Question

Project on checking bacterial contamination in drinking water by testing sulphide ion

Answer 1

The Sulphide ion test is used for testing bacterial contamination in water. Even a concentration of as low as  0.01 mg/L of sulphide ion in drinking water makes it unfit for consumption. So, it becomes important to check for its presence as it makes the water poisonous.

The simple sulphide test is as follows:-

The water to be tested is taken in a test tube and a H₂S strip is put inside the tube. It is incubated for 14-16 hours at 35°C. If the strip turns black, then it means that sulphide ion is present in the water and therefore, it is not fit for consumption.