Quality Assessment of a University-Based Packaged Water Factory

Abstract

This study carried out an overall assessment of the water factory of Osun State University to check compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices. The study involved the assessment of the water factory facilities and the performance evaluation of the treatment units. Water samples were taken from the source water to the final treatment units and were analysed for some physicochemical and microbiology characteristics. The pH, TDS, and EC were analysed on the site out using the Hanna brand hand-held pH meter, total hardness, calcium, and magnesium were analysed using the titrimetric method, sulphate and nitrate were analysed using turbidimetric and brucine methods respectively while heavy metals were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Microbiological characteristic was carried out using the Membrane filtration technique. The physico-chemical characteristics of the source water are 174, 128.8,57.2,6.31,5.77, 55.08, 1.84 0.017,0.115 mg/L while that of the permeate are 138.8, 98.8, 52.7, 6.4, 5.45, 15.57,1.42, 0.016, and 0.114 mg/L for Total Hardness, Ca2+, Mg2+, NO3--, SO42- TDS, K+, Pb2+, and Fe2+, respectively. The pH for the permeate is 6.32, the coliform concentration is between 0-1×105 CFU and the salt water rejection is 87.17%. The water factory complied well with good manufacturing and hygiene practices and the treatment units are functional. There is a need to equip the existing laboratory, perform microbiological analysis routinely and control the pH values.