Discuss the significance of nitrogen analysis in water pollu

Discuss the significance of nitrogen analysis in water pollution control.

Solution

nitrogen is usually present in water in the form of organic nitrogen (protiens, urea) and ammonia.  As time progresses, the organic nitrogen is gradually converted to ammonia nitrogen, and further to nitrite and nitrate by oxidation of ammonia under aerobic conditions.

Waters that contained mostly organic and ammonia nitrogen were considered to have been recently polluted and therefore of great potential danger. Waters in which most of the nitrogen was in the form of nitrate were considered to have been polluted a long time previously and therefore offered little threat to the public health. Waters with appreciable amount of nitrite were of highly questionable character.

water with high concentration of nitrate can cause methemoglobinemia in infants. this is caused because of nitrite interaction with hemoglobin. U.S. EPA has set a maximum contaminant level requiring that the nitrate-nitrogen concentration not exceed 10 mg/L and the nitrite-nitrogen concentration not exceed 1 mg/L in public water supplies.

Nitrite can also interact with amines chemically (especially when chlorinating for disinfection3 ) or enzymatically to form nitrosoamines whic are strong carcinogens.Ammonia reacts with chlorine to form chloramines, which are slower-acting disinfectants than free chlorine.

for these reasons the analysis of nitrogen is crucial in water pollution control because excess of it can cause serious environmental as well as health problems!