Comparison of Two Spectrophotometric Techniques for Nutrients Analyses in Water Samples

The aim of this contribution is to compare two common techniques for determining the concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium and phosphates in surface water and groundwater. Excess of these nutrients in water can directly affect human health (e.g. methemoglobinaemia) or indirectly through the products of secondary pollution - eutrophication (e.g. cyanotoxins, emanation of hydrogen sulphide, mercaptanes, methane...). Negative impact of nutrients excess in surface water often causes the destruction of water ecosystems, and therefore, common substances of these elements must be monitored and managed. For these experiments two spectrophotometric techniques - ultraviolet spectrophotometry and nutrient photometry were used. These techniques are commonly used for quick and simple analyses of nutrients in waste water. There are calibration curves for each nutrient and for determination of their concentration.