGN OF EXPERIMENT a. Tools Tools Set of AAS Measuring Flask 10 ml Volumetric Flask 10 mL Quantity 1 1 1

Concave cathode lamps of Fe Pipette b. Materials

1 1

Materials Standart solution (standart 1, standart 2, standart 3, standart 4 and standart 5) HNO3 1% solution Sampel (river water in Karang Pilang in front of PDAM Factory)

Quantity As needed As needed As needed

5 ml Aquadest

Standard solution with concentration 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 mg/L

5 ml Sample Added 5 ml Fe 4 ppm. Added 0.5 ml HNO3 1%.

Added 5 ml Fe 4 ppm. Added 0.5 ml HNO3 c. Procedure 1%.

Read the absorbance by using AAS at 248.3 nm. Make curve of standard Fe. Count the concentration of Fe in the sample. Concentration of Fe

REFERENCE Amaria and Suyono .2012. Petunjuk Praktikum Kimia Lingkungan. Surabaya: Jurusan Kimia-FMIPA-Unesa. Anonymous. 2011. Iron (Fe) and Water. http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/water/iron/iron-and-water.htm. Accessed on 17th November 2012.

Anonymous.

2010.

Iron

in

Drinking

Water.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/ironFS.htm. Accessed on 17th November 2012. Anonymous. 2012. Standard in Addition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_addition. Accessed on 17th November 2012. Danusaputro, Munajat. 1992. Hukum Lingkungan Buku V: Sektoral Jilid (4) Dalam Sistem Analisis Dampak Lingkungan (ANDAL&AMDAL). Bandung: Binacipta Day, R.A. and Underwood, A. L. 1991. Quantitative Analysis Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Seelig, Bruce.et.al. 1992. Problems Caused by Iron and Manganese in Household Water. http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsy /ae1030w.htm. Accessed on 17th November 2012.