DO, BOD & COD

KKKR4873 POLLUTION CONTROL AND CLEANER PRODUCTION

Lecturers:
Dr. Rosiah Rohani (Set 1)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hassimi Abu Hasan (Set 2)
 Pertinent regulations/Order under EQA 1974
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises)(Crude Palm Oil) Order 1974
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises)(Crude Palm Oil) Regulations 1977 Amendment (1982)
Environmental Quality (Licensing) Regulations 1977
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises)(Raw Natural Rubber) (Amendment) Order 1977
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises)(Raw Natural Rubber) Regulations 1978 Amendment 1980
Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulations 2009
Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluents) Regulations 2009 (30 parameters)
Environmental Quality (Control of Pollution from Solid Waste Transfer Station and Landfill) Regulations
2009
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987
Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises) Scheduled Wastes Treatment and Disposal Facilities) Order
1989
Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises) Scheduled Wastes Treatment and Disposal Facilities)
Regulations 1989
Environmental Quality (Delegation of Powers on Marine Pollution Control) 2
Environmental Quality (Prohibition on the Use of Controlled Substance in Soap, Synthetic Detergent and
Other Agents) Order 1995
Emission Standard for Industrial Effluent: EQ(IE)R 2009

3
 Malaysian Standard Limit

COD follows industries, 4

therefore could negotiate
with DOE
Regulatory Control: Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)
Malaysian Environmental Quality Act 1974 Class IIA,
Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulations 2009 INWQS
EQ(S)R 2009 Second Schedule
Parameter Unit Std A Std B

(a) Temperature oC 40 40
(b) pH Value - 6.0-9.0 5.5-9.0
(c BOD5 at 20oC mg/L 20 50 3
(d) COD mg/L 120 200 25
(e) Suspended Solids mg/L 50 100 50
(f) Oil and Grease mg/L 5.0 10.0 -
(g) Ammoniacal Nitrogen (Enclosed water mg/L 5.0 5.0 0.3
body)
(h)Ammoniacal Nitrogen (River) mg/L 10.0 20.0 0.3
(i) Nitrate – Nitrogen (River) mg/L 20.0 50.0 -
(j) Nitrate – Nitrogen (enclosed water body) mg/L 10.0 10.0 - 5
(k) Phosphorus (enclosed water body) mg/L 5.0 10.0 0.2
Dissolved Oxygen Chart

6
DO (0 -18mg/L) decreases due
to:
• Water is too warm: Increases molecular activity & pushes
the O2 molecules out of the spaces between the moving
water molecules.
• Too many bacteria and excess amount of BOD: (untreated &
partially treated sewage, organic & anoxic discharges) which
use up DO.
• Fertilizer runoff from farm fields and lawns: Fertilizer meant
for land plants grow better, also makes the aquatic plants do
the same. If cloudy weather for several days, respiring plants
will use much of the DO, fail to photosynthesize. When
aquatic plants die, bacteria will use large amounts of DO.
7
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
• Definition of BOD, CBOD and NBOD
• BOD: the amount of oxygen utilized by microorganisms in
performing oxidation
• CBOD: carbonaceous BOD C H 2O   O2  CO2  H 2O  
• NBOD: nitrogenous BOD NH 3  2O2  NO3  H   
• Based of the source compound of electron donor
• Measure the ‘strength’ of a water and WW:
↑ NH3-N or organic carbon, ↑ BOD
• DO:
• Critical requirement of the organism assemblage
associated with a diverse and balanced aquatic ecosystem 8
 DO & BOD in rivers
• DO is required to maintain a balanced
community of organisms in lakes and rivers
• When an O-demanding waste is added to a river,
the rate at which O is consumed in oxidizing that
waste may exceed the rate at which O is
resupplied from the atmosphere
• lead to depletion of O resources
• < 4-5 mgO2/L: reproduction by fish is impacted
• Poor aesthetics (turbidity and odour problems)
9
Source of BOD
• Domestic WW and industrial wastes are highly
enriched in organic matter compared with
natural water
• 90% of organic matter in sewage: protein and
carbohydrates
• feaces and urine from human
• Food waste from sinks
• Soil and dirt from bathing

10
Source of BOD
• The BOD of selected waste streams
Origin BOD5 (mgO2/L)
River 2
Domestic 200
wastewater
Pulp and paper 400
mill
Commercial 2,000
laundry
Beet sugar factory 10,000 11
Source: Mihelcic 1998
Interrelationship in BOD test

12
Proper Determination of BOD
• Existence of appropriate microorganisms
• Constant temperature
• Time required
• Differentiation between CBOD and NBOD
• Adequate DO
• Adequate nutrients
• Preventing DO gain during incubation
• Appropriate pH
13
• Toxic effects
BOD
• BOD based on oxidation of organic matters
• The rate of decomposition of organic wastes is
proportional to the amount of waste left
Organic matters + O2  CO2 + H2O + products
(Carbonaceous BOD = CBOD)

14
Nitrogenaceous BOD
• Oxygen required for oxidation of nitrogen
(Nitrite/nitrate and ammonia)
• The process requires bacteria to degrade
food/wastes:

2NH3 + 3 O2  2 NO2- + 2 H+ + 2 H2O (1)

2 NO2- + O2  2 NO3- (2)

Eq (1) involves Nitrosomonas

15
Eq (2) involves Nitrobacter
Nitrogen cycle in water

16
This conversion requires O2 (aerobic condition), also known as NBOD
C and N for BOD
• Total BOD = Carbonaceous BOD + Nitrogenaceous BOD
• Initial 5 days is called BOD5
Total BOD

17
Chemical Oxygen Demand
• To measure the O2 equivalent of the organic
material in WW that can be oxidized chemically
• Unlike BOD, some portion of the COD is not
biodegradable: Biodegradable and
nonbiodegradable
• Some of COD is converted into biomass: can still
remain as cell debris and active cells
• COD values are always greater than BOD values
18
Chemical Oxygen Demand
Total COD

Biodegradable
Nonbiodegradable COD
COD

Readily biodegradable Slowly biodegradable

Soluble
(Soluble) (particulate)

Complex Colloidal Particulate

VFA Particulate 19

Source: Metcalf & Eddy 2004

Interrelationship between BOD and COD

• Typical values for the ratio of BOD/COD for

untreated municipal WW are in the range 0.3 to 0.8.
• ≥ 0.5, the waste is considered to be easily treatable
by biological means
• < 0.3, either the waste may have some toxic
components, biologically resistant organic
substances or acclimated microorganisms may be
required in its stabilization
• BOD value is always lower than COD value.
• For domestic and some industrial WW, COD value is 20
about 2.5 times BOD value.
Why we need to determine BOD and COD
levels?
• To determine the approximate quantity of
oxygen that will be required to biologically
stabilized the organic matter
• To determine the size of waste treatment
facilities
• To measure the efficiency of some treatment
processes
• To determine the compliance with WW
discharge permits
21
BOD and COD
• Higher concentrations of COD and BOD
• A larger aeration basin volume
• More oxygen transfer needs
• Greater sludge production

22
BOD versus COD

BOD COD

Organic matter oxidized to Organic matter oxidized to

CO2 and H2O by CO2 and H2O by a chemical
microorganism oxidizing agent

Other (often inorganic

substances oxidized as well.
i.e.
Fe (II)  Fe (III) 23
SO32-  SO42-
DO Saturation & Deoxygenation
• Relationship of DO with the temperature
• At temperature 0oC, Sat DO is 14.62 mg/L (maximum DO)
• When DO around 4 – 5 mg/L, survival rate reduced. In
anaerobic condition, the forms of life may die

Simplest model for O2 resources in river focused on:

1) O2 removal by microorganism
2) O2 re-aeration between water/atmosphere interface
• Assume that water and waste mixed well 24