Environmental Engineering &
Waste Management
Lecture No. 02
Maisa Rahman
Lecturer
Department of Chemical Engineering
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
Email: [email protected]
Contact No. 01926997916
What is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)?
Read over more details on BOD from Chapter 2 of
Wastewater Engineering - Treatment and Reuse
Maisa Rahman, ChE, RUET (4th edition) by Metcalf & Eddy
Test method (BOD5 @ 20◦C)
1. A water sample containing degradable organic matter is placed in a
BOD bottle.
2. If needed, add dilution water (known quantity). Dilution water is
prepared by adding phosphate buffer (pH 7.2), magnesium
sulphate, calcium chloride and ferric chloride into distilled water.
Aerate the dilution water to saturate it with oxygen before use.
3. Measure DO in the bottle after 15 minutes (DOi)
4. Closed the bottle and placed it in incubator for 5 days, at
temperature 20oC
5. After 5 days, measure DO in the bottle (DOt).
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Calculation of BOD
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Calculation of BOD
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Maisa Rahman, ChE, RUET
Why dilution is needed?
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BOD Analysis
• In aerobic processes (O2 is present), heterotrophic bacteria oxidize
about 1/3 of the colloidal and dissolved organic matter to stable end
products (CO2 + H2O) and convert the remaining 2/3 into new
microbial cells that can be removed from the wastewater by settling.
• The overall biological conversion proceeds sequentially, with
oxidation of carbonaceous material as the first step (known as
carbonaceous oxygen demand, CBOD):
BOD is 2 kinds:
1. CBOD (carbonaceous oxygen demand) and
2. NBOD (nitrogenous oxygen demand)
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BOD Analysis
• Under continuing aerobic conditions, autotrophic bacteria then
convert the nitrogen in organic compounds to nitrates (known as
nitrogenous oxygen demand)
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NBOD
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Why Standard BOD test run in
dark room at 20oC for 5 days?
Why NBOD generally begins
after 8-10 days?
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CBOD & NBOD
• CBOD: Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand or CBOD is a
method defined test measured by the depletion of dissolved oxygen
by biological organisms in a body of water in which the contribution
from nitrogenous bacteria has been suppressed.
• This refers to the oxygen demand exerted by organic compounds
containing carbon, such as sugars, proteins, and fats.
• NBOD: Nitrogenous Biochemical Oxygen Demand (NBOD) refers to
the difference between Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and
Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand (CBOD).
NBOD = BOD – CBOD
• This component represents the oxygen demand associated with the
oxidation of nitrogen-containing compounds, mainly ammonia (NH3)
and nitrite (NO2-), to nitrates (NO3-).
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Ultimate BOD
• UBOD: The ultimate biochemical oxygen demand (UBOD), often
simply called Ultimate BOD, provides a comprehensive measure of
this organic load by quantifying the total amount of oxygen required
to completely oxidize all carbonaceous and nitrogenous compounds
present in the water.
• UBOD represents the maximum theoretical oxygen demand of a
water sample, encompassing both carbonaceous and nitrogenous
oxygen demands. It is distinct from the 5-day BOD (BOD5), a
commonly used measurement that only accounts for the oxygen
demand over a 5-day period, primarily from carbonaceous
compounds.
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BOD Model
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Maisa Rahman, ChE, RUET
Why BOD test is conducted for 5th day
• BOD theoretically takes infinite time to go to completion because the rate
of oxidation is assumed to be proportional to the amount of organic matter
remaining.
• Within 20 day period the oxidation of carbonaceous matter is about 95-
99% and in 5 days it is 60-70%
• 20 days is long time to wait for test
• After 8-10 days nitrifying bacteria start using oxygen to convert ammonia
nitrogen to nitrite and then to nitrate.
• Carbonaceous demand can be obtained by supressing nitrifying bacteria
by adding growth inhibiters of nitrifying bacteria. So, this test is conducted
on 5th day so as to ensure less population of nitrifying bacteria.
• We are interested only in first stage BOD or carbonaceous BOD so we have
chosen 5 days for the test
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Why BOD test is conducted for 5th day
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Relationship for the Change in the Reaction
Rate Constant (K) with Temperature (T)
For T<20◦C, Ɵ = 1.056
For T>20◦C, Ɵ = 1.047
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Example 2-8
𝐷1 − 𝐷2 − 𝐵1 − 𝐵2 𝑓
Forrmula, 𝐵𝑂𝐷, 𝑚𝑔/𝐿 =
𝑃
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Example 2-9
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Problem
A BOD test was conducted
on a domestic wastewater at
30oC. The wastewater
portion added to a BOD
bottle was 20 mL and the
dissolved oxygen values
listed below were measured.
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Try Yourself
4. The DO in an unseeded sample of diluted waste having an initial DO
of 9.5 mg/L is measured to be 3.5mg/L after 5 days. The dilution
factor is 0.03 and reaction rate constant, k=0.22/day (to the base e
at 20⁰C) Estimate
• The 5 day BOD of the waste at 20⁰C?
• Ultimate BOD?
• Remaining oxygen demand waste after 5-days?
(The 5 day BOD of this waste at 25⁰C assuming a temperature coefficient of
1.047)
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