This document discusses polluted sample preservation and collection for further laboratory study. It provides information on different types of pollutants and their effects. It also describes various methods for sampling air, water, soil, and materials in containers to test for pollutants. Proper collection and preservation techniques are outlined to ensure sample integrity for accurate laboratory analysis.

1. ASSIGNMENT 2
Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE GWALIOR (M.P.)
SUBMITTED BY GUIODED BY
DR.P.A.KHAMBALKAR OMPRAKASH PARIHAR
Dept. of SSAS, COA GWALIOR Roll No.20111109
M.Sc (Ag), AGRONOMY
POLLUTED SAMPLE PRESERVATION AND COLLECTION FOR FURTHER STUDY IN
LABORATORY

2. A pollutant is a substance or energy introduced into the
environment that has undesired effects, or adversely
affects the usefulness of a resource. A pollutant may
cause long- or short-term damage by changing the
growth rate of plant or animal species, or by interfering
with human amenities, comfort, health, or property
values. Some pollutantsare biodegradableand therefore
will not persist in the environment in the long term.
Different types of pollutantsin nature
Stock Pollutants:-Stockpollutantstowards which the
environment has low absorptive capacity are called
stock pollutants. (e.g. persistent organic pollutantssuch
as PCBs, non-biodegradableplastics and heavy metals).
Stock pollutantsaccumulatein the environment over
time.
Notable pollutants:-
 Mercury (Hg)
 Persistent organic pollutants(POPs)
 Ozone (Ozone)
 Particulatematter (PM)
 Environmental Persistent Pharmaceutical Pollutants
(EPPP)
 Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)
 Volatile organic compounds(VOCs)

3. Fund pollutants:-
Fund pollutantsare those for which the environment has
the moderate absorptive capacity. Fund pollutantsdo
not cause damage to the environment unless the
emission rate exceeds the receiving environment's
absorptive capacity (e.g. carbon dioxide, which is
absorbed by plants and oceans.
Light pollutant:-
Light pollution is the impact that anthropogenic light
has on the visibility of the night sky. It also
encompasses ecological light pollution which describes
the effect of artificial light on individual organisms and
on the structure of ecosystems as a whole.
Water quality:-Refers to the chemical, physical, and
biological characteristics of water based on the
standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by
reference to a set of standards against which
compliance, generally achieved through treatment of
the water, can be assessed.
Objectives of Water Sampling
 Baseline Water quality
 Impact assessment

4.  Assessment of Technology
 Performance assessment of treatment plant
 Assessment of products and processes
 Crop performance
Environmental water quality, also called ambient water
quality:- relates to water bodies such as lakes, rivers,
and oceans. Water quality standards for surface waters
vary significantly due to different environmental
conditions, ecosystems, and intended human uses.
Toxic substances and high populations of certain
microorganisms can present a health hazard for non-
drinking purposes such as irrigation, swimming,
fishing, rafting, boating, and industrial uses.
Sampling and measurement:-
The complexity of water qualityas a subject is reflected
in the many types of measurements of water quality
indicators. Some measurements of water quality are
most accuratelymade on-site, because water exists in
equilibriumwith its surroundings.
Sample collection:-
More complex measurements are often made in a
laboratoryrequiring a water sample to be collected,

5. preserved, transported,andanalyzed at another location.
The process of water sampling introducestwo
significant problems:-
The first problem is the extent to which the sample
may be representative of the water source of interest.
Water sources vary with time and with location.
The second problem occurs as the sample is removed
from the water source and begins to establish chemical
equilibriumwith its new surroundings
Drinking water indicators
 Alkalinity
 Colorof water
 pH
 Taste and odor(geosmin, 2-Methylisoborneol
(MIB), etc.)
 Dissolved metals and salts (sodium, chloride,
potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium)
 Microorganisms such as fecal coliform bacteria
(Escherichia coli), Cryptosporidium, and Giardia
lamblia; see Bacteriological water analysis

6.  Dissolved metals and metalloids (lead, mercury,
arsenic, etc.)
 Dissolved organics: colored dissolved organic
matter (CDOM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
 Radon
 Heavy metals
 Pharmaceuticals
 Hormone analogs
Physical indicators
Specific conductanceor electrical conductance(EC) or
conductivity
 Total suspended solids (TSS)
 Transparency or turbidity
 Total dissolved solids (TDS)
 Odour of water
 Colorof water
 Taste of water
Chemical indicators:-
 pH
 Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
 Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
 Dissolved oxygen (DO)
 Total hardness (TH)
 Heavy metals

7.  Nitrate
 Orthophosphates
 Pesticides
Biological indicators:-
 Ephemeroptera
 Plecoptera
 Mollusca
 Trichoptera
 Escherichia coli (E. coli)

8. Sample Preservation and Transport
Samples for BOD and bacteriological analyses should
be stored at a temp. < 4oC (ice/cold packs) and in the
dark as soon as possible after sampling. Once in the
laboratory, samples should betransferred as soon as
possible to a refrigerator. COD analysis is to be done
on the day of collectionor they should be preserved
below pH 2 by addition of conc. H2SO4. This
procedureshouldalso be followed for samples for
ammoniacal nitrogen, total oxidized nitrogen and
phenol analysis.

9. For metals:-
 Samples should be acidified to below pH 2 with
conc. HNO3. Such samples can then be kept up to
6 months before they need to be analysed; mercury
determinationsshould be carried out within 5
weeks.
 Samples should be transported to concerned
laboratoryas soon as possible, preferably within 48
hours. Analysis of bacteriological samples should
be started and analysed within 24 hours of
collection.
Air quality monitoring:-
Air quality monitoring station

10. Air pollutants are atmospheric substances—both
naturally occurring and anthropogenic—which may
potentially have a negative impact on the environment
and organism health.
With the evolution of new chemicals and industrial
processes has come the introduction or elevation of
pollutants in the atmosphere, as well as environmental
research and regulations, increasing the demand for air
quality monitoring.
Air quality monitoring is challenging to enact as it
requires the effective integration of multiple
environmental data sources, which often originate from
different environmental networks and institutions.
These challenges require specialized observation
equipment and tools to establish air pollutant
concentrations, including sensor networks, geographic
information system (GIS) models, and the Sensor
Observation Service (SOS), a web service for querying
real-time sensor data. Air dispersion models that
combine topographic, emissions, and meteorological
data to predict air pollutant concentrations are often
helpful in interpretingair monitoring data. Additionally,
consideration of anemometer data in the area between

11. sources and the monitor often provides insights on the
source of the air contaminants recorded by an air
pollution monitor.
Air sampling
Passive or "diffusive" air sampling depends on
meteorological conditions such as wind to diffuse air
pollutants to a sorbent medium. Passive samplers have
the advantage of typically being small, quiet, and easy
to deploy, and they are particularly useful in air quality
studies that determine key areas for future continuous
monitoring.

12. Air pollution can also be assessed by biomonitoring
with organisms that bioaccumulate air pollutants, such
as lichens, mosses, fungi, and other biomass.One of the
benefits of this type of sampling is how quantitative
information can be obtained via measurements of
accumulated compounds, representative of the
environment from which they came.
However, careful considerations must be made in
choosing the particular organism, how it's dispersed,
and relevance to the pollutant.
Soil contamination or soil pollution:- as part of land
degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotics
(human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the
natural soil environment. It is typically caused by
industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper
disposal of waste. The most common chemicals
involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene and
benzo(a)pyrene), solvents, pesticides, lead, and other
heavy metals. Contamination is correlated with the
degree of industrialization and intensity of chemical
substance.
Soil pollutioncan be caused by the following (non-
exhaustive list)

13.  Microplastics
 Oil spills
 Mining and activities by otherheavy industries
 Accidental spills may happen during activities, etc.
 Corrosion of underground storage tanks
 Acid rain
 Intensive farming
 Agrochemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides and
fertilizers
 Petrochemicals
SOIL SAMPLING:-
Soil is quite heterogeneous containing rocks, trapped
gases, and liquids. It varies across the surface, and with
depth. This variation is caused by contact with the
atmosphere and the biosphere, as well as by the flow of
ground water. Soil sampling devices must be made of
tough material which can be forced into the soil. These
are usually brass, steel sometimes Teflon coated to
prevent contamination of the samples by the metals
used in construction of the sampler. Stainless steel
sampling devices are most popular. Chrome and nickel
plated devices should be avoided since scratches and
flaking can contaminate samples with trace elements.
When the sampling device is forced into the soil, there

14. is much friction between the tool and the soil sample.
SAMPLING STRATIFIED LEVELS IN
CONTAINERS
Sampling the contentsof containersof non-
homogeneous materials, for example, barrels of
hazardouswaste, can offer additional challenges
especially when the liquid is stratified within the
container.
An oily liquid will float over an aqueouswaste, while
solids may settle to the bottom. Several different types
of samplers have been developed for taking samples
from containersof this type.
This consists of an outer sheath and an inner rod. Along
the rod round, flexible wipers are positioned to hold the
sample in place, and prevent the different layers of
liquid from mixing with one another.

15. First the outersheath is raised, exposing the centerrod.
The rod is gently lowered into the containerfrom which
the sample is to be collected.Then the outersheath is
moved down, trappingthe liquid in place. When the
sampler is withdrawn, samples of the liquid at each
level can be recovered.
PRESERVATION OF SAMPLES
The sample must be representative of the environment.
Both physical and chemical processes may be involved
in changing the composition of a sample after it is
collected. Common physical processes which may
degrade a sample are volatilization, diffusion, and
adsorption. Possible chemical changes include
photochemical reaction, oxidation and microbial
degradation.
The collected sample is invariably exposed to
conditions very different from the original source. For
example, if a ground water sample is exposed to
sunlight after it is collected, photochemical reactions
may degrade some of the analytes of interest. Samples
often must be preserved in some way, to keep them
stable until the analysis is completed. shows some

16. sample types and the appropriate preservation methods.
These methods must not only keep the sample stable,
but must not interfere with the analyses to be done.
Volatilization:-
Analytes with high vapor pressures, such as volatile
organic compounds and dissolved gases, such as HCN,
SO2, will readily escape from the sample by
evaporation. Filling sample containers to the brim, so
that they contain with no head space is the most
common practice to minimize volatilization. The
volatiles cannot not equilibrate between the water and
the vapor phase above, if no air space is present at the
top of the container. The samples are usually held at
4oC, on ice, to lower the vapor pressure. Agitation
during sample handling should also be avoided, to
minimize air-sample interaction.
Choice of Proper Containers
The surface of the sample containermay interact with
the analyte. For example, metals can adsorb irreversibly

17. on glass surfaces, so plastic containersare often chosen
for water samples to be analyzed for their metal content.
These samples are also acidified with HNO3 to help
keep the metal ions in solution.
Absorption of Gases from the Atmosphere
Water samples can dissolve gases from the atmosphere
as they are being poured into containers. Such
componentsas O2, CO2 as well as volatile organic
compoundsmay dissolve in the samples. Oxygen may
oxidize species such as sulfite or sulfide to sulfate.
Absorption of CO2 may change conductanceor pH
measurements.
Chemical Changes
A wide range of chemical changes in the sample are
possible. For inorganic samples, controllingthe pH can
be useful in prevention of chemical reactions. For
example, metal ions may react with oxygen to form
insolubleoxides or hydroxides. The sample is usually
acidified with HNO3 to a pH less than 2, as most
nitrates are solubleand excess nitrateions will prevent
precipitation.
Sample Preservation for Soil, Sludges, and Hazardous
Wastes:-

18. Handling of water samples is betterunderstood than
solid and sludge samples, as these can be more varied in
composition, but similar methods are used. Commonly
encounteredproblems are biodegradation, oxidation-
reduction and volatilization. Storing the sample at low
temperatureis always recommended to reduce
volatilization, chemical reaction, and biodegradation.
preservation temperatureof 4oC is most commonly
used, because ice storage is convenient, and because a
lower temperaturemay freeze the water, and separate
the organic phase from the aqueous. Minimizing head
space is also important for reducing volatilization
losses.
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