COD & BOD treatment

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) are two ways of measuring total pollutants in water. Water with high COD/ BOD levels is starved of oxygen, causing blue-green algae to form and killing aquatic life. It also kills off the bacteria in biofilters at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Therefore, COD/ BOD levels in process, waste or leachate water need to be brought down before discharge to the environment or the sewer.  

Many sectors produce process, waste or leachate water with high COD/ BOD levels, including waste management companies and pesticide and fertiliser manufacturers. Cleaning processes from any industry are likely to contain high COD/ BOD levels. 

Activated carbon filtration is a highly effective treatment for COD/ BOD in wastewater, either as standalone technology, or in combination with biofilters or physicochemical treatment as a pre-treatment or polishing step. It can bring down COD/ BOD to below detectable levels. 

DESOTEC’s mobile filtration service is a one-stop shop that includes testing, treatment, and sustainable carbon waste handling. Filter installation and exchange are rapid, minimising your production downtime. Our solutions save you the cost of specialist wastewater disposal – and you might even choose to purify wastewater for reuse in your industrial processes, boosting sustainability. 

Activated carbon filtration is a reliable technology to enable your company to comply with strict COD/ BOD legislation, the terms of your operating licence, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) acceptance criteria.  

DESOTEC can carry out lab and pilot testing to design optimal and reliable treatment set-ups that ensure your company is always compliant. If you experience a sudden COD/ BOD peak, we can deliver filters rapidly to start work immediately. It’s worth noting that legislation may well be tightened in the coming years; DESOTEC’s purification solutions are modular, so can be expanded if you need to bring down COD/ BOD levels further. 

Activated carbon filtration is the Best Available Technology (BAT) for many pollution abatement applications, and is often the most cost-effective and sustainable option – but it does depend on various factors.

For example:

• Where flow is intermittent, activated carbon is generally more cost-effective than alternatives.
• If space is tight, DESOTEC filters have a smaller footprint than most alternatives.
• For short-term usage, our filters are mobile and rental – unlike more permanent installations.
• If treatment is needed immediately, our filters can be delivered fast and are plug-and-play – some alternatives have a lengthy lead-in time.
• If your needs might change in the future, our systems are modular – other technology might be less adaptable.

DESOTEC is keen to help customers find the best treatment for their needs, and if our experts think an alternative technology might be more suitable than activated carbon, they will tell you so.

Activated carbon is a very versatile technology, so there are many ways to optimise set-ups – e.g. placing filters in series, using different carbon grades, or combining filters with complementary technology such as biofilters.

DESOTEC’s experts carry out testing, advise on set-up design, and offer ongoing support as part of our full-service solution. Our activated carbon filtration solutions have a low total cost of ownership (TCO): they have minimal capex costs, and our service includes maintenance, upgrading, and sustainable carbon waste handling. Thanks to our circular approach, waste carbon is reactivated wherever possible, cutting your costs and helping you reach your green goals.