Biochemical Oxygen Demand – Imaluop

Every living organism requires oxygen for respiration and the source of oxygen is atmospheric air in most of the organism but what is the source of oxygen in aquatic animals? The dissolved oxygen is the main source of oxygen in the case of aquatic organisms and the amount of oxygen in water sometimes determines the growth of the aquatic organisms.  

What is Biochemical Oxygen Demand: 

There are many organic matter present in water and they undergo decomposition and this breakdown requires oxygen. The biochemical oxygen demand used for the amount of oxygen which is required for breakdown of organic matter present in water bodies by the action of different microorganisms. 

Amount of oxygen dissolved in water is known as dissolved oxygen or DO and the portion of this dissolved oxygen used by different microorganisms is calculated through the biological method called biological oxygen demand. 

The south of dissolved oxygen or DO in water bodies is the sum total oxygen released from the photosynthesis occurring by the aquatic plants and the atmospheric air oxygen.

Biochemical oxygen depends on the amount of organic matter present in water bodies like sewage material and other organic material and more the biochemical oxygen demand less oxygen would be available in water for the organism present in water bodies. 

So biochemical oxygen demand gives us an idea about the amount of organic materials present in water and helps us to understand the water pollution and then we can take different steps to reduce their extent in water.

We follow different methods to decrease the biochemical oxygen demand in water bodies because the amount of dissolved oxygen must be sufficient for the growth of different aquatic organisms.

One method to decrease biochemical oxygen demand is to release the sewage material to water bodies after proper treatment so that they do not cause dissolved oxygen shortage in aquatic ecosystems. 

Importance of Biochemical Oxygen Demand: 

  • Biochemical oxygen demand represents the amount of oxygen consumption due to the activities of microorganisms on different organic materials present in water bodies and it gives us information about the amount of organic materials present in the water bodies and activities of different microorganisms. 
  • Biochemical oxygen demand is a scientific method to estimate the organic pollutants present in water bodies which lowers the oxygen availability for other aquatic animals and we can be aware about the organic pollutants and help us to remove them. 
  • Biochemical oxygen demand also gives us information about the oxidation of inorganic materials present in water bodies along with organic pollutants. 
  • Biochemical oxygen demand is required for treatment of organic materials present in sewage water and wastewater by the help of microorganisms who decompose the organic material and break it down aerobically. 
  • Biochemical oxygen demand is also a measure for the amount of organic materials present in sediment, garbages, sludge, soil and sewage.  
  • Biochemical oxygen demand is an estimation of oxygen required for respiration of living organisms present in water bodies among dissolved oxygen.  
  • In laboratory oxygen consumption is determined by biochemical oxygen demand which is very helpful in some industries like pharmaceutical industry and other biochemical industries.   

In aquatic bodies biochemical oxygen demand is very important for maintaining the healthy environment for the aquatic organisms and it gives us an idea about how many pollutants are present in water so that we can be aware about the situation and control the mixture of untreated organic material.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Biochemical Oxygen Demand

It is very important for different types of aquaculture like fish farming because it indicates the amount of dissolved oxygen in water bodies and it helps us to understand the oxygen availability because yield of fish farming and other aquaculture is dependent on the amount of dissolved oxygen. 

Read More: Characteristics of Benthic Zone

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