Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a measure of the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic (oxygen is present) conditions at a specified temperature. BOD is an important parameter in water quality assessment, as it indicates the level of organic pollution in a water body.

Questions

• What is BOD?
• How is BOD calculated?
• What is the significance of BOD in water quality assessment?

Answers

• BOD stands for Biochemical Oxygen Demand. It is a measure of the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic (oxygen is present) conditions at a specified temperature.
• BOD is calculated using the following formula:

  “`
  BOD = DOi – DOF * DF

  where:

  * DOi is the initial dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/L)
  * DOF is the final dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/L)
  * DF is the dilution factor

• BOD is an important parameter in water quality assessment, as it indicates the level of organic pollution in a water body. High BOD levels indicate that there is a lot of organic matter in the water, which can lead to eutrophication and other problems.