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BOD and COD: Definitions and Significance

This document discusses biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) as methods to determine water pollution. BOD measures the amount of oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic matter over 5 days at 20°C, and is useful for designing treatment plants and measuring pollution levels. COD measures both biologically oxidizable and inert organic matter using strong chemical oxidants, and thus yields higher values than BOD. Both BOD and COD help evaluate the effect of pollutants on dissolved oxygen and the efficiency of water treatment plants.

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slchem
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2K views3 pages

BOD and COD: Definitions and Significance

This document discusses biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) as methods to determine water pollution. BOD measures the amount of oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic matter over 5 days at 20°C, and is useful for designing treatment plants and measuring pollution levels. COD measures both biologically oxidizable and inert organic matter using strong chemical oxidants, and thus yields higher values than BOD. Both BOD and COD help evaluate the effect of pollutants on dissolved oxygen and the efficiency of water treatment plants.

Uploaded by

slchem
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

WATER

BOD AND COD

THEORY

METHODS TO DETERMINE WATER


POLLUTION
Waste waters are characterized on the basis of various
parameters
1) Physical characteristics colour, odour, dissolved oxygen,
etc.
2) Chemical characteristics COD, pH, acidity, alkalinity, total
C, etc
3) Biochemical characteristics BOD, presence of pathogenic
bacteria, toxicity to aquatic organisms, plants & other life
forms, etc.

BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand)


The biochemical oxygen demand of water is a measure of amount
of free oxygen required by the bacteria & other micro-organism for
biological oxidation of organic matter under aerobic conditions at
200C for a period of 5 days.

Organic matter + O2
H2O
[CH2O]

Micro-organisms
----------------------------------- CO2
Bacteria at 200C & 5 days

WATER

BOD AND COD

THEORY

Significance 1. It is useful in designing of treatment plants & calculation of


waste load.
2. The higher the BOD of a sample the higher will be pollution.
3. It helps in pollution control.
BOD = (Dob Doi) * Dilution factor
ml of sample after dilution
= (Dob Doi) * ------------------------------------- mg/lit
ml of sample before dilution
Where,
Dob Dissolve oxygen present in the effluent sample before
incubation. (period between infection starts & appearance of
first symptons)
Doi Dissolve oxygen present in the effluent sample after
incubation.

COD (chemical oxygen demand)


It is defined as the amount of oxygen required by organic matter
in sample water for its oxidation by strong oxidizing agents
(K2Cr2O7) in the hot conditions. It is a measure of both the
biologically oxidisable & biologically inert organic matter.
As a result COD values are always greater than BOD values.
(V1 V2) * 8000
COD = ---------------------- mg/lit
Y
2

WATER

BOD AND COD

THEORY

Where,
V1 Volume of ferrous ammonium sulphate in blank experiment.
(for calculation un-reacted dichromate).
V2 Volume of ferrous ammonium sulphate in test experiment.
Y Volume of water sample taken for test.

Significance
1. It measures the effect of pollutants on dissolve oxygen.
2. It helps in designing& calculation of efficiency of the water
treatment plants.
3. It helps in deciding the disposal of domestic & industrial
effluents in various types of water streams.

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