Determination of Fluoride and Some Other Anions in Drinking Groundwater at Kamleen Area

Abstract

The objective of this study was to detect the pollutant anions in Kamleen drinking water from underground sources. Concentration levels of chloride, sulphate, nitrate, nitrite, and particularly fluoride were determined. In addition, color, turbidity, hydrogen ion concentration, electrical conductivity, total hardness, total alkalinity, and total dissolved solids were measured. Samples of groundwater were randomly collected from twenty eight different areas around central Kamleen locality during the summer season from May to August 2011. Ion-selective electrodes methods were used to determine fluoride, chloride and nitrate. Colorimetric methods were used to determine sulphate , turbidity and also fluoride and nitrate. In comparison, sulphate content was also determined gravimetrically. Nitrite was also determined colorimetrically but using standard addition method. Chloride was also determined by titrimetric method and also total hardness and total alkalinity. The results obtained showed that the of fluoride contents ranged from 0.01 to 1.89 ppm, chloride, 3.82 to 770.42 ppm, nitrate 8.52 to 44.00 ppm, nitrite 0.008 to 0.828ppm and sulphate ranged from 5.99 to 881.00 ppm. It was also found that hydrogen ion concentration and turbidity were in agreement with those of the international standard except those of total dissolved solids (2070 ppm)