Faculty of Engineering

Chemical engineers department

17CHME02H

Chemical Engineering
(Waste water treatment for Petrochemicals Engineers)

Determination of COD for wastewater sample

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 Abstract
The purpose of the experiment is understanding the main principles of wastewater treatments, and
use those theories to measure the organic oxidizable matters content (COD) of wastewater samples.
This experiment includes characterization of COD and BOD tests. The experiment was carried out by
using of COD Reflux System and titration system. The experimental result showed that, COD value for
the waste water sample is 500 mg/L. 


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 Table of contents

List of Figures 4

1. Introduction 5

1.1Brief description of wastewater treatment: 5

1.2 The biological oxygen demand 6

1.2.1The BOD test 6

1.3 The Chemical oxygen demand 7

1.3.1Features of COD test 7

1.3.2Measurement of COD 7

1.3.2 Comparison between COD and BOD 9

2.Experimental Method and Procedure 10

3.Experimental Result 11

4.Discussion 12

5. Conclusion 13

6. Source of Errors 14

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 List of Figures

Figure 1. Measurement principle of an optical sensor 8

Table 1. Difference between COD and BOD according to American Public Health Association.
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Table 1.2 Measured parameters of the sample 11

Table 1.3 the main difference between COD and BOD 12

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 1. Introduction
1.1Brief description of wastewater treatment:
Wastewater treatment is the process of converting wastewater water that is no longer needed or
is no longer suitable for use into bilge water that can be discharged back into the environment. It’s
formed by a number of activities including bathing, washing, using the toilet, and rainwater runoff.
Wastewater is full of contaminants including bacteria, chemicals and other toxins. Its treatment aims at
reducing the contaminants to acceptable levels to make the water safe for discharge back into the
environment Leonore.G.(2002).

This is a common question and one that bears some explaining. What exactly do we mean by
"water quality"? Water quality can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a particular
use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. More specifically, water
quality is measured against federally passed water quality standards to access its overall safety before
reaching the drinking populace. Put very simply and in basic terms, to determine water quality,
scientists first measure and analyze characteristics of the water such as temperature, dissolved mineral
content, and number of bacteria. Selected characteristics are then compared to aforementioned numeric
standards and guidelines to decide if the water is suitable for a particular use. Different uses raise
different concerns and therefore different standards are considered. Natural water bodies will vary in
response to environmental conditions. Environmental scientists are working to understand the
functioning of these systems, which determines sources and fates of contaminants. Environmental
lawyers and policy makers are working to define water laws that designate the fore mentioned uses and
natural conditions Leonore (2002).

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1.2 The biological oxygen demand

Biological oxygen demand (BOD) or also called biochemical oxygen demand, refers to the
amount of oxygen in the water, which is required or consumed by organic material for oxidation. This
indicator is used to evaluate the quality of water available to consumers for basic or commercial use.A
good water quality is very important, because water is needed in variety of uses from domestic to
industrial supplies. The water quality is controlled by the authorities to protect users form health and
other adverse effects of poor water quality. A high BOD level can indicate the existence of faecal
contamination or particulate and dissolved organic carbon from various sources, which are neither
from human nor from animal. This kind of contamination can seriously affect human health and cause
problems to the industry Clair (2003).

1.2.1The BOD test

The BOD test is one of the most basic tests used in the wastewater field. It is essentially a
measure of the biological and the chemical component of the waste in terms of the dissolved oxygen
needed by the natural aerobic biological systems in the wastewater to break down the waste under
defined conditions. Generally, the BOD test is carried out by determining the dissolved oxygen on the
wastewater or a diluted mixture at the beginning of the test period, incubating the wastewater mixture
at 20°C, and determining the dissolved oxygen at the end of 5 days. The difference in dissolved oxygen
between the initial measurement and the fifth day measurement represents the biochemical oxygen
demand. While BOD describes the biological oxidation capacity of a wastewater, it is not a measure of
the total potential oxidation of the organic compounds present in the wastewater. A number of chemical
tests are used to measure this parameter, either in terms of the oxygen required for virtually complete
oxidation, or in terms of the element carbon. Probably the most common test for estimating industrial
wastewater strength is the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Test. This test essentially measures the
chemical oxidation of the wastewater by a strong oxidizing agent in an acid solution. The value for the
COD test is always greater than the BOD test and is not always a good indication of BOD values for
the same waste Clair (2003).

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1.3 The Chemical oxygen demand

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a measure of the capacity of water to consume oxygen
during the decomposition of organic matter and the oxidation of inorganic chemicals such as
Ammonia and nitrite. COD measurements are commonly made on samples of wastewater of natural
waters contaminated by domestic or industrial wastes. Chemical oxygen demand is measured as a
standardized laboratory assay in which a closed water sample is incubated with a strong chemical
oxidant under specific conditions of temperature and for a particular period of time. A commonly used
oxidant in COD assays is potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) which is used in combination with boiling
sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Because this chemical oxidant is not specific to oxygen-consuming chemicals
that are organic or inorganic, both of these sources of oxygen demand are measured in a COD assay
Arnold(2005).

1.3.1Features of COD test

Measurement of COD has some big advantages over BOD for process monitoring. For one
thing, analysis time is much shorter. The laboratory method requires only about 2 hours. Direct
measurement online with a cabinet analyzer is also possible with measurement intervals as short as 1
minute. Another advantage is that COD can be fractionated, for example, into total and dissolved
fractions which can be important for monitoring biological nutrient removal (BNR). The COD method
also has a few drawbacks. For instance, the laboratory method uses hazardous chemicals which require
safe disposal. However, the biggest disadvantage may be lack of familiarity Arnold (2005).

1.3.2Measurement of COD

Optical sensors which measure directly the optical properties of the wastewater are generally
considered more desirable than cabinet analyzers which require sampling systems and reagents. An
optical sensor costs less to acquire and ownership costs are less because there are no reagents to
replenish. They are much more simple mechanically. A sampling system is not required nor is a heated
cabinet. Finally, they are more versatile Richard (2016). 


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 The measurement principle of an optical COD sensor is demonstrated in Figure 1. The intensity
of a light source is weakened in proportion to the concentration of light absorbing substances in the
sample. Organic compounds absorb ultraviolet light, the range of the electromagnetic spectrum from
200 to 390 nm. The simplest form of measurement using this principle is the Spectral Absorption
Coefficient (SAC) which measures the absorption of light at a specified wavelength. Traditionally, a
wavelength of 254 nm is used, because it is in the region where organic matter strongly absorbs and
where mercury lamps exhibit a prominent ultraviolet emission. The lower the absorption, measured in
1/m representing the decrease in intensity per meter of sample depth, the lower the organic
contamination. In this way, the SAC254 of a sample can be used directly as a measure of organic
contamination even though it is not a true measurement of COD or BOD. SAC can also be used to
calculate COD or BOD indirectly if it can be correlated with laboratory measurements Richard(2016).

Figure 1. Measurement principle of an optical sensor


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1.3.2 Comparison between COD and BOD
Test name COD BOD
Description Is a measure of virtually all Is a measure of only the
degradable organic carbon portion of organic carbon
Analysis times Shorter (2 hr) Takes long time (5 days)
Equipment Less equipment used Required more equipment

Determination of TS and Can be fractionated easily Complicated process

TSS
Types of agent Inorganic oxidizing agent Microorganism
Industrial application Widest application limited
contained heavy ions

Table 1. Difference between COD and BOD according to American Public Health Association.

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 2.Experimental Method and Procedure

Equipment and materials:

1. COD Reflux System
2. Burette
3. Pipette
4. COD Vial
5. potassium dichromate reagent
6. sulfuric acid
7. Sodium thiosulphate
8. Silver/mercury compounds
Procedures:
I. 20mL of sample poured into test tube which contain 1.5mL of potassium dichromate reagent and
labelled as test tube 1.
II. 2.5mL of distilled water poured into test tube which contain 3.5mL acid sulfuric reagent and
labelled as test tube 2.
o
III. Both of the test tube mixed up properly and placed in COD Reactor with temperature 150 C for 1
hour.
IV. After 1 hour, cooling down both of the test tube before pouring into conical flask. Put the sample
into conical flask and conical flask 1 and conical flask 2 labelled.
V. Test tube 1 and test tube 2 added with distilled water and shacked two times and 

poured into conical flask prepared.
VI. 3 drops of ferrous indicator added into each of the conical flask. Then, both of the solution titrated
with K2Cr2O7 with Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate (FAS) until the colour changed into red brick.
Initial and final reading recorded.
VII.Titrate the solution with 0.1N sodium thiosulphate (Na2S2O3). 


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 3.Experimental Result

Calculations and the experimental results of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD):

Volume of waste water 20 ml
Concentration sodiumthiosulphate 0.1 N
Volume titrated 7.5 ml

Table 1.2 Measured parameters of the sample

N * Δ * eq . weigh . ox ygen
! COD(mg /L) =
❖
Vsample

0.1(20 − 7.5) * 8
! COD = =0.5 g/L x 1000= 500 mg\L
20
❖

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 4.Discussion

The purpose of using blank sample in this experiment: 


Because COD measures the oxygen demand of organic compounds in a sample of water, it is important
that no outside organic material be accidentally added to the sample to be measured. To control for
this, a so-called blank sample is required in the determination of COD (and BOD, for that matter). A
blank sample is created by adding all reagents such as acid and oxidizing agent to a volume of distilled
water. COD is measured for both the water and blank samples, and the two are compared. The oxygen
demand in the blank sample is subtracted from the COD for the original sample to ensure a true
measurement of organic matter.

The different between COD and BOD test:

COD test BOD test

COD or Chemical Oxygen Demand is the total
measurement of all chemicals in the water that can be
oxidized.
COD is usually measured and the test is simple and easy to
perform with the right equipment and can be done in 2
hours.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand is supposed to measure the
amount of food (or organic carbons) that bacteria can
oxidize.
BOD usually takes 5 days.

Table 1.3 the main difference between COD and BOD

COD’s value needs to be monitor in order to supply data and information on the water quality such as
lakes and river as well as for wastewater. Besides, to assess strength of discharged waste such as
sewage and industrial effluent waters.

Discharge COD limits can be different with different waste streams ( from specific industries) and
COD limit values can be between 100 to 350mg/L depending on the waste stream. Based on the result
obtained, 500 mg/L is suitable to be discharged to the stream.

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 5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the objective of the experiment is achieved. The experiment was carried out to
measure and determine the organic oxidizable matters content of water samples. Based on the
experiment result obtained, the blank sample has the larger volume which is 2.0 mL compared with
original sample which has 1.3 mL of volume. The COD value obtained is 500 mg/L. Discharge COD
limits are different with different waste streams and COD limit values can be between 100 to 350mg/L
depending on the waste stream. Based on the COD limits value, 500 mg/L is suitable to be discharged
to the stream.

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 .
6 Source of Errors
No physical quantity can be measured with perfect certainty; there are always errors in any
measurement. This means that if we measure some quantity and, then, repeat the measurement, we will
almost certainly measure a different value the second time as shown in our experiment . How, then, can
we know the truth value of a physical quantity? The short answer is that we cannot. However, as we
take greater care in our measurements and apply ever more refined experimental methods, we can
reduce the errors and, thereby, gain greater confidence that our measurements approximate ever more
closely the true value.

There are many different sources of error in any experiment, that categorized into two main errors:

❖ Human Error: A few errors in chemistry experiments are due simply to mistakes on the part of the
person performing the work. There are an endless number of potential mistakes in lab work, but
some of the most common include misreading gauges, making math mistakes during dilutions and
other types of calculations and spilling chemicals during transfer. Depending on the type of mistake
and the stage at which it happens, the associated degree of error in the experimental results will vary
widely in magnitude.
❖ Improper Calibrations: Incorrect or non-existent calibration of instruments is another common
source of error in chemistry. Calibration is the process of adjusting or checking an instrument to
ensure that the readings it gives are accurate. To calibrate a weigh scale, for example, you might
place an object known to weigh 10 grams on the scale, then check that the scale reads 10 grams.
Instruments which are not calibrated or are improperly calibrated are not uncommon in chemical
labs and lead to wrong results.


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 7.Reference

Leonore.G.(2002).the Examination of Water and Wastewater (20th ed.) American Public Health
Association, Washington, DC. ISBN 0-87553-235-

Clair. N. 2003. Chemistry for Environmental Engineering and Science (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-
Hill. ISBN 0-07-248066-1.

Arnold E. 2005. Standard Methods for Examination of Water & Wastewater (20th ed.). Washington,
DC: American Public Health Association. ISBN 0-87553-235

Richard.A. 2016. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2016: Water and Jobs, chapter
2: The Global Perspective on Water. Paris: UNESCO. p. 26. ISBN 978-92-3-100155-0.

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