Organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen are common indicators in wastewater. In this article, Hangzhou Modi will discuss the main sources of organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen in wastewater, as well as how to perform Online Water Quality Monitoring and analysis.
Let’s start with organic nitrogen. It primarily exists in the form of proteins, along with other compounds such as uric acid, fatty amines, urea, and some non-amino compounds. Some organic nitrogen compounds are difficult to degrade, such as chitin and gelatin. Industrial wastewater discharged from industries that produce or use organic nitrogen as a raw material often contains organic nitrogen.
As for ammonia nitrogen, industries such as fertilizer production, oil refining, ferrous alloy manufacturing, and glass production discharge wastewater containing ammonia nitrogen. In fresh wastewater, such as animal excreta, the initial ammonia nitrogen content may not be high enough to exceed standards. However, over time, deamination reactions occur during wastewater storage or in drainage pipelines. After a certain period, the concentration of ammonia nitrogen begins to rise, leading to severe exceedances of ammonia nitrogen levels in the wastewater!
1.How can we determine whether organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen levels in wastewater exceed standards? Organic nitrogen can be measured using the TN-8000 Total Nitrogen Online Analyzer. This analyzer employs the UV colorimetric method, detecting the absorbance of reactants to determine the total nitrogen content in water. For ammonia nitrogen detection, an ammonia nitrogen online monitoris used. There are multiple detection methods available, such as Nessler’s reagent method, UV method, and salicylic acid method. The choice depends on specific needs and preferences.
2.If the indicators do not meet standards, what methods can be used to treat them? For industrial wastewater containing organic nitrogen, biological treatment methods can be applied. First, organic carbon is removed by microorganisms. Meanwhile, through advanced oxidation, biological assimilation, and biological mineralization, the organic nitrogen in the wastewater is directly converted into ammonia nitrogen. Then, ammonia nitrogen can be treated using various methods, such as activated carbon adsorption, air stripping, ion exchange, biological nitrification, etc.
