Synonyms
Biological oxygen demand
Definition
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of molecular oxygen required to oxidize organic matter into a stable inorganic form through aerobic microbial decomposition.
Description
The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is determined by empirical testing in which standardized laboratory procedures yield the relative oxygen requirements of wastewaters, effluents, and polluted waters (APHA, 1999). Five days at 20 °C is often used to oxidize the carbonaceous organic matter, being referred to as “BOD5, 20.”
Importance: This test is important for pollution control. Heterotrophic microbial metabolism transforms biodegradable organic compounds into stable or mineralized end products, including water, carbon dioxide, sulfates, phosphates, ammonia, and nitrates. The BOD test is widely used to assess the level of domestic or industrial sewage pollution discharged in estuaries. Dissolved oxygen (DO) consumption by bacteria during organic matter...
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Bibliography
APHA, 1999. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th edn. Washington, D.C.: American Public Health Association.
Day, J. W., Kemp, M. W., Yánez-Arancibia, A., and Crump, B. C., 2012. Estuarine Ecology, 2nd edn. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell.
Kennish, M. J., 1997. Practical Handbook of Estuarine and Marine Pollution. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Montes, M.F. (2016). Biochemical Oxygen Demand. In: Kennish, M.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_167
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_167
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