**Abstract**

In this paper, an attempt has been made to check the level of surfactants particularly in drinking water, which can lead to toxicity in human body system. In this study, a total of 10 locations were selected to enumerate the concentration of surfactants and other physicochemical parameters with metals in the flowing water of river during pre-monsoon 2019. Analyzed result showed that the concentration of surfactants was significantly high and other parameters were also high. It was also found that river at the vicinity of town areas or midstream in the Lucknow city contained high amount of an anionic surfactants due to the nonpoint sources generated by human activities, low concentration was found in upstream, and average concentration was found in downstream, showing natural degradation of surfactants. The values of other parameters were higher than the prescribed limit, which is the serious problem for human being.

**Keywords:** the river water, detergent, surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, heavy metals

## **1. Introduction**

Water resources have been the most exploited natural system, since man-made and other activity play a negative role on the earth. The pollutants coming as a waste to the water bodies are likely to create nuisance by way of physical, chemical and biological appearance and this contaminated water is also harmful for human utilities. In the last few decades, the significant deteriorations in water and sediment quality throughout the world are as a result of the extensive population growth also increased industrialization with urbanization which increased the demand of river water [1]. Overall, river water is a major source of fresh water. The establishments of industries in river escort are highly responsible to pollute fresh water; it is a global issue that has no respect for National or International boundaries. The Gomti River is considered to originate from a lake "Fulhar Jheel" in the Pilibhit town in Uttar Pradesh, one of the major tributary of the Ganga. The river flows through different district before meeting the Ganga river in Kaithi, Ghazipur bordering Varanasi (at an elevation of 61 m). The distance of Gomti River is 15 km in the Lucknow city and receives improper treated wastewater from point sources such

as defense, milk dairy, vegetable, oil, carbon etc. Fifty non-point sources are also discharging wastewater into the river Gomti about 250 MLD from Ghaila bridge upstream to Shaheed Path downstream while three drains Nagaria, Sarkata and Pata were discharged there wastewater without any proper treatment from Daulatganj sewage treatment plant. Three main sources contributed maximum surface water pollution are wastewater discharge from household activity, agriculture practice and from various industries that entire source contribute to detergent in their water. Detergents play a crucial role toward increasing pollution load originated from various sources that come from agriculture runoff in the form of herbicides, residential areas in the form of household detergent and insecticides and from certain industries.

"Detergent" applies to all the products containing soap, surfactant or any substance intended for cleaning and washing process. The uses of detergent have in different forms such as powder, liquid, bar, molded piece and in the form of cake. Several studies reported that the problem of detergents in the river water is growing rapidly in various countries presented in **Table 1**.


#### **Table 1.**

*Comparison of detergent concentrations in water of different rivers.*

#### *Evaluation and Quantification of Anionic Surfactant in the Gomti River at Lucknow City, India DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93517*

However, surfactant; any organic substance has surface-active properties due to hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups with capable of reducing surface tension of water which forming water-air interface and make a emulsions at water solid interface. The surfactants are also responsible not only for causing foam in rivers and creating procedural problem during wastewater treatment but also responsible for reduction of water quality [26]. Surfactants are classified in several category as anionic, cationic, non-anionic and zwitter ionic or amphoteric surfactant by their ionic activity (special nature) in water [27], if the head of an ionic surfactant carries a positive charge called cationic surfactant, head carries negative charge called anionic surfactant, center attach with both positive and negative charge called amphoteric or zwitter surfactant and the hydrophobic part bonded with oxygen-containing hydrophilic groups (without charge) in non-ionic surfactant. The non-anionic and anionic surfactant is used in laundry detergent due to their high cleaning efficiency as compare to cationic surfactant. The anionic surfactants are carrying negative charge at their head, the negative compound is group of alkyl sulfates and another compound is also using in phosphate and carboxylates. The natural soaps have poor ability in hard water and production of soaps was uneconomic because of lacking of food and oil, after First World War competition of soap industry increase with food and oil industry. German Scientists experimented with synthetic detergent and developed second-grade detergent by using alkyl-naphthalene sulfate. In 1930s the petroleum industries growing rapidly and refineries waste converted into long alkenes chain then reached with benzene and sulfuric acid and developed alkylbenzene sulfonate after neutralization with sodium hydroxide. The alkylbenzene sulfonate has become one of the best laundry detergents and their sale increased a thousand fold as compare to soap. In 1950s, river beginning to foam due to over exploiting of the detergent in Europe and America while the concentration of detergent in potable water of 32 ppb American city during 1959 found 15 to 34 ppb [23]. The Legal action was followed by German Detergent Act of 1962. The United Kingdom passed legal requirement mandatory of laboratory test for bio-degradation of anionic surfactant in 1973. The alkylbenzene sulfonate have replaced with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) due to high biodegradability. LAS is a group of anionic surfactant that is found in drinking water, as well as in domestic and industrial wastewaters in bulk form than any other groups because of their ease and low cost [28–30]. They have also adverse effects on aquatic species at 0.005 LAS/L and may cause histological degradation in fish species [31, 32]. They can further induce severe damage to vital organs, even hematological, hormonal and enzyme disturbances, growth and development of the plankton constituents [33, 34], as well as toxic to aquatic life at ≤0.025 LAS/L. The alkyl sulfates as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) have found economic and safe ingredient using in food processing (USEPA) and it also called sodium lauryl sulfate. Sodium dodecyl sulfate is less negative effect and inexpensive as compare to LAS so it is using huge after 1980s.

Water quality assessment and seasonal variations in physicochemical parameters of the Gomti River were studied by several researchers [35–40] but still, the Gomti River water study about surfactants level was not studied. The present investigation reveals the level of detergents in the Gomti River which generates base line data and help to government and policy maker.
