Industrial Wastewater Management.
Real-Time Data for Operational Efficiency.

PeCOD® is utilized as an internal process control tool to make impactful real-time decisions.The PeCOD® conforms to regulatory standards such as the ASTM International Method D8084, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Ontario (MECP) method E3515, and the Health Canada Guidance on drinking water. The ASTM International method for photoelectrochemical oxygen demand is approved for measuring organics in freshwater sources and treated drinking water. The Ontario MECP method E3515 replaced the standard dichromate methods due to the fact that no harmful chemicals are used in the peCOD method. This method now includes PeCOD® as an approved alternate COD method in the Municipal and Industrial Strategy for Abatement (MISA). The PECOD method is also referenced in the Health Canada Guidance on Natural Organic Matter in Drinking Water. COD has been added as a parameter with a <5ppm limit, only the peCOD method is referenced for the parameter, and peCOD is also referenced as a “parameter” to monitor in source waters for drinking water plants.

BOD and COD methods differ from TOC because they measure the amount of oxygen that is depleted by organic species in water. There are several common methods to test wastewater and drinking water for organic pollutants, natural and chemical.  Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) compromise the three main methods of testing water samples.  BOD and COD methods differ from TOC because they measure the amount of oxygen that is depleted by organic species in water.  Moreover, TOC is a measure of all carbon (both organic and inorganic), rather than the oxygen that is reduced by these species.  As written by a TOC manufacturer, “TOC on its own sheds no light on the oxidizability of the measured carbon or the amount of oxygen needed for its biodegradation.”  Specific to COD, it measures the reactive fraction of the TOC.  This is also known as oxidizability in the European Union. View the full article: Comparison of COD, BOD and TOC Methods for organics, which summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the COD, BOD and TOC methods, and compares them to the PeCOD method.

The PeCOD® analyzer performs advanced oxidation on a small volume of sample. As the reaction proceeds, electrical charge is generated proportional to the oxygen being consumed. The PeCOD® analyzer captures this generated charge, plotting the output current from the reaction over time as shown below. The area under the curve generated by plotting current over time is proportional to the oxygen demand of the sample. A blank charge is also determined for each sample, and subtracted from the total charge to ensure accuracy.