The most popular water pollution indicators are:

1. DO
2. BOD
3. COD
4. pH

Dissolved oxygen(DO)
Definition:- At any certain time, the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water is called the
Dissolved Oxygen or DO in short.
Dissolved oxygen is an indication of healthiness of water of any specific watery region. Oxygen
is an unalterable part of life. We inhale oxygen to live. So, the more oxygen there is in water, the
better it is.
Generally oxygen gets dissolved into water by two methods:
1. By diffusion: When wind blows hard and the wave of water becomes roaring, oxygen
gets diffused into it. This phenomena is more likely to be seen in cold water than in hot
water.
2. By photosynthesis: There are more plants in water than on the surface. These aquatic
plants exhale oxygen while photosynthesis. The exhaled oxygen also gets mixed in water
and we get dissolved oxygen.

The Significance: As DO express dissolved oxygen level, it denotes the condition of aquatic
lives too. The range of DO can be from 0 to 18. Measuring DO after 18 is physically impossible
and this amount of oxygen is rare too. Generally oxygen level higher than 9mg/L is thought to be
the ideal type.
After this, the more the level decreases, the poorer condition becomes. When it comes close to 0,
aquatic lives find it extremely difficult to breath. Consequently, they die and originate horrible
stance.
If we know the reason of problem, we can come up with solution. That’s why DO is an important
indicator of the excellence of water.
The Calculation:
DO is expressed by 3 types of units. They are:
1. M
2. mg/L unit or ppm unit
3. in percentage
Milligram per litre means the amount of oxygen expressed in milligram dissolved in 1 litre of
water.
Two methods are commonly used to determine DO concentration:

(1) The iodometric method which is a titration-based method and depends on oxidizing property
of DO and

(2) The membrane electrode procedure, which works based on the rate of diffusion of molecular
oxygen across a membrane

Winkler test of DO
The is used to determine the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water samples by iodometric
method. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is widely used in water quality studies and routine operation of
water reclamation facilities to analyse its level of oxygen saturation.

In the test, an excess of manganese(II) salt, iodide (I−) and hydroxide (OH−) ions are added to a
water sample causing a white precipitate of Mn(OH)2 to form. This precipitate is then oxidized
by the oxygen that is present in the water sample into a brown manganese-containing precipitate
with manganese in a more highly-oxidized state (Mn(IV)).
In the next step, a strong acid ( hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid) is added to acidify the
solution. The brown precipitate then converts the iodide ion (I−) to iodine. The amount of
dissolved oxygen is directly proportional to the titration of iodine with a thiosulfate solution. The
titration end point can be detected visually with a starch indicator. Some oxidizing and reducing
agents present in solution can interfere with the iodometric method. Oxidizing agents liberate
iodine from iodides (positive interference) and some reducing agents reduce iodine to iodide
(negative interference). Also, organic matter present in solution can be oxidized partially in the
presence of oxidized manganese precipitate, thus causing negative errors. Thus some
modification of procedure is required.

Chemical processes
In the first step, manganese(II) sulphate is added to an environmental water sample.
Next, potassium iodide is added to create a pinkish-brown precipitate. In the alkaline solution,
dissolved oxygen will oxidize manganese(II) ions to the tetravalent state.
2 Mn2+(aq)+ O2(aq) + H2O(l) → 2 MnO(OH)2(s)
Mn has been oxidised to 4+, and MnO(OH)2 appears as a brown precipitate.
The second part of the Winkler test reduces (acidifies) the solution. The precipitate will dissolve
back into solution as the H+ reacts with the O2− and OH− to form water.
MnO(OH)2(s) +4H+(aq) → Mn4+(aq) + 3 H2O(l)
The acid facilitates the conversion by the brown, Manganese-containing precipitate of the Iodide
ion into elemental Iodine.

The Mn(SO4)2 formed by the acid converts the iodide ions into iodine, itself being reduced back
to manganese(II) ions in an acidic medium.
Mn(SO4)2 + 2 I−(aq) → Mn2+(aq) + I2(aq) + 2 SO42−(aq)
Thiosulfate is used, with a starch indicator, to titrate the iodine.
2 S2O32−(aq) + I2 → S4O62−(aq) + 2 I−(aq)
Calculation:
1 mL 0.0125 M S2O32− = 0.1 mg oxygen

BOD
What is BOD? BOD refers to the biochemical oxygen demand, which measures the amount of
dissolved oxygen (DO) required by aerobic organisms to break down organic material present in
a given water sample at a given temperature and specified time. Since BOD is a biochemical
process, it is not a precise quantitative test. But, BOD is a widely used test method, indicating the
organic quality of water. BOD is determined by incubating a sealed water sample for five days
and measuring the loss of oxygen from the beginning of the test.
Two measurements are to be taken for the calculation of BOD of a sample. One is the initial DO
and second is the final DO after five days. BOD is expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed
per liter of the sample for five days (BOD ) of incubation at 20 °C. BOD directly affects the DO
of rivers and streams.

The sources of BOD are leaves, woody debris, topsoil, animal manure, food-processing plants,
wastewater treatment plants, feedlots, failing septic systems, urban stormwater runoff, and
effluents from pulp and paper mills.
The rate of the oxygen consumption depends on the temperature, pH, present in microorganisms,
and the type of organic material in water. The greater the BOD in a particular water body, the
lesser oxygen is available for the aquatic life forms in that particular water body. Aquatic life
forms would be stressed, suffocate and ultimately die due to high BOD. The BOD test bottles at
a laboratory of a wastewater treatment plant.
When BOD levels are high, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels decrease because the oxygen that is
available in the water is being consumed by the bacteria. Since less dissolved oxygen is available
in the water, fish and other aquatic organisms may not survive. A BOD level of 1-2 ppm is
considered very good. There will not be much organic waste present in the water supply. A water
supply with a BOD level of 3-5 ppm is considered moderately clean.

COD
What is COD? COD refers to the chemical oxygen demand, which measures the amount of DO,
required by the decomposition of organic matter and the oxidation of inorganic chemicals like
ammonia and nitrite. COD measurements are commonly made with the samples of wastewater or
natural water, which are contaminated by domestic and industrial wastes. A closed water sample
is incubated with a strong oxidant like potassium dichromate in combination with boiling
sulfuric acid under a specific temperature for a specified period of time. COD is related to BOD.
But COD is the only method to measure the amount of industrial wastes in water, which cannot
be measured under BOD. The amount of cellulose in water is only measured by COD. The plants
which treat wastewater from the commercial operations measure COD.

Difference Between BOD and COD

Definition
BOD: BOD is the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria while decomposing organic matter
under aerobic conditions.
COD: COD is the amount of oxygen required for the oxidation of total organic matter in water.
Decomposition
BOD: BOD is a biological oxidation process.
COD: COD is a chemical oxidation process.
Test Procedure
BOD: BOD is determined by incubating a sealed water under specific temperature sample for
five days and measuring the loss of oxygen from the beginning of the test.
COD: COD is determined by incubating a closed water sample with a strong oxidant like
potassium dichromate in combination with boiling sulfuric acid under specific temperature for a
specified period of time.
Time Taken for Determination
BOD: Five days are taken for the determination of the BOD.
COD: COD measurement can be taken from few days.
Permissible Limit of Test
BOD: The permissible limit of BOD is 30 mg/L.
COD: The permissible limit of COD is 250 to 500 ppm.
Values of Measurement
BOD: BOD value is lower than the COD value.
COD: COD value is always greater than the BOD value. Therefore, the more organic material
can be oxidized by COD.
Oxidation Ability
BOD: Biological oxidation is capable of oxidizing natural organic detritus and organic waste in
the water.
COD: Industrial sewage is only degraded by COD. But, COD does not measure the oxygen
consumption of acetate.

Conclusion
BOD and COD measurements are taken to determine the pollution level of wastewater. COD
value is always greater than the BOD value of a particular water body. BOD measures the
oxygen demand for the decomposition of. COD measures the oxygen demand for the
decomposition of both organic and inorganic materials in wastewater.