Barrons AP Environmental Science

(Marvins-Underground-K-12) #1

  1. (B) Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen
    that is needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break
    down the organic matter present in a given water sample at a certain
    temperature over a specific time period. It is widely used as an indication of
    the organic quality of the water. The BOD value is most commonly
    expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per liter of sample. BOD can
    be used as a gauge of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants.

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