Free Ammonia Test

Many water systems today contain ammonia in the water or add ammonia during the treatment process. The presence of excess free ammonia in water distribution systems encourages biological growth and the slow conversion of various aerobic bacteria in the environment to nitrate using nitrogen, ammonium and nitrite.

The natural result of this is the deterioration of the quality of the water, which affects the aesthetic quality of the water and causes complaints due to taste, odor and particles in the water. Or it becomes difficult to maintain acceptable chlorine levels in the system.

The concept of free ammonia is important when naturally occurring ammonia is present in water or when chloramines are used to disinfect water. During the process of adding chloramine to drinking water to disinfect the water and kill germs, chlorine and ammonia are added to the water to form monochloramine. The part of ammonia that does not combine with chlorine is called free ammonia and exists as ammonium or ammonia depending on the pH value and temperature of the water. Typically, in water with a pH between 7,0 and 7,8 and a temperature of 12 to 24 degrees Celsius, more than 96 percent of ammonia is in the form of ionized ammonium. As the pH value and temperature increase, the amount of ammonia increases and the amount of ammonium decreases.

Ammonia is a poisonous gaseous substance. In water, there can be two forms of ammonia, free ammonia and total ammonia. The terms free ammonia and total ammonia are commonly used to describe the properties of waterways. The main difference between free ammonia and total ammonia is that the term free ammonia refers to gaseous ammonium molecules while the term total ammonia refers to the sum of ammonium molecules and ammonium ions.
Considering these values ​​for the same water sample, the total ammonia value is always higher than the free ammonia value. Because to determine the total ammonia, the amount of ionized ammonia is added to the free ammonia value.

Briefly, free ammonia is the non-ionized form of ammonia with the chemical formula NH3. It has a lower value than total ammonia and determines the toxicity of the water. In contrast, total ammonia is the sum of the free ammonia and ammonia ions in the water. It is of higher value than free ammonia and is considered to determine and control the chlorination of water.

Our organization also provides free ammonia testing services with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors.