Water
Fundamentals of Environmental Analysis and Sampling
A foundation programme in collecting, preserving and transporting drinking water and wastewater samples by standard methods, and in carrying out basic physical and chemical analyses and operating a spectrophotometer, for staff new to water laboratories and treatment plants.
Overview
About the programme
Duration
5 days
Training hours
25 hours
Delivery
Training room with hands-on work in the organisation’s laboratory
Language
Arabic or English
Objectives
Training outcomes
- Understand how sample collection and preservation affect the validity of analytical results.
- Prepare a sampling plan that sets the points, frequency and type of sample.
- Collect, preserve, transport and document drinking water and wastewater samples by standard methods.
- Carry out the basic physical and chemical analyses of drinking water and wastewater.
- Operate a spectrophotometer and prepare a calibration curve.
- Prepare an action plan to apply what was learned at the participant’s workplace.
Content
What the programme covers
Day 1: basics of environmental analysis
- Why drinking water and wastewater are analysed, groups of parameters, and the units in which results are expressed.
- Safety in the laboratory and at sampling points, and handling reagents.
- Basic laboratory equipment: balances, pipettes and burettes, and preparing standard solutions.
Day 2: sample collection and preservation
- The sampling plan: grab, composite and flow-proportional samples, and choosing points and frequency.
- Sampling from network taps, tanks and wells, and from the inlet and outlet of a wastewater plant.
- Containers, preservatives, cooling and holding times, labels, chain-of-custody records, and field blanks and duplicates.
Day 3: field measurements and physical analyses
- Field measurement of pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and residual chlorine.
- Turbidity, and dissolved, suspended and settleable solids.
Day 4: chemical analyses and the spectrophotometer
- Titrimetric analyses: alkalinity, hardness by the EDTA method, and chloride.
- Principles of spectrophotometry and the Beer-Lambert law, preparing a calibration curve, and measuring nitrate, phosphate, sulfate and iron.
Day 5: wastewater analyses and checking results
- Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids in wastewater.
- Checking and recording results, and common measurement errors.
- Preparing the individual action plan, followed by the assessment.
Who it is for
Target audience
Chemists, chemical engineers and technicians in drinking water and wastewater laboratories, and plant operators responsible for sampling.
Method
Delivery method
Short presentations, workshops and case studies, with hands-on practice in sampling and basic analyses carried out in the organisation’s laboratory on its own instruments. At the end of the programme each participant prepares an action plan to apply at their workplace. In Arabic or English.
Questions
FAQ
Where does the practical part take place?
In the organisation’s laboratory, on its own instruments and supplies, once the organisation shares the list of available instruments and reagents so the exercises can be adapted to them.
Is the programme suitable for people with no laboratory experience?
Yes. It is a foundation programme that starts with laboratory equipment and laboratory safety, and suits new staff in water laboratories and plant operators responsible for sampling.
Is there a certificate?
Every participant who attends the programme and passes the assessment receives a certificate of completion from Technology Experts Training Center, licensed by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.
A programme tailored to your organisation
The duration and topics of the programme are adjusted to the organisation's needs, and it is delivered at its site, in a training hall arranged by the Center, or virtually.