Dive into the 2025 NY Wastewater Exam – Flush Away the Competition with Confidence!

Igniting a lab sample at 550°C in a muffle furnace is primarily done to test for volatile solids. When a sample is heated to this temperature, organic matter and other volatile components are driven off, allowing for measurement of the remaining solids, known as fixed solids. The loss of weight during this process indicates the amount of volatile solids present in the sample, which is important for understanding the characteristics of wastewater and its treatment processes.

This method is critical in wastewater analysis because it helps determine how much organic material is present that can be decomposed or treated biologically, providing insights into the effectiveness of treatment methods and the potential environmental impact of the wastewater. By identifying the proportion of volatile solids, operators can make informed decisions regarding treatment adjustments and efficiency.

The other options, such as measuring suspended solids or pH levels, and determining chemical oxygen demand, involve different analytical techniques and temperatures, and would not yield the same type of information as the analysis of volatile solids at the specified temperature.