What is COD?

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is defined as the quantity of a specified oxidant that reacts with a sample under controlled conditions. The quantity of oxidant consumed is expressed in terms of its oxygen equivalence. COD is expressed in mg/ !".

C99 A Complete COD System

#anna COD vials use internationally recognised chemistry which means you can use #anna vials in place of other suppliers$ vials% and you can &e assured that the results you will o&tain will &e 'ust as accurate and relia&le. The vials are supplied with the precise volume of COD reagent pre(measured ma)ing it &oth quic) and easy to add the water sample. *n accordance with international standards the vials are then heated to +,!-C and held at that temperature for " hours. This procedure is straightforward using the #anna heating &loc) specifically developed for COD measurement. .t the end of this time a colour forms in the vials which is measured colorimetrically using the new #anna C// meter. COD readings are displayed on the meter directly in mg/l. The new #anna COD meter is &oth sophisticated and easy to use. 0ot only does it measure COD with 1 ranges providing complete measurements in the range ! to +,%!!!mg/l COD% it is also programmed with 12 other standard water measurements allowing the operator to test for parameters from .luminium to 3inc. .ll readings are automatically displayed in mg/l% removing the need to select filters or use loo) up ta&les and charts.

Why Measure COD?

COD is often measured as a rapid indicator of organic pollutant in water. *t is normally measured in &oth municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants and gives an indication of the efficiency of the treatment process. COD is measured on &oth influent and effluent water. The efficiency of the treatment process is normally expressed as COD 4emoval% measured as a percentage of the organic matter purified during the cycle.

Test + " 1

*nfluent COD +"+6 /68 1"8 +16+

5ffluent COD 6,+ 2"7 217 1!9 997

COD removal

Due to its unique chemical properties% the dichromate ion (Cr"!9"() is the specified oxidant in the ma'ority of cases. Cr"!9"( is reduced to the chromic ion (Cr1:) in these tests. ;oth organic and inorganic constituents of the sample are su&'ect to oxidation% however the organic component predominates and is of greater interest. COD is a defined test< digestion time% reagent strength and sample COD concentration all affect the extent of sample oxidation. COD is often used as a measurement of pollutants in natural and waste waters and to assess the strength of waste such as sewage and industrial effluent waters. COD has further applications in power plant operations% chemical manufacturing% commercial laundries% pulp = paper mills% environmental studies and general education. *n pota&le drin)ing water plants% COD values should &e less than +! mg/ !" at the end of the treatment cycle.

Methods
COD can &e measured &y the closed reflux titrimetric method and the closed reflux colorimetric method (>tandard ?ethods ,,"! C. and ,,"! D. respectively). Reactor: The heater% or reactor% is used to o&tain fast organic reactions. >pecifications for this reactor are written in >tandard ?ethod ,,"! C. with specific temperature and vessel requirements. >ince it is vital that the reaction ta)e place at +,!-C (@"-C) for " hours it is important to ensure accurate pre(heating. . light on the #anna *nstruments COD reactor indicates that the temperature has reached the correct level. The reactor is also equipped with a timer to notify the operator when the reaction is completed. Titration: . sample is refluxed in strongly acidic solution with a )nown excess of potassium dichromate (A"Cr"!9). .fter digestion the remaining unreduced A"Cr"!9 is titrated with ferrous ammonium sulphate to determine the amount of A"Cr"!9 consumed and the oxidiBa&le matter is calculated in terms of oxygen equivalent. This procedure is applica&le to COD values &etween 6! and 6!! mg/ . #igher COD values can &e o&tained &y careful dilution or &y using higher concentrations of dichromate digestion solution (>tandard ?ethod ,,"! C.). Colorimetric: Chen a sample is digested% COD material in that sample is oxidiBed &y the dichromate ion. The result is the change in chromium from the hexavalent (D*) to the trivalent (***) state. ;oth chromium species exhi&it a color and a&sor& light in the visi&le region of the spectrum. *n the 6!! nm region the dichromate ion (Cr"!9"() a&sor&s strongly while the chromic ion (Cr1:) a&sor&s much less. *n the 2!! nm region it is the chromic ion that a&sor&s strongly and the dichromate ion has nearly Bero a&sorption. (>tandard ?ethod ,""! D.) This method covers the ranges from ! to +,!!! mg/ ! "E +) !( +,! mg/ near 6"! nm ") !(+!!! (+,!!) mg/ near 2!! nm 1) !(+,!!! mg/ near 2!! nm Official 4eporting ?ethod% (dichromate) The F> 5nvironmental Grotection .gency specifies that the only accepta&le reporta&le measuring method for COD is the colorimetric dichromate method. .dvantages in using this method include high accuracy% certifia&le results and a&ate chloride interference. COD measurement is usually com&ined with other important tests to gain a complete understanding of the effectiveness of the treatment plant. There is a generally accepted classification of >ewage >trength rated &y Oxygen Demand% measured either &y the ;iochemical method (;OD) or the COD method.

Cater Classification ;OD COD Cea) H "!! H 6!! ?edium 1,! 9!! >trong ,!! +!!! Dery >trong 9,! +,!! >ewage >trength 4ated &y Oxygen Demand

BOD & COD

;iochemical Oxygen Demand (;OD) is an empirical test that determines the relative oxygen requirements of wastewater% effluent and polluted waters. ;OD tests measure the molecular oxygen utiliBed during a specified incu&ation duration for the &iochemical degradation of organic material (car&onaceous demand) and the oxygen used to oxidiBe inorganic material such as ferrous iron and sulfides. The most common ;OD test consists of a , day period in which a sample is placed in an airtight &ottle under controlled conditions temperature ("!-C @ +-C)% )eeping any light from penetrating the sample to prevent photosynthesis. The Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in the sample is measured &efore and after the , day incu&ation period% and ;OD is then calculated as the difference &etween initial and final DO measurements. ;OD can &e considered a more InaturalI test in determining the oxygen required to oxidiBe organic matter% however it does not account for rapid changes in conditions. COD is often preferred for daily analysis since it is inherently more reproduci&le% accounts for changing conditions and ta)es a short time to complete

TOC & COD

Organic car&on in water and wastewater is composed of a variety of organic compounds in various oxidation states. >ome can &e oxidiBed further &y chemical or &iological processes% and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and &iological oxygen demand (;OD) methods can &e used to characteriBe these fractions. Chile Total Organic Car&on (TOC) is a more convenient and direct expression of total organic content than COD or ;OD% it does not provide the same )ind of information. *f a repeata&le relationship can &e esta&lished &etween TOC and either COD or ;OD% then TOC can &e used as an estimate for COD or ;OD for a specific source of water. The correlations must &e esta&lished independently for each set of conditions including various points in the treatment process. >ince TOC is independent of the oxidation state of the organic matter and does not measure inorganic or organically &ound matter that can contri&ute to COD or ;OD% TOC measurement cannot ta)e the place of COD or ;OD testing.