Abstract:
Nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-) and nitrat (NO3-), are common
environmental contaminants in water, particularly in groundwater and wastewater. These compounds pose a
risk to public health and the environment when present in high concentrations. Understanding the behavior
of these compounds and their chemical transformations during treatment processes, such as sand filtration,
is essential for improving nitrogen removal efficiency and reducing nitrogen-related risks. Through this
analysis, we found that the increase in nitrate concentration in treated water is due to a progressive
oxidation reaction of nitrogen compounds, starting with ammonium, then nitrite, and ending with nitrate.
These results testify to the effectiveness of the sand filtration process in catalyzing the nitrification process.
However, nitrate accumulation is another environmental challenge that requires additional treatment steps,
such as denitrification. Consequently, this study recommends continuous monitoring of nitrogen compound
concentrations at different treatment stages and research into optimizing final nitrate removal techniques to
ensure water quality and protect it from pollution.
