Determination of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in Waste Water - Pharmaceutical Guidelines
Determination of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in Waste Water - Pharmaceutical Guidelines
The oxygen content is measured again and BOD is calculated. A high BOD indicates the presence of a large number of microorganisms which
indicates a high level of pollution in wastewater.
1. Neutralization of Sample:
The accuracy of BOD test totally depends upon the proper bacterial growth, present in the water sample. pH of the diluted sample should be
adjusted 7.00 ±0.2 before the incubation for five days for proper results. The sample should be neutralized in the following manner.
1.1 Take 50 ml of sample in a 100 ml beaker.
1.2 Measure the pH of the solution by using the calibrated pH meter.
1.3 Add the 1N sulfuric acid to adjust the pH if it is higher than 7.00 and 1N sodium hydroxide if pH is lower than 7.00.
1.4 Note down the volume of sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide used to adjust the pH of 50 ml sample to 7.00 ±0.2.
1.5 Calculate the volume of sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide required to neutralize the 1000 ml sample.
1.6 Add the calculated volume of sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide to the sample to neutralize.
For example, if 2.1 ml of 1N sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide are used to neutralize 50 ml of sample to pH 7.00 ±0.2. Calculate the volume of 1N
sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide to be added to neutralize the 1000 ml sample as follows:
1N sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide required = (2.1 ml x 1000 ml)/50 ml = 2100/50 = 42 ml.
Note: Hydrochloric acid or other acid containing chlorine should not be used to neutralize the sample because chlorine interferes the results of
wastewater BOD.
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2/19/2020 Determination of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in Waste Water : Pharmaceutical Guidelines
Calculation:
Blank correction = B.R. for blank at D0 – B.R. for blank at D5
BOD mg/l = [(B.R. for sample at D0 –D5)– blank correction] x dilution factor
Dilution factor = Bottle volume (300 ml)
Sample volume
Where:
B.R. = burette reading
D0 = Initial
D5 = Day five after incubation
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2/19/2020 Determination of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in Waste Water : Pharmaceutical Guidelines
Ankur Choudhary is India's first professional pharmaceutical blogger, author and founder of Pharmaceutical Guidelines, a widely-read
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