Paper No: 2Analytical Chemistry

Module 26: DO meter

Development Team
Principal Investigator
&
Co- Principal Investigator
Paper Coordinator
Content Writer
Content Reviewer
Prof. R.K. Kohli
Prof. V.K. Garg & Prof. Ashok Dhawan
Central University of Punjab, Bathinda
Dr. J. N. Babu,
Central University of Punjab, Bathinda
Dr. Heena Rekhi
Department of Chemistry,
G.S.S.D.G.S. Khalsa College Patiala
Prof. Ashok Kumar
Punjabi University, Patiala

Anchor Institute Central University of Punjab

Analytical Chemistry
Environmental
Sciences DO meter
 Description of Module

Subject Name Environmental Sciences

Paper Name Analytical Chemistry

Module
DO meter
Name/Title
Module Id EVS/AC-II/26

Pre-requisites
To study the basics of DO meter and know the following about self generated
questions.
1. What is dissolved oxygen?
2. Why it is required?
Objectives 3. Where and how it is used?
4. Where does dissolved oxygen come from?
5. How it is measured?
6. Where does DO come from?

Keywords

Analytical Chemistry
Environmental
Sciences DO meter
Module 26: DO meter
Objectives: To study the basics of DO meter and know the following about self generated
questions.
1. What is dissolved oxygen?
2. Why it is required?
3. Where and how it is used?
4. Where does dissolved oxygen come from?
5. How it is measured?
6. Where does DO come from?

Analytical Chemistry
Environmental
Sciences DO meter
 MODULE 26: DO meter
1. Description
Dissolved oxygen pertains to the degree of free, non-compound oxygen present in water or other

liquids. It is a crucial parameter in evaluating water quality due to its influence on the organisms living

within a body of water. Dissolved oxygen plays a crucial role in deciding the aquatic fauna, as it varies

with the depth of the lake. A variation in the dissolved oxygen level i.e., either too high or too low,

can be harmful to aquatic life.

When oxygen is not bonded to any other element it is usually known as free oxygen (O2) or

non-compound oxygen. This free O2 molecules within water is known as the dissolved oxygen. The

bonded oxygen in molecular water (H2O) is termed compound oxygen, does not count towards

dissolved oxygen levels. Thus, the free O2 molecules dissolve as does the sugar or salt dissolve in

water and are being held to water by week intermolecular forces. These forces are so weak that even

slight variation in physicochemical conditions namely, pH, conductivity, temperature etc. of water

leads to the variation of DO level in water.

Dissolved oxygen is essential to a all forms of aquatic life including fish, plants, invertebrates,

and bacteria. These organisms utilize the dissolved oxygen in respiration, alike to organisms on land.

For respiration fishes and crustaceans acquire oxygen with the help of their respiratory organs known

as gills, and in case of phytoplankton’s they take dissolved oxygen (under dark conditions) for

respiration.

The requirement of dissolved oxygen varies from species to species based on their metabolic

processes. Bottom feeders, crabs, oysters and worms need minimal amounts of oxygen in the form of

DO (1-6 mg/L), while shallow water fish need higher DO levels (4-15 mg/L). These organisms use

Analytical Chemistry
Environmental
Sciences DO meter
 DO to break down organic material at the bed of a body of water. Microbial decomposition is a

significant contributor to nutrient recycling. The oxygen at lower water levels in a water body get used

up faster if there is a surplus of decomposing

organic materials from dying organisms.

Where Does DO Come From?

There are two ways by which dissolved oxygen

paves way in water one is by the air and other as

a plant by-product. A slow dissemination of

oxygen occurs from the air to the surface of

water from the adjacent atmosphere or it can mix

quickly via aeration by natural or non-natural

processes. The aeration of water can be caused

by waterfalls, wind, ground water discharge or

other forms of running water. The causes of aeration from synthetic mode or man-made fluctuate from

an aquarium air pump to a hand-turned waterwheel. In additional as a waste product of photosynthesis

from phytoplankton, algae, seaweed and other aquatic plants significantly contributes to dissolved

oxygen. The shallow water plants and algae at the surface of a water body mostly contribute to the

photosynthesis still seaweed, sub-surface algae and phytoplankton in underwater gives a prominent

contribution to it.

Presence of light scattering elements in the water, the penetrating light varies through the depth. Depth

also affects the wavelengths accessible to plants, with red being absorbed rapidly and blue light being

visible past 100 m. In clear water, there is no longer abundant light for photosynthesis to happen past
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Analytical Chemistry
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Sciences DO meter
 200 m, and aquatic plants no longer grow. In turbid water, this photic (light-penetrating) zone is

considerably shallower.

Irrespective of wavelengths accessible, the cycle doesn’t get altered. In addition to the required light,

CO2 is promptly absorbed by water (it’s about 200 times more soluble than oxygen) and the oxygen

produced as a byproduct remains dissolved in water. The basic reaction of aquatic photosynthesis

remains:

CO2 + H2O → (CH2O) + O2

As aquatic photosynthesis is light-dependent, the dissolved oxygen produced will peak during daylight

hours and wane at night.

Measurement of dissolved oxygen

The amount of dissolved oxygen in a liquid is
measured with the help of a dissolved oxygen
(DO) meters. Oxygen marks its way into water
through a diverse processes, comprising
aeration, as a byproduct of photosynthesis, and
from surrounding air. A healthy aquatic
system maintaining an aerobic life must cover
a specific amount of oxygen; e.g., 5 mg/L of
dissolved oxygen is an indication of a healthy
water body. DO levels less than 5 mg/L can
result in strained aquatic organisms, and levels
which endure as low as 1 mg/L for even a few
hours can result in prevalent fish kills.
Conversely, dissolved oxygen saturation can also be detrimental to aquatic life. The information
discussed above, it becomes clear that dissolved oxygen measurement is particularlyvital when
assessing the health and sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.
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Analytical Chemistry
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 Dissolved oxygen levels are hardly fixed and vary with changes in season, temperature, and

time of day. Even inside a single body of water, DO levels fluctuate within a vertical water column (in

lakes or large rivers) or horizontally within the

waterway (in smaller rivers and streams).Time

of day and temperature in specific have a

profound outcome on dissolved oxygen levels,

partially because cold water tends to have

additional dissolved oxygen. For example, a

measurement taken at sunrise, when water

temperatures are lowermost, may possibly be

more than one full mg/L higher than a

measurement taken at mid-day, when water temperatures are warmest. This is the only reason that the

investigators regularly take hourly DO readings over the course of a 24-hour period and create a

dissolved oxygen profile of a lake or river, rather than relying on a single measurement.

DO changes due to temperature alteration are slightly tempered by changes to solar activity, which

affects dissolved oxygen levels in a reverse fashion. As shown in the image above, improved levels of

photosynthesis result in higher amounts of dissolved oxygen. During daylight hours, the

photosynthesis upsurges with sufficient quantity of sunlight, hence results in greater DO levels and

thus becomes independent of water temperatures. At night when photosynthesis activity declines and

decomposition continues DO levels tend to fall independently of temperature factors. Considering the

many variables listed above, DO levels are undoubtedly determined by complex interactions of

environmental and biological conditions within a body of water.

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Analytical Chemistry
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 The graph describes a typical DO profile comprising of several days' worth of measurements.

Kept this thing in mind that dissolved oxygen is more in cold waters, we can easily deduce that these

readings probably began around dawn on a cool day. Water temperatures steadily increased from mid-

day on day 3 (hour 70) and we can also determine that at ease, as all DO measurements were lower

than the previous days.

Devices used for the measurement purpose:

A DO probe is coupled to a meter /analyzer of DO

meter which is analogous in making to pH meters.In

potassium chloride (KCl) electrolyte solution the two

electrodes of the probe are suspended, and they are

bounded with glass and/or a semipermeable membrane.

These electrodes are linked to the meter, which

delivers a small DC current to the electrodes via

wiring. A measurable current change occurs when the

sensor is submerged within a liquid, this is all due to DO meter Probe

the oxygen from the liquid which crosses the

membrane and reacts with the cathode and finally the meter displayed this change as a millivolt

output.

Dissolved oxygen meters typically measure more than DO similar to the pH meters.

Multifunction meters may measure different liquid parameters such as pH, conductivity, oxygen

reduction potential (ORP), temperature, etc. The methodologies for the maintenance such as ensuring

proper levels of electrolyte solution, eliminating membrane leakage, and routine calibration of a DO
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Analytical Chemistry
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 probe share similar lines to that of a pH probe. So, these remain the key factors in the cleaning and

maintaining accurate meter output.

DO meters are generally portable, handheld devices as DO levels vary quickly when the water

source is detached from it and this is one of the reasons for taking repeated field measurements. The

image below shows a typical handheld dissolved oxygen meter.Milligrams per liter (mg/L) or percent

saturation are the units in which DO is measured and expressed. The unit of Milligrams per liter

(mg/L) is defined as the number of milligrams of oxygen within a liter of water and the amount of

oxygen in a liter of water relative to the maximum amount of oxygen the water can hold at an identical

temperature is known as percent saturation.

Applications
Aeration, diffusion, respiration, photosynthesis and decomposition are often affecting the DO

concentrations. DO levels will also vary with temperature, pressure changes and salinity even after

water equilibrates towards 100% air saturation. For pressure measurements by water level sensors a

data logging system can be connected with an external barometer even though many DO meters

contain an internal barometer. The interaction between oxygen and certain luminescent material is

measured by optical dissolved oxygen sensors.

• To determine water quality in various samples including waste water, aquarium etc.
Step 1
•Dissolved oxygen meters and sensors combine high accuracy and precision with ease of use
Step 2 and low maintenance.

•Dissolved oxygen levels will also fluctuate with temperature, salinity and pressure changes
Step 3

•Offer high-end optical and polarographic DO sensors for water quality analyses.
Step 4

Analytical Chemistry
Environmental
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 Furthermore, membrane electrode measures the diffusion current produced by concentration of

dissolved oxygen to find its exact concentration. When sensor is inserted an air layer forms over the

membrane. The oxygen partial pressure in air is in equilibrium with the concentration of dissolved

oxygen in water. There are two types of membrane electrode methods are available galvanic and

polarographic method. These two methods differ only in presence or absence of external voltage and

have the same features, usage and performance.

Calibration of dissolved oxygen analyzer: It is performed in following situations

When new dissolved oxygen sensor is installed

When membrane assembly is replaced

When sensor has been disassembled and

reassembled for maintainence

There are number of tools which are used for the process of calibration air calibration, span calibration

and zero calibration in sodium sulfite. The most suitable method and easiest way to calibrate the

analyzing system in ambient air is air calibration. Span calibration is needed if want to do it more

accurately. Zero calibration in sodium sulfite needs much to perform and generally not required.

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Analytical Chemistry
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 Bibliography

 Galen W. Ewing, Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis, 1985, McGraw-Hill Publishing.

 R.W. Murray, Analytical Chemistry is What Analytical Chemists Do, Editorial, Anal. Chem.,
66 (1994) 682A
 https://instrumentationtools.com/dissolved-oxygen-analyzer-working-
principle/#.WmYnYK6Wafg
 S.M. Khopkar, Basic Concepts of Analytical Chemistry, New Age International Publishers,
New Delhi, 2004.
 D. C. Dash, Analytical Chemistry, 2017, 2nd Edition, PHI Learning Pvt Ltd., Delhi.

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Analytical Chemistry
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