Methodology:

The primary parameters used in detecting the purity of water for each portable water
treatment method are chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total dissolved solids (TDS)
Other parameters used are chlorine, alkali fume, chloroform, bacteria, viruses, arsenic,
precipitate, agricultural chemicals, dioxin, radioactive material, taste and odour,
fluorescence, cadmium, lead, sodium, sulphur and magnesium.

Chemical oxygen demand (COD)

Chemical oxygen demand is the measurement of the amount of oxygen required to oxidize
soluble and particulate organic matter in water [1]. Higher COD levels indicating there’s a
greater amount of oxidizable organic material in the water [1]. It is critical as a parameter to
test on the purity of water to determine the amount of organic waste in water. The
percentage removal of the methods on this parameter is equivalent to the amount of
organic content the water treatment methods are able to reduce. The organic content is
important to be removed because they will be fed and consumed by the microbes in the
water.

TDS
Total dissolved solids comprised of inorganic salts such as calcium, magnesium, potassium,
sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphates and some small amounts of organic matter that
are dissolved in water [2].

Reference
1. Real tech inc. (n.d.). Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). Retrieved from October 19,
2018
https://realtechwater.com/parameters/chemical-oxygen-demand/
2. Water research watershed center. Brian Oram, PG(2014). Water testing total
dissolved solids drinking water quality. Retrieved from October 19, 2018.
https://www.water-research.net/index.php/water-treatment/tools/total-dissolved-
solids