But measuring the BOD 5 can pose certain difficulties: the main one is related to the 5-day wait, a period during which the composition of the water analyzed may have varied substantially.Based on fluorescence, this method uses a fluorescent bio-reagent which reacts to biological oxygen demand, and thus makes it possible to follow the respiration of bacteria.“We selected the temperature of 30°C in order to accelerate bacterial metabolic reactions.This experimental condition of increasing the temperature for measuring BOD5 is already used and standardized in certain countries, notably India and Malaysia, explains Solenn Bellaton, Project Manager at AMS Alliance.We have developed the method in the format of a microplate kit, which allows for high-throughput analysis with a compact system.Our kits include reagents, patented calibration standards as well as the various consumables necessary for the analysis.Our calibration standards, which mimic the degradation of organic matter in 48 hours by bacteria, make it possible to translate the fluorescence intensity detected into mg O2/L.At present, within the framework of the France Experimentation project, our method is recognized by the regulations”.Without claiming regulatory equivalent status, Proteus Instruments, a subsidiary of RS Hydro, launched the ProteusBOD probe in 2018, which measures BOD in real time.This probe, which is based on fluorescence, incorporates a submersible and miniature spectrofluorometer operating from short wave LEDs.The ProteusBOD probe easily integrates into any type of telemetry systems (SCADA) and can also be used with existing recording devices with an external RS232/Modbus/SDI 12 port. Its integrated data logger can store up to 1,000,000 readings that can be viewed on a mobile phone or tablet.It can be configured according to the user's needs in terms of parameters and offers a single platform to add additional sensors such as pH, redox, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and others.For Rob Stevens, Founding Director of RS Hydro and ProteusBOD Instruments, "Proteus represents a breakthrough, scientifically proven technology that is changing the way water quality is monitored remotely and could be one of the most significant disruptive technologies observed in the sector for several decades.Now patented, our real-time technology eliminates sending BOD and COD samples for five-day testing.”By providing real-time monitoring, the ProteusBOD probe makes it possible to react quickly in the event of an incident or non-compliance with virtually no maintenance costs.It thus makes it possible to protect rivers, lakes, groundwater, sources of drinking water and bathing water.It also promotes compliance with regulatory requirements and thus avoids the penalties that could result from any malfunction.“Measuring BOD5 is a standardized method that is tedious to perform in the laboratory.But our customers need to obtain reliable, reproducible and easy-to-perform measurements without being an expert in laboratory analysis techniques.This is why we use self-monitoring methods such as respirometry, which complement BOD5 measurements,” he explains.Respirometry is not standardized in France, but it is officially recognized in other northern European countries to determine BOD 5.If the BOD is rather used over long periods of time, ATPmetry is rather effective for measuring the occasional presence of bacteria, for example to detect contamination.ATP is also a parameter that can be measured online, to continuously know the presence of bacteria.The analysis kit offered by LuminUltra Technologies makes it possible to carry out analyzes at different points of a station, for example on an aeration basin, on the circulation of sludge, and on the concentration of suspended solids.s::can, leader in UV-Vis spectrometry technology for 20 years, offers an immersible probe that can simultaneously determine the BOD, COD, SS at the inlet or outlet of a wastewater treatment plant.Global factory calibrations can be very easily corrected against laboratory references."Many French industrial or municipal wastewater treatment plants have already installed our probes for monitoring their effluents and appreciate their ease of use and their almost zero operating costs" explains Philippe Marinot, Director of s::can France.The advantage of the UV method is that it does not require any reagent, it is stable over time, and the probes are calibrated on the basis of comparative measurements carried out in the laboratory.These probes make it possible to determine other parameters such as COD, TOC, nitrates, nitrites, suspended solids, etc.They require very little maintenance, the sensors being cleaned automatically by ultrasound and compressed air.Hach also offers the UV method, which is “interesting on drinking water” as Frédéric Soumet asserts.Copyrights © 2022 All Rights Reserved by Revue EIN