ABSTRACT
Ammonia is one of the most widely used chemicals having multiple industrial applications. It is used in the manufacture of fertilizers, nitric acid, explosives, synthetic fibers, urea, soda ash, dyes, amines, and many ammonium salts. Ammonia occurs in varying concentrations in groundwater, surface water, and wastewater. Its occurrence in water and sludge is primarily attributed to its formation resulting from the reduction of nitrogen-containing organics, deamination of amines, and hydrolysis of urea, and also to its use in water treatment plants for dechlorination. Its concentration in groundwater is relatively low because of its adsorption to soil. Ammonia-nitrogen may be analyzed by the following methods: colorimetric Nesslerization method, colorimetric phenate method, titrimetric method and ammonia-selective electrode method. Sample distillation is often required before analysis, especially for wastewater and sludge where the interference effect is significant. Distillation, however, may not be necessary for potable waters or clean and purified samples where the concentration of ammonia is expected to be low.
