BOD of polluted water is estimated by measuring the amount of _____

Step-by-step solution

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is defined as the amount of dissolved oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to break down the organic matter present in a certain volume of a water sample. To determine the BOD of polluted water, the dissolved oxygen (DO) of the sample is measured initially and then again after a standard incubation period (usually 5 days at 20^ C ). The difference between the initial and final dissolved oxygen levels gives the amount of oxygen consumed by the microorganisms. Therefore, BOD is es