Generally, the bleaching waste liquor in cotton processing is alkaline in nature

with BOD 3.5% of the total load. Hypochlorite is still used as a bleaching agent for
cotton due to its bleaching power at low temperatures and its relatively low cost.
However, the formation of highly toxic chlorinated organic by-products (AOX) during
the bleaching process has limited its use because these types of compounds. are a
potential hazard to the drinking water resources when discharged [45, 46]. Table
13.14 shows the typical data on the total AOX and CHC13 concentrations in
TABLE 13.14 AOX and CHC13 Concentrations in Bleaching Liquid (p.p.m.)
Toxic by-products NaOC1 stage H202 stage Rinse 1 Rinse 2 AOX 105 19 5 2 CHC13
11.5 1.1 0.3 0
spent hypochlorite bleaching liquids and rinse solution. Chloroform can be reduced
to victually zero by subsequent peroxide bleaching and hot washing. Generally
bleaching with HzO 2 is less harmful as far as AOX content in the waste water. H202
decomposes into water and oxygen and leaves little dissolved solids or objectionable residue behind except small amounts of sodium silicate and alkali that is added
to peroxide liquor. The commonly used stabilisers like DTPA or phosphonates are not
easily biodegradable. A new class of sugar acrylate complex sequestering agents
are developed for ecological alternative for the present range of products used [47].
Peracetic acid is environmentally safe since it decomposes to acetic acid and
oxygen [48, 49]. However, acetic acid contributes slightly to higher BOD levels of
waste water in the order of magnitude of 20-40 mg BOD/1. Bleaching of synthetic
fibre does not create a major water pollution problem. In case of sodium chlorite
bleaching, the sodium nitrite added to the bleaching bath causes water pollution.
The sodium sulphite used as an antichlor is also not desirable in water. A low
concentration of optical brightening agent do not create any special pollution problem, although most of the agents are not biodegradable within 5-10 days of waste
water biological treatment [50]. In contrast, however, some of the intermediates
used for the production of optical brightening agents are more or less toxic.
Disadvantage of chlorine:
Sodium chlorite is more expensive than hydrogen peroxide. It is not use- ful for the
bleaching of silk and wool, since it gives pink colouration which, however, can be
removed with treatment of soidum bisulphite solution. (ii) Even at pH 4-5 certain
amount of chlorine dioxide is evolved, and the bleaching action is extremely
corrosive to metals including stainless steel.
Neutral and alkaline pH may tender the cotton. (iii) Chlorine dioxide is a very toxic
gas because it can decompose into both hydrochloric acid and chlorine gases. The
gas mixture is a skin irritant, attacks mucous membranes and can cause fatal
pulmonary edema. The

TLV of this compound is 0.1 p.p.m, and shows the necessity for adequate care and
ventilation during usuage. (iv) Explosions are fostered when gaseous chlorine
dioxide and HC102 is ex- posed to uv light.

What is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical

Oxygen Demand (COD)?
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD):
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), also often referred to as biological oxygen demand, is a test
performed to measure the potential of wastewater and other waters to deplete the oxygen level of
receiving waters. Click here to view the abstract for Biochemical Oxygen Demand.
In other words, the BOD test is performed to determine what effect dirty water, containing bacteria and
organic materials, will have on animal and plant life when released into a stream or lake. When there is an
abundance of bacteria and organic materials, the bacteria will take in oxygen in order to breakdown these
molecules. If bacteria are taking in large amounts of oxygen, this will have a detrimental effect on the
surrounding ecosystem. On the contrary, when there are low levels of organic waste in the water, there
are fewer bacteria present, the BOD will be lower and the dissolved oxygen levels higher.

BOD 60mL bottles

In wastewater treatment plants, they often calculate the percentage removal of BOD to determine the
efficiency of the treatment process. For this reason, BOD is sometimes referred to as a water
contaminant.
The BOD test involves taking an initial dissolved oxygen (DO) reading and a second reading after five
days of incubation at 20oC. For this reason, this test is often written as BOD5 for short. MANTECH has
developed a variety of systems that have automated the analysis of BOD5 including:

PC-BOD Available with AutoMax 73, 222 and 197 AutoSamplers the PC-BOD system is perfect for
laboratories who run a medium to large amount of BOD samples. Watch a video on frequently asked
BOD questions.
PC-BOD Mini This system is ideal for laboratories who run a small number of BOD samples.
PC-BOD/Titrate Duo This system is for systems who do BOD and additional parameters such as pH,
alkalinity, or conductivity. With a simple change of the probe and rack, turn your BOD analyser into a
multi-parameter titration system. Watch a video on this system.

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD):

COD analysis is a measurement of the oxygen-depletion capacity of a water sample contaminated with
organic waste matter. Specifically, it measures the equivalent amount of oxygen required to chemically
oxidize organic compounds in water.
Why Measure COD?
COD is used as a general indicator of water quality and is an integral part of all water quality management
programs. Additionally, COD is often used to estimate BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) as a strong
correlation exists between COD and BOD, however COD is a much faster, more accurate test. Watch a
video on the science behind the PeCOD, MANTECHs new 15 minute COD analyzer.
What are the Current COD Methods Used?
The most common COD method is the wet chemistry method. This involves a two hour digestion at high
heat under acidic conditions in which potassium dichromate acts as the oxidant for any organic material
present in a water sample. Silver sulfate is present as the catalyst and mercuric sulfate acts to complex
out any interfering chloride. Following the digestion, the extent of oxidation is measured through indirect
measurement of oxygen demand via electrons consumed in the reduction of Cr6+ to Cr3+. This can be
done by titration or spectrophotometry.
What are the Alternatives?
MANTECH has developed an automated COD method utilizing a new, rapid and green technology
called PeCOD. This method directly measures the amount of oxidizable material in a sample via
photoelectrochemical oxidation in a microcell, eliminating the need for time-consuming digestion and
hazardous chemicals as only an electrolyte solution is required for analysis. Automated sample
homogenization always ensures a representative sample is analyzed, and multi-point calibration
guarantees the best accuracy and precision.