Umwelt- und analytische Toxikologie

Assessment of Biochemical Oxygen Demand as Indicator of Organic Load in Wastewaters of Morris County, New Jersey, USA

Abstract

Dasgupta M and Yildiz Y

The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) constitutes an important water property for assessing the organic loads of wastewaters. This study on BOD5 values of commonly occurring wastewaters of Morris County, USA was taken up to develop a basic understanding about the quantum of organic loads in these wastewaters which is the basic requisite for developing any wastewater management strategy. The study showed that the BOD5 values of the wastewaters depended on the sources of the wastes. Among the three kinds of wastewater studied, industrial waters showed the highest BOD5 load while pharmaceutical wastewaters showed the lowest values. However, in spite of showing comparatively lower BOD5 loads, it was suggested that the management of pharmaceutical and hospital wastewaters should be dealt with special care owing to the possible occurrence of some harmful components in such wastewaters. Considerable seasonal variations in BOD5 values in these wastewaters indicated that this behavior should also be taken into account for making an effective wastewater reclamation program.