Abstract

The present study investigated the chemical composition of Petra Wastewater Treatment Plant effluent in southern Jordan. Twenty four Samples were collected over one year period from June 2008 to June 2009. The samples were analyzed for temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, major cations $(Ca^{2+}, \>Mg^{2+}, \>K^{2+}$ and $Na^{2+})$, major anions $(Cl^-, \>NO_3^-, \>HCO_3^-, \>SO_4^{2-}$ and $PO_4^{3-})$ and trace metals $(B, Fe^{2+}, \>Cu^{2+}, \>Cd^{2+}, \>Cr^{2+}, \>Pb^{2+}, \>Zn^{2+}$ and $Mn^{2+})$. The pH value ranged from 6.52 to 8.14 with a median value of 7.51±0.50. The water quality was characterized by its high salinity hazard (C3) and low Sodium Hazard (S1) which can be considered as marginal for human consumption. The hydrogeochemical behavior is rather complicated and is affected by anthropogenic and natural sources. The positive correlation values between various parameters indicate that most of ions were resulted from the same lithological sources. The abundance of the major ions in water samples is in the following order: $HCO_3^- > Ca^{2+} >Cl^- >Na^+ >Mg^{2+} >SO_4^{2-} >NO^{3-} >NH_4^+ >K^+$. Moreover, concentrations of trace metals in treated wastewater were found to be low and within guidelines for irrigational purposes due to low level of industrial activities in the study area. According to the residual sodium carbonate, SAR and conductivity values, the studied water is suitable for agricultural purposes. Based on these findings, the effluents of Petra Wastewater Treatment Plant can be considered as possible additional resources for irrigation in Jordan.

Keywords:

Assessment, irrigation, chemical elements, hydrochemical coefficient, jordan, wastewater treatment,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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