Seasonal variations of physicochemical characteristics of brewery industry effluent and receiving water of Ikpoba-Oha Rivers, Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

The impact of the effluents from a Brewery industry on the water quality of Ikpoba-Oha River was carried out during wet and dry seasons, 2016. Water samples from three selected points in the river were analyzed for pH, temperature, total solids, total dissolved solids, Hardness, BOD, COD, DO, Chlorides, phosphates, sulphates. Samples were collected at three points designated as: point 1 (effluent), point 2 (upstream), and point 3 (downstream). The results of the analysis of the effluent obtained on both seasons were: pH (5.90-8.38), temperature (25.20 o C-33.15 o C), chlorides (12.0-129.2 mg/l ), phosphates (0.9-20.48 mg/l ), sulphates (3.30-53.0 mg/l ), nitrates (3.8-17.20 mg/l ), DO (2.3- 4.15 mg/l ), Total Hardness (12.10-425.6 mg/l ), Ca hardness (6.0-296.4 mg/l ), Total Solids (44.0-513 mg/l ), TSS (20- 159 mg/l ) and TDS (24-354 mg/l ).The levels of most of the parameters monitored are generally higher at the point of effluent discharged into water bodies and dispersed to less malign conditions downstream due to water dilution effect. Keywords: Physicochemical properties, Ikpoba River, Effluent, pH, Hardness