Nitrogen and nitrogenous compounds are an important hazard for environmental pollution. With the analysis studies carried out in the laboratories, many organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds in drinking and utility water, surface water and contaminated water bodies are determined and assured about the quality of water. Ammonia in water, for example, indicates that it has recently been contaminated with feces. Nitrogen compounds in water can be listed as follows depending on the decreasing oxidation stage: nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen and organic nitrogen. Nitrogen gas may also be included in this sequence.

Kjeldahl nitrogen is the sum of ammonia nitrogen and organic nitrogen. The principle of the method is the process of converting the amino nitrogen of many organic materials into ammonia with the help of sulfuric acid, potassium sulfate and copper sulfate catalysts. Free ammonia can also be converted to ammonia.

The basis of the Kjeldahl nitrogen determination process carried out in authorized laboratories is the process of decomposing the organic matter in the water under strong oxidizing conditions and converting it to ammonia nitrogen. As a result, both the ammonia in the water and the organic nitrogen converted to ammonia are measured together.

Kjeldahl is a Danish and chemist. Kjeldahl has developed a method for detecting the amounts of nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen present in certain organic compounds using a number of laboratory techniques. The Kjeldahl method is still used today to determine the amount of organic nitrogen in wastewater.

Ammonia nitrogen concentration can be found up to 10 milligrams per liter in surface and ground water and 30 milligrams in wastewater. Organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen are measured together with various assays and the results are described as total Kjeldahl nitrogen. The total oxidized nitrogen value is the sum of the nitrate and nitrite values.

 

Kjeldahl nitrogen measurements are also carried out in laboratories within the scope of water and wastewater measurements.