Activated carbon and BOD

[Soilwork]

Can activated carbon help reduce Biological oxygen demand?

 

[Bacms]

The answer to your question is no as BOD is proportional to the amount of organic material the aerobic microorganisms in your tank need to be able to decompose that material. Activated carbon does not provide oxygen so as no impact on this at all. I believe your question is whether the activated carbon can reduce the organic material on your water and then reduce BOD by this indirect mean. The answer to that question is still no, as carbon as mainly an effect on inorganic substances and little or no impact on organic material.

However you can try purigen which binds organic waste

 

[Soilwork]

I believe your question is whether the activated carbon can reduce the organic material on your water and then reduce BOD by this indirect mean. The answer to that question is still no, as carbon as mainly an effect on inorganic substances and little or no impact on organic material.

However you can try purigen which binds organic waste

That's what I meant yes. I just keep coming across articles and papers that suggest it does improve both COD and BOD in waste waters.

http://www.chemvironcarbon.com/en/applications/effluent-water-treatment/wastewater

http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/CPER/article/download/9398/9620

http://www.ijrdet.com/files/Volume2Issue4/IJRDET_0414_08.pdf

 

[Graham Bell]

Interesting
thought it was mainly to remove dissolved organics, tanning etc

 

[herezor]

The answer to your question is no as BOD is proportional to the amount of organic material the aerobic microorganisms in your tank need to be able to decompose that material. Activated carbon does not provide oxygen so as no impact on this at all. I believe your question is whether the activated carbon can reduce the organic material on your water and then reduce BOD by this indirect mean. The answer to that question is still no, as carbon as mainly an effect on inorganic substances and little or no impact on organic material.

However you can try purigen which binds organic waste

Well, I would say YES, if the question is if it can help reduce the BOD, as it is

Can activated carbon help reduce Biological oxygen demand?

Carbon removes organic waste. Less organic waste involves less microorganisms (as they may starve). Less micoorganism consume less oxygen, so there is less oxygen demand and there will be more oxygen available for your fish and plants. So YES, both purigen and activated carbon will reduce the BOD (purigen at a higher extent).

Just my opinion

 

[hard determinist]

In one test with activated carbon scientists have found out that it reduced mechanical impurities from 10 ppm to less than 1.0 ppm, COD from 47.0 to 9.5 ppm, dissolved COD from 31.0 to 7.0 ppm, TOC from 13.0 to 2.5 ppm, nitrogen as N from 6.7 to 3.7 ppm. Each 45 kg of activated carbon can remove up to 25 kg of dissolved COD. [See SPOTTE, Stephen H. Fish and invertebrate culture: Water management in closed systems (1970).]