Discussion

The experiment was done to determine the Biological Oxygen Demand, (BOD) of
Surface water. Biological Oxygen Demand is the amount of oxygen needed by organisms to
break down the organic material in wastewater. (Anonymous, 2014, January 14). In other
way, a lot of bacteria present in the water to decompose the waste. As the bacteria are living
thing, they require oxygen to live. Hence, the requirement of oxygen is increase. This will
caused the BOD level to increase. Theoretically the water is considered as polluted if the
BOD is higher than 100 ppm.

In this experiment, two samples of water were used. The students collected the
upstream water and downstream water of the same river. The bottles used were black to
prevent photosynthesis occur. It may happen if water sample is exposed to the sunlight as the
water contains chlorophyll. Photosynthesis consumed carbon dioxide and produce oxygen
that can affect the BOD level. The blank sample was prepared by adding dilution water with
one BOD nutrient buffer pillow and three litres distilled water. The air pump was used to
allow aeration occur efficiently and was left for four to eight hours. ‘Aeration is important
when rehydrate PolySeed. The bacteria in the PolySeed require sufficient amount of oxygen
to reproduce correctly.’ ( Anynomous,n.d.). This blank sample was used as a reference. The
three samples were poured into 300 ml BOD bottles. This was to avoid exchange of oxygen
happened.

The pH meter and DO probe were used to measure the pH and DO reading
respectively. The initial readings for both parameters were recorded. The pH reading for
upstream water sample and downstream water sample are 7.36 and 7.50 respectively. The
optimum range of pH value is 7-8. This is to help for the survival of the microorganisms in
the water. Then, the initial DO reading for blank, upstream and downstream are 8.62 mg/L,
8.10 mg/L and 7.61 mg/L respectively. After recorded the readings, the samples were sealed
with elastic foil. This was to avoid air bubbles to exist and the exchange of oxygen. After that
they were kept in a refrigerated thermostat to maintain the temperature that 20°C. This
temperature is an optimum temperature for the microorganisms to survive. The refrigerated
thermostat is seal with black paper so sunlight cannot past through to prevent photosynthesis.
‘The BOD test takes 5 days to complete and is performed using a dissolved oxygen test kit.’
(Anonymous, n.d).
 After 5 days, the final DO reading for blank sample decreased by 0.34 mg/L. An
assumption can be made that there might be living microorganism in the blank sample. Next,
for the upstream and downstream water sample the final DO readings are 2.44 mg/L and 3.58
mg/L respectively. The differences for both samples are 2.44 mg/L and 3.58 mg/L
respectively. This showed that the microorganisms had consumed more oxygen. The BOD5
reading for upstream water sample is 5.32 mg/L while for downstream water sample is 3.69
mg/L. These values are calculated by using the following formula:

[ ( D 1−D 2 )−B]
BOD=
P

mg mg mg

BOD for upstream sample=

(( 8.10
L
−2.44
L
− 0.34
L)( ))
1

mg
¿ 5.32
L

mg mg mg

BOD for downstream sample=

(( 7.61
L
−3.58
L )(
− 0.34
L ))
1

mg
¿ 3.69
L

The average value for BOD 5 for river water is 4.505 mg/L and it shows that the river
water is in optimum range of BOD value. Based on the calculation above, the BOD value for
upstream river water sample is higher than the BOD value for downstream water sample.
This clearly shows that the upstream river water sample was more polluted compared to the
downstream river water sample. If there is higher BOD value, it means that there are more
microorganisms contain in the water.
CONCLUSION

The objective of this experiment was to determine biological oxygen demand of

surface water. Biological oxygen demand (BOD) is one of the most common measures of
pollutant organic material in water as it indicates the amount of oxygen needed by organisms
to break down the organic material in wastewater (Anonymous, 2014, January 14). Before
experiment begins, the upstream water sample and downstream water sample was taken from
the same river near the campus. Then, two seeded dilution water blanks was set up as the
ranged of BOD5 of seeded dilution water should be 0.3-1.0 mg/L. The pH adjusted sample
was carefully poured into the BOD bottles as well as entrapping air bubbles was avoided. By
using calibrated DO probe and pH meter, the initial DO and pH reading of each diluted
sample (D1) and blank (B1) were measured. The pH reading for upstream water sample and
downstream water sample are 7.36 and 7.50 respectively while the initial reading of DO for
blank, upstream and downstream are 8.62 mg/L, 8.10 mg/L and 7.61mg/L respectively. The
blank and samples were kept in a refrigerated thermostat to maintain the temperature for five
days before taking the final readings. ‘The BOD test takes 5 days to complete and is
performed using a dissolved oxygen test kit.’ (Anonymous, n.d). The final DO reading for
upstream water sample is 2.44 mg/L while 3.58 mg/L is the final DO reading for downstream
water sample. By using formulas, the BOD5 reading for upstream water sample as well as
downstream water sample obtained and it gives the value of 5.32 mg/L and 3.69 mg/L
respectively. This shows that the BOD value for downstream water sample is lower than
upstream water. Thus, a low BOD indicates the good quality water while high BOD referred
to polluted water.
RECOMMENDATIONS

At the end of the experiment, a few recommendations can be made to make sure the
experiment can run smoothly and to avoid any errors as well as technical problems. Firstly,
be well prepared to run the experiment by understanding the operation of the experiment.
This can be done by studying the lab manual before starting the experiment as it can avoid
any misunderstand or misconception. In addition, make sure there is no air bubble present in
the BOD bottles when filling the sample into the bottles provided. This is because the oxygen
present in the air bubble can give an inaccurate results. Next, the students should wear the
gloves throughout the experiment to avoid themselves from infection as the sample may
holds bacteria and microorganism that dangerous to human.