The content of ammonia nitrogen in wastewater ** or the specific definition defined by the industry
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There is a question now: in a wastewater stream containing 700 ppm of ammonia, should the ammonia nitrogen content in this wastewater be calculated based on 700 ppm, or can it be calculated using the molecular weight of nitrogen in ammonia, namely 14/17*700 = 576 ppm? Additionally, regarding the definition of this ammonia nitrogen content, which **or industry standards can be referred to? I hope the experts can clarify this for me; I would be extremely grateful.
This post was last edited by ylb913 on 2016-7-10 at 20:58. I understand: this must be the rule that was originally established and later widely accepted. There is also another indicator called “total nitrogen”. In water, nitrogen exists in various forms such as NH3, NH4+, NO2-, NO3-, etc. Only NH3 and NH4+ are referred to as ammonia nitrogen; therefore, the analysis results do not actually reflect the actual amount of ammonia, as ammonium is also included. Calculating based on ammonia is thus a possible option, but the original rule makers chose to use nitrogen instead.
Both from the definition and the testing methods, it can be concluded that nitrogen content is the criterion
Is there any source where the regulations regarding testing can be found?
Ammonia nitrogen refers to the nitrogen present in water in the form of free ammonia (NH3) and ammonium ions (NH4). It is a nutrient in aquatic environments that can lead to eutrophication; it is also a major oxygen-consuming pollutant in water bodies, and it is toxic to fish and certain aquatic organisms.
Thank you to everyone who replied above; I have now found a standard titled “HJ 536-2009 Water Quality – Determination of Ammonia Nitrogen by Salicylic Acid Spectrophotometry”. It specifies that pN represents the concentration of ammonia nitrogen in the water sample, expressed in mg/l as nitrogen. If I understand correctly, this means that the nitrogen content in free ammonia and ionized ammonium, as mentioned by the person above, is used as the standard for determining ammonia nitrogen concentration.
Understanding: This must be the rule that was originally established and later widely accepted. There is also another indicator called “total nitrogen”. In water, nitrogen exists in various forms such as NH3, NH4+, NO2-, NO3-, etc. Only NH3 and NH4+ are referred to as ammonia nitrogen; therefore, the analysis results do not actually reflect the actual amount of ammonia, as ammonium is also included. Calculating based on ammonia is thus a possible option, but the original rule makers chose to use nitrogen instead.