Applicationof Full Factorial Planning to Control Nitrogen in a Water Resource

Objective: The aim of this work is to show the application of Full Factorial Planning to an environmental problem. Theoretical framework: Design of experiments is defined as a set of statistical techniques applied to the planning, conduct, analysis and interpretation of controlled tests, seeking to find (define) the factors that influence the values of a parameter or a group of parameters. Its basic principle makes it possible to vary all the levels of all the discrete or continuous variables (called factors) at once, for each experiment, in a programmed and rational way (Peixoto et al., 2008). Method: Experiments were carried out in an industrial plant in the south of Rio de Janeiro and the data was treated using Full Factorial Design. Final Considerations: It can be concluded that full factorial design is a very viable option for obtaining the optimum values or the optimum range of values to obtain the best possible response variable in a study. In this specific case of the company, it can be concluded that Line 1 and Line 3 are the most responsible for the concentration of nitrogen oxide discharged into the river and, therefore, the n-waste should be pre-treated. Implications of the research: The use of Factorial Planning is multiplying in the scientific literature and is proving to be highly effective in dealing with data where the assumptions of Normality are not confirmed. Originality/value: Despite being well-known statistical tools, Factorial Designs are widely used and can bring innovations to their application, as in the case of the company in question.