Ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) refers to the amount of nitrogen present in aqueous solution as ammonium ion (NH₄⁺). It plays a central role in industrial water and wastewater treatment and is an essential part of the nitrogen cycle. Ammonium nitrogen is produced by the breakdown of organic nitrogen compounds, such as proteins and ureas, and
Anaerobic refers to processes or life forms that take place or exist without oxygen. In the context of industrial water and wastewater treatment, the term "anaerobic" refers to biological reactions in which organic substances are broken down under oxygen-free conditions. Anaerobic processes are particularly important in wastewater treatment and the treatment of organic waste.
An anaerobic reactor is a technical system for treating wastewater or other organic substances under anaerobic conditions - i.e. in the absence of oxygen. In these reactors, special anaerobic microorganisms break down the organic compounds contained in the wastewater and produce biogas, which mainly consists of methane (CH₄)
Anaerobic treatment is a biological process for wastewater and sludge treatment in which organic substances are broken down under anaerobic conditions (i.e. without oxygen). This process plays an important role in industrial wastewater treatment, especially for wastewater with a high organic load from the food industry, the paper industry, the chemical industry and the chemical industry.
An anion exchanger is an essential component of ion exchange systems used in industrial water treatment and wastewater treatment to remove anionic impurities (negatively charged ions) from aqueous solutions. The anion exchanger consists of a special ion exchange resin that is able to remove anions such as chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO₄²-), nitrate
An anionic polymer is a water-soluble flocculant that is used in industrial water and wastewater treatment to precipitate and flocculate solid particles and suspended solids. It is a high-molecular polymer that has negative charges (anions) and is able to dissolve fine particles in the water.
System availability describes the ratio of the actual operating time of a system to the planned operating time and is a key parameter in industrial water and wastewater treatment. It indicates how often a system is available to perform its function under normal operating conditions. High plant availability is crucial for
The term anoxic refers to an environment or process in which no dissolved oxygen (O₂) is present. However, unlike anaerobic (completely without oxygen), anoxic conditions can contain other oxygen sources such as nitrate (NO₃-) as electron acceptors. The term is particularly relevant in water and wastewater treatment, especially
An antiscalant is a chemical used in industrial water treatment plants, especially in membrane processes such as reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF), to prevent the formation of deposits or scaling on the membranes. Scaling occurs when dissolved salts such as calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), calcium sulphate (CaSO₄), barium sulphate (BaSO₄) or
The Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) describes a group of chemical processes that are based on the generation of reactive radicals, in particular hydroxyl radicals (-OH). These radicals have an extremely high oxidizing power and can efficiently oxidize and break down organic compounds and poorly degradable pollutants in water and wastewater. The AOP technology is
