Question

Measuring BOD is a method used for

• A. Estimating the amount of organic matter in sewage water
• B. Working the efficiency of oil driven automobile engines
• C. Measuring the activity of Saccharomyces cerevisae in producing curd on a commercial scale
• D. Working out the efficiency of RBCs about their capacity to carry oxygen

Answer 1

The correct option is A Estimating the amount of organic matter in sewage water

Biochemical oxygen demand or BOD refers to the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break down organic material present in a given water sample at a certain temperature over a specific time period. BOD is a measure of organic matter present in water. In other words, BOD is the amount of oxygen consumed by microbes to decompose all the organic matter in 1L of water at 20^oC for 5 days. It is not a precise quantitative test, but a robust indicator of the degree of organic pollution of water.