Determination of Biochemical Oxygen Demand of Area Waters: A Bioassay Procedure for Environmental Monitoring

Abstract

A graphical method for determining the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) for a body of water is described. In this bioassay, students collect a sample of water from a designated site, transport it to the laboratory, and evaluate the amount of oxygen consumed by naturally occurring bacteria during a 5-day incubation period. An accuracy check, prepared by spiking a portion of the water with a glucose–glutamic acid solution, is used to evaluate the student’s technique. This graphical treatment requires a larger number of samples than the standard method described in the literature, but it is not prone to errors caused by the quality of dilution water, which can invalidate measurements made with the standard method.

What Is the “Areca” in “Areca Nuts”? Extraction and Neuroactive Bioassay of Arecoline

“…This series is a unique and comprehensive introduction into natural products as sources for biologically active compounds. While a number of previously reported undergraduate laboratory experiments may deal with a subset of aspects relating to this area, such as the extraction of compounds ,,− or bioassays to determine activity, − to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there have been no reports of a single series that effectively covers both of these aspects in an integrated fashion. Of particular note is that this series gives students a valuable opportunity to see firsthand the spasmodic effect of arecoline on smooth muscle in an in vivo bioassay.…”

Decontamination of Wastewater Using Activated Biochar from Agricultural Waste: A Practical Experiment for Environmental Sciences Students

“…The concern for sustainability has reached education at all levels from early childhood education to higher education. Regarding university studies, there is a wealth of literature on wastewater management. , The existing proposals cover a wide range of possibilities: innovations based on scale models of water treatment plants; , laboratory experiments in which water quality is monitored; , the elimination of pollutants in wastewater, , including processes involving the use of adsorbing agents as carbons − or magnetic carbons; , the use of electrochemical methods to decontaminate water; − and the use of methods in which light serves as a key agent in the decontamination of wastewater. , …”