Sydneyland Water Supply

Spectroscopy is the study of light. A spectrophotometer is a machine used to determine the absorbance of light at any given wavelength. It does this by using a source of white light through a prism, which gives multiple wavelengths that can be individually focused (Ayyagari and Nigam, 2007). Substances are put into cuvettes that are glass or quartz containers that light can easily travel through. The light that is being focused travels through the substance gets absorbed by the

Evers, D. J., B. Hendricks, G. Lucassen, and T. Ruers. "Optical Spectroscopy: Current Advances and Future Applications in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy." NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 8 Mar. 2012. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.

Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are

Scientists use an instrument called a spectrometer to quantitatively determine the amount of light absorbed by a solution. The primary inner parts of a typical spectrometer are described below. The spectrometer has a light source that emits white light containing a vast mixture of different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength of interest is then selected using a monochromator (“mono” meaning one and “chromate” meaning color) and an additional exit slit. The separation of white light into different colors (wavelengths) is known as diffraction. The selected light then reaches the sample and depending on how the light interacts with the chemical compound of interest, some of the light is absorbed and some passes straight through. By comparing the amount of light entering the sample (P0) with the amount of light reaching the detector (P), the spectrometer is able to tell how much light is absorbed by the sample.

This light is known as the spectrum emission color of an element which can also be used to identify an element as well as determine the energy that is given off. In this lab we used this information to identify three unknown substances and determine if the energy given off was high or low. In order to conduct this lab we had to take a known substance for example Copper Chloride (CuCl) and use a splint to put the substance over a bunsen burner. We then recorded the frequency, color of the flame, and the spectrum emission line by using spectroscopes, which diffracts light.

Around the world people are suffering from the problem of having a safe and clean water, there are more than 633 million people lack access to safe water. Remote countries in Africa are mostly the victim of having unsanitary water sources.

A catchment is an area where water is collected by the natural landscape. In a catchment, rain will eventually flow to a dam, creek, river, lake or ocean, evaporate, be used by vegetation and animals or seep into the groundwater system.

"A watershed is an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas."

Most of the catchments depicted in Figure 1 where fully urbanised which caused surfaces in the catchment to be impervious; that is very little runoff would infiltrate into the ground

Fifield, F. W. and Kealey, D. 1995. Principles and Practice of Analytical chemistry. (4th ed) Glasgow, Blackie Academic and professional.

All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.

Spectrophotometry is a routine laboratory test that has the added advantage of being able to

8) Steps 1 - 8 were repeated using the wavelengths of 360 nm to 900

concentration, record the absorbance readings at a fixed wavelength, and plot the absorbance vs. concentration data. The wavelength of 520 nm was selected for experiment Part

The second step of water treatment process is aeration. At the aerator, raw water is mixed with air. The aeration process helps to provide oxygen to the raw water which is needed for the oxidation process of dissolved iron and manganese in order for it to precipitate and therefore enables its removal through filtration (SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd., n.d.). Wormleaton and Tsang (2000) stated that for water treatment process and also natural streams, it is essential to maintain a high amount of dissolved oxygen. Aeration also provides the escape of dissolved gases, such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide to reduce the corrosiveness of water, thus controls the tastes and odors of the water (Shun, 2007). Groundwater with high dissolved carbon dioxide levels or high concentrations of iron and manganese commonly require aeration as well as water drawn from reservoirs that is low in dissolved oxygen.