Determination of Nitrate in Waters

Since water contamination has become a global issue of concern, it is essential to take actions to keep the groundwater (drinking water) safe. Regular monitoring of contaminating ions in water could help to make sure that water is safe and meets regulatory standards. Nitrate is one of the most common contaminants in groundwater, and it has a significant impact on human health and the ecosystem. Though the presence of normal levels of nitrate in water does not affect the environment, excessive levels can damage the ecological system of the environment. A “nitrate monitoring system” can be developed through laboratory-based methods or in-situ sensor-based methods for detecting as well as monitoring nitrate ions in water. This kind of system has a high sensitivity with a reasonable limit of detection (LOD) but requires expensive instrumentation. Some other systems use a sensor-based portable sensing system with comparatively lower cost, but with reasonable sensitivity. This chapter discusses different methods used for the detection and determination of nitrate in water. The various characteristics of detection methods, as well as their limitations, are also included.