Wastewater generated in the industrial production of beer and food
The water sample is diluted with oxygen-rich water “free of oxidizable organic substances” so that after the incubation period there is still at least 2 mg oxygen per liter left in the water. Afterward, the dissolved oxygen in the diluted sample should be determined immediately and then again after five days using an iodometric method or with oxygen electrodes. The difference between the two values yields the BOD5 (taking into account the dilution factor).
This method describes how to determine the chemical oxygen demand in wastewater through oxidation with potassium dichromate.
Potassium dichromate is added to the acidified sample as an oxidizing agent along with silver sulfate as a catalyst; mercury sulfate is also added to prevent the formation of elemental chlorine from chlorides. After oxidation of the organic substances in the sample (the dichromate ion is reduced to the chromium(III) ion in an acidic solution), the chromate required to achieve this is determined through reverse titration of the excess potassium dichromate with iron(II) solution (adjusted) against ferroin as an indicator [1].
Cr2O72- + 6 e- + 14 H3O+ → 2 Cr3+ + 21 H2O
Cr2O72- + 6 Fe2+ + 14 H3O+ → 2 Cr3+ + 6 Fe3+ + 21 H2O