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What is Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)?
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: September 25th, 2023
Biological Oxygen Demand is where the microorganisms like bacteria oxidise for organic substances in water. BOD refers to both the dissolved oxygen that bacteria and other microbes need to oxidise, as well as the organic materials in water. It is a metric used to assess the water’s quality. The biological oxygen requirement has a big impact on water quality. Because it offers a measure for figuring out how released wastewater would affect the ecosystem.
Table of content
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
- BOD is frequently employed to treat wastewater.
- because one frequent remediation approach involves microbes breaking down organic waste.
- The biological oxygen requirement has an impact on the concentration of dissolved oxygen in streams and rivers.
- The rate at which oxygen is consumed is influenced by temperature, pH, bacteria, organic substances, and inorganic substances.
- Aquatic life of higher order uses less oxygen.
- High BOD has consequences that are comparable to low dissolved oxygen levels.
Importance of BOD
- BOD detects the oxygen that microorganisms use to break down organic matter in water.
- Shows the amount of organic pollution available in aquatic ecosystems.
- BOD is calculated in wastewater treatment or sewage treatment to determine the destruction of organic waste by aerobic microorganisms.
- Finds the amount of organic matter present in sewage, soils, sediments, litter, sludge, etc.
- Biochemical oxygen demand also detects the respiratory rate of an organism.
- BOD is used in the medical and pharmaceutical industry to test the consumption of oxygen of cell cultures.
Summary:
What is Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)?
Bacteria and other microbes oxidise for organic molecules in water, which is known as biological oxygen demand. It is mainly used in pharmaceutical and medical industry to find the oxygen consumption in cell cultures.
