Determination of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Equipment
B.O.D bottles capacity 300 ml (or 250 ml)
B.O.D incubator maintained at 200 C
Reagents
0.025 N Sodium thiosulphate
1N Sodium hydroxide
1N Hydrochloric acid.
Phosphate buffer
Dissolve 8.5 gm of K2HPO4,
33.4 gm of Na2HPO4.7H2O and 1.7 gm of NH4Cl
in about 500 ml of water and dilute to 1000 ml. The pH of this
solution should be 7.2
Magnesium Sulphate Solution.
Dissolve 39.2 gm of magnesium sulphate
(MgSO4.7H2O) in water and dilute to 1 litre.
Calcium Chloride Solution
Dissolve 27.5 gm of anhydrous calcium
chloride in water and dilute to 1 litre.
Ferric Chloride Solution
Dissolve 0.25 gm od water ferric chloride
(FeCl3.6H2O) in water and dilute to 1 litre.
Dilution Water
Distilled water of good, aerated and maintained at temperature of
200 C and containing dissolved oxygen not less than 8 mg/litre
Manganous Sulphate Solution
Dissolve 480 gm of manganous sulphate (MnSo4.4H2O)
in distilled water and dilute to 1 litre. Filter it before use.
Iodide –
Azide Reagent
Dissolve 700 gm of KOH (or 500 gm NaOH) and 150 gm of KI in
distilled water dilute to 1 litre. Dissolve 10 gm of sodium azide in 40 ml of
distilled water add to 950 ml of the first solution with constant stirring.
Starch
Indicator Solution
Boil about 100 ml of water in a beaker. Add aqueous slurry of 0.5
gm starch, continue boiling for 2-3 minutes and cool to room temperature. Store
in a refrigerator.
Procedure
Neutralise the sample to pH about 7.0 with sodium hydroxide or
hydrochloride acid. Add 1 ml each of phosphate buffer, magnesium sulphate ,
calcium chloride and ferric chloride solution for every litre of dilute water.
Dilute the sample with dilution water such that oxygen depletion is between 5-6
mg/litre after incubation at 200 C for 5 days.
Fill up two BOD bottles with dilution water (blank) and two with
diluted sample. Find out dissolved oxygen in one of the each bottles of blank
and sample preparation as below, immediately.
To the blank and sample as collected in a 250-300 ml bottle, add 2
ml manganous sulphate, followde by 2 ml of iodideazide reagent well below the
surface of the liquid. Stopper with care to exclude air bubbles and mix by
inverting the bottle several times. When the precipitates settle leaving a
clear supernatant liquid above manganous hydroxide fioc,
repeat the shaking second time. When the
precipitate has settled, carefully remove the stopper and immediately add 2 ml
of concentrated sulphuric acid allowing the acid to run down the neck of the
bottle; restopper and mix by gentle inversion until solution is completely is
completely clear. Now take out 203 ml of the solution in aconical flask and
titrate with 0.025 N Sodium thiosulphate solution , using starch solution as
indicatior.
Dissolved oxygen = V x N
(mg/ml) 0.025
Where :
V
= Volume of 0.025 N sodium thiosulphate used
N
= Normality of sodium thiosuphate
Important Instructions
Dilution of the sample can be
adjusted by the following formula.
i) Untreated
effluent
For untreated effluent.
Expected BOD = COD x 2 = a
3
So Dilution can be
adjusted as
a x 1 = b
3
a x 1 = c
5
i.e, dilute 1 ml of sample in between b & c volume
with water.
e.g, if COD = 9000 ppm
Then expected BOD =
9000 x 2 i.e, 6000 ppm
So dilute can be adjusted as
6000 x 1 = 2000
3
6000 x 1 = 1200
5
Therefore, dilute 1 ml of sample to 1500 ml (i.e any valve between
(1200 to 2000)
For more accuracy dilute can be adjusted like.
10 ml = 100
ml 100 x 1500 = 1500
times
10 ml = 1500
ml 10 10
ii) Treated
Effluent
For treated effluent, expected BOD can be calculated as:
BOD = COD x 1 = d
3
Rest of the calculation is as in untreated effluent.
After determination of dissolved oxygen in blank and sample
of zero day at 200 C, keep the other two bottle one each of
blank and sample at 200 C in a BOD incubator for 5 days
After incubation at 200 C for 5 days, find out the
dissolved oxygen in blank and sample.
Calculations
Biochemical
oxygen demand = (D1– D2)-(C1-C2) x F
(mg/litre)
(5 days at 200 C)
Where :
D1, D2 = Dissolved oxygen
in diluted sample on zero day and after 5 days incubation
at
200 C respectively.
C1, C2 = Dissolved oxygen in
blank on zero day and after 5 days incubation at 200 C
respectively.
F =
Dilution factor for sample.