Oxygen Demand: Biochemical

and Chemical

ENV20
Introduction to Environmental Engineering
ADNieva

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)5

- amount of dissolved oxygen used-up by
microorganism to break up organic materials in
water at 20oC over a period of 5 days (standard)
unit of measurement: mgO2/L
- clean waters < 1 mg/L
- polluted rivers >5 mg/L

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

- amount of oxygen utilized by microorganisms in
performing oxidation
- Measure of the strength of a water or a
wastewater
- The greater the concentration of ammonianitrogen or degradable organic carbon, the
higher the BOD

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

drinking water:
-3 mg/L minimum treatment of chlorination
-5 mg/L coagulation, flocculation,
sedimentation, filtration
-7 mg/L special treatment
10- 20 days for stabilization BODu
5 days BOD5 (standard)
BODu = twice the BOD5
BODu is the ultimate BOD

Sources of BOD
Simple carbohydrates from photosynthesis
when used by plants and animals to synthesize
more complex carbon-based chemicals such as
sugars and fats are utilized by organisms as
energy source which then exert carbonaceous
oxygen demand (CBOD)

Sources of BOD
Plants utilize ammonia to produce proteins
w/c are complex and carbon-based w/ amino
groups (-NH2) as part of their structure.
Proteins are broken down into peptides and
then to amino acids and then converted into
ammonia which then exert nitrogenous
oxygen demand (NBOD)

When a water sample containing

degradable organic matter is placed in a
closed container & inoculated w/ bacteria,
the oxygen consumption typically follows
the pattern:

Lo
BOD exerted
Oxygen
Consumption
& Equivalent
Organic
Removal

BODt

*BOD approaches
asymptotically as t
approaches infinity

L remaining

Time, Days

 During the first few days the rate of oxygen depletion

is rapid because of the high concentration of organic
matter present.
As the concentration of organic matter decreases, so
does the rate of the oxygen consumption.
The rate of w/c oxygen is consumed is directly
proportional to the concentration of degradable
organic matter remaining at any time t.

 dLt = -rA where Lt = oxygen

dt
equivalent of the organics
remaining at time t, mg/L
-rA = -kLt where k = reaction rate
constant, d-1
dLt = -kLt
dt
dLt = -kdt
Lt

From the figure.

BODt = Lo-Lt = Lo- Loe-kt
= Lo (1-e-kt)
where Lo is the ultimate BOD, the maximum
oxygen consumption possible when the waste
has been completely degraded

TEMPERATURE
The BOD rate constant should be
experimentally determined for the
temperature of the receiving water.
Laboratory testing is done at standard
temperature of 20oC & the BOD rate
constant is adjusted to the receiving water
temperature using the equation:

KT = k20 ( )T-20

TEMPERATURE
where:
T
= temperature
kT = BOD rate constant at the
temperature of interest,day1
k20 = BOD rate constant
determined at 20oC, day-1
= temperature coefficient
T = 4oC 20oC
T = 20oC 30oC

= 1.135
= 1.056

Theoretical Oxygen Demand

Given in mg O2/L is calculated from the
stoichiometry of the oxidation reactions
involved
SAMPLE PROBLEM
A waste contains 300 mg/L of C(H2O) and 50
mg/L of NH3-N. Calculate the
carbonaceous ThOD, the nitrogenous
ThOD, and the total ThOD of the waste.

Laboratory Measurement of Biological

Oxygen demand (BOD)
Sample Size = vol. of undiluted sample x 100
vol. of diluted sample
Dilution factor = vol. of diluted sample_
vol. of undiluted sample
= 100 / sample size (%)

Methods used in the laboratory

300 ml BOD bottle

diluted inoculated w/ microorganisms

stoppered to exclude air

bubbles
dilution O2

9 mg/L BOD to 2-6 mg/L in dilution bottle

(Blanks)
incubated in a dark room 20oC for t=days

computation of BODt

determination of ultimate BOD &

BOD rate constant

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

amount of dissolved oxygen needed to
chemically oxidize the organic materials in
water
unit of measurement : mg O2/L
uses strong chemical oxidizing agent usually
K2Cr2O7 in an acidic solution; takes about two
hours for testing
potable water: 2-5 mg/L
for treated water prior to discharge: 125
mg/L

What is COD?
COD is a measure of the oxygen equivalent of the
organic matter content of a sample that is susceptible
to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant.
Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and
Wastewater

NUTRIENTS
PHOSPHOROUS

sources: rainfall, distilleries (1000 mg P/L);

standard: not to exceed 30 g P/L for lakes & rivers to

prevent EUTHROPHICATION

Other sources: fertilizers, chemicals, soaps, detergents,

pesticides, alloys, animal feed supplements, catalysts,
lubricants, corrosion inhibitors

From processes such as: soil erosion, sewage run-off,

industrial wastewater effluent, atmospheric precipitation,
agricultural run-off

NUTRIENTS
NITROGEN

In river water, it reflects the age of the pollutant

sources: NH4+ & NH3 present in sea water;

standard: 1 g Norg/L

Sources: algae & bacteria;

urea [NH2]2CO

NH3 toxic to organism if it exceeds 1 mg NH3-N/L

NO3- harmful in drinking water;

standard: 40 mg NO3N/L

NUTRIENTS

Oversupply of Nutrients: N & P

Abundant Algae & Weed Growth

Dead Algae exert a high Oxygen Demand
Depletes Dissolved Oxygen
Anaerobic Conditions
EUTROPHICATION is the enrichment of waters by inorganic plant
nutrients (N,P,K) resulting primary productivity. It is the natural
process in the life history of freshwater lake systems w/c tend to
gradually change from oligotrophic to a eutrophic system.

Types of Eutrophication
Oligotrophic
term describing freshwater bodies w/c are
poor in plant nutrients & therefore
unproductive
Cultural Eutrophicatioon
artificial enrichment

Ecological Effects of Eutrophication

1. massive algal blooms

increase in turbidity
causing massive reduction in transparency
to light
death of macrophytes due to shading out
2. aesthetically unpleasant
resulting in slimmy masses, smells & flies
3. increase in organic detritus
4. rapid deoxygenation
massive reduction in invertebrates
effect on the food web

Ecological Effects of Eutrophication

5. high oxygen demand

reduction of O2 in water due to activities of the
aerobic
bacteria is compensated for by diffusion of O2 from the
water
surface & from surrounding areas of higher O2 w/c
happens
slowly
decrease in dissolved oxygen
the anaerobic bacteria w/c oxidize organic
compounds w/o the presence of O2 start to thrive
producing end products such as H2S, NH3 & CH4
toxic

Ecological Effects of Eutrophication

Deoxygenation
depends on temperature
- dilution of effluent degree of river aeration
- BOD of the discharge & receiving water plus the
amount of
organics in the river
Reoxygenation
dilution of effluent & reduction in the effluent
through decomposition

DO Sag Curve
concentration of dissolved oxygen in a river is
an indicator of the general health of the river
Rivers have some capacity for self-purification
As the amount of wastes increases, the DO level
decreases. The DO should not drop to 4-5 mg/L,
for the existence and persistence of these aquatic
lives.

DO Sag Curve
If the DO is completely removed, fish
and other higher animals are killed or
driven out, the water becomes blackish
and foul smelling as the sewage and
dead animal life decompose under
anaerobic conditions.

DO Sag Curve
One of the major tools of water quality
management in rivers is the ability to
access the capability of a stream to absorb
waste load.
This is done by determining the profile of
the DO concentration downstream from a
waste discharge.
This profile is called the DO sag curve.

Initial
Deficit, Da

Saturation DO,
DOs

Dissolved
Oxygen
(mg/L)

DO Concentration
DO

tc

Travel Time
(days)

Biological treatment methods

Aerobic
Activated Sludge Treatment Methods
Trickling Filtration
Oxidation Ponds
Lagoons
Aerobic Digestion
Anaerobic
Anaerobic Digestion
Septic Tanks
Lagoons

An Activated Sludge System

Aerobic Biological Treatment

Attached Cell (biofilm) Processes

Trickling filters
Towers packed with solid media to support
biofilm formation; waste stream flows downward

Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

Solid disks with attached biofilms rotate on a
horizontal axis to alternately contact the waste
stream and the atmosphere

Anaerobic Sludge Digestion

CO2 + 4 H2 CH4 + 2 H2O
CH3COOH CH4 + CO2

Figure 27.22