A Microbial Sensor for BOD

Abstract

Eiochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is a widely used parameter for the determination of biodegradable organic compounds in waste water. The conventional BOD test takes 5 days and is unsuitable for process control. A more rapid estimation of biodegradable organic compounds is possible by using a microbial sensor containing whole cells immobilized on an oxygen electrode. The first report of such a microbial BOD sensor was published in 1977 by Karube et al. The number of such biosensors is growing. BOD sensors have been developed using the following microorganims: activated sludges obtained from waste water treatment plants (Karube et al. 1977, Strand and Carlson 1984), Trichosporon cutaneum ((Hikuma et al. 1979, Harita et al221985, Riedel et al. 1988,1990), Hansenula anomala (Kulys and Kadziauskiene 1980), Clostridium butyricum (Karube et al 1977), and Bacillus subtilis (Riedel et al. 1988).