Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) testing process has a reputation as a tedious task when performed manually and is prone to human error. As an automated method on SEAL Analytical's MiniLab systems, BOD bottles are prepared and analyzed identically using precision robotics while analysts are no longer tied to the benchtop during analysis. Learn more about how the MiniLab is facilitating efficient and accurate BOD testing around the world.

Why is BOD Analysis Important?

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand (cBOD) testing is essential in assessing water quality and the health of aquatic ecosystems. By measuring the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms to decompose organic material in water, BOD analysis provides a clear indicator of pollution levels in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. This data is critical for identifying organic pollution from industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and untreated wastewater, making it a cornerstone of environmental water testing and regulatory compliance.

In wastewater treatment facilities, BOD analysis is a vital tool for optimizing treatment processes and ensuring that effluent meets strict environmental standards. Effective BOD monitoring prevents excess organic load from entering waterways, safeguarding aquatic life and supporting sustainable water management. Moreover, BOD testing is critical for regulatory compliance, as organizations such as the EPA and ISO set stringent standards for permissible BOD levels in water discharge. Accurate and reliable BOD analysis helps laboratories ensure compliance while supporting efforts to maintain clean and healthy ecosystems.

SEAL Analytical’s expertise in automating BOD and cBOD testing simplifies this critical process, enabling laboratories to save time, increase throughput, reduce human error, and achieve consistent, reproducible results. Whether in environmental, municipal, or industrial testing applications, automating BOD analysis allows laboratories to handle high sample volumes with efficiency, freeing up analysts to focus on higher-value tasks. Explore our range of robotic solutions for BOD automation to elevate your laboratory’s capabilities and meet the highest industry standards.

What's the Automation Advantage?

1. Streamlined Sample Preparation: Automated BOD platforms include options for critical sample preparation steps—such as pH measurement and adjustment, conductivity readings, pre-dilutions, and homogenization—with precision and consistency. This automation ensures that all samples are prepared uniformly, significantly reducing variability caused by manual processes.	2. Increased Efficiency and Throughput: Robust automated systems can handle high sample volumes with minimal analyst intervention, freeing up valuable time for staff to focus on higher-priority tasks. By managing routine steps like capping and decapping, dosing sample, addition of dilution water, ATU, and seed, and DO, these systems deliver faster turnaround times and greater overall productivity.
3. Improved Accuracy and Reproducibility: Automation minimizes the potential for human error, ensuring consistent and reliable results for every sample. This precision is especially critical in maintaining compliance with strict regulatory standards for environmental and industrial testing applications.	4. Untethered Laboratory Workflow: By reducing the need for continuous analyst supervision at the benchtop, automated systems allow laboratories to operate more flexibly. Analysts can step away from routine tasks while the system manages the entire process, enhancing laboratory workflow and optimizing resource allocation.

SEAL's Expertise in Automated BOD Analysis

For over 35 years, SEAL Analytical has been a leader in developing robotic handling platforms and innovative automation solutions for environmental laboratories worldwide. Building on expertise from SEAL Netherlands, formerly ROHASYS, we’ve established a reputation for precision engineering and robust designs. Our systems are designed with intention, providing stable platforms with exact mechanical alignment, ensuring reliable and repeatable results for every test run. From robotic sample preparation to fully automated BOD analysis, our solutions streamline processes and minimize errors, delivering confidence to labs managing high volumes of environmental samples.

Our scalable MiniLab robotic platforms are a testament to SEAL’s dedication to meeting the evolving needs of modern laboratories both large and small. Designed to handle complex workflows with ease, these systems incorporate advanced features that elevate BOD testing efficiency and accuracy. Whether it’s automating critical preparation steps or integrating seamlessly into larger analytical workflows, SEAL’s automated BOD solutions reflect decades of innovation, expertise, and a commitment to advancing laboratory productivity and reliability.

Key BOD Methods and Features

SEAL Analytical’s expertise in BOD analysis covers a wide range of approved methods, providing unmatched support for environmental water testing, wastewater analysis, and more. Our instrumentation automates methods according to 40 CFR 136 and other regulatory guidelines. Common reference methods for SEAL's BOD method library include:

Beyond BOD measurement, SEAL Analytical’s MiniLab systems support an array of automated processes, including barcode scanning, conductivity reading, pH reading and adjustment, homogenizing, air purging, pre-dilutions, sample dosing, addition of dilution water, ATU addition, seed addition, and capping and decapping. By combining these powerful features with regulatory-approved methods and robust designs, SEAL Analytical ensures your lab’s BOD and cBOD analysis is not only compliant and efficient, but also capable of delivering consistent, precise, and high-quality results.

Compare our Analyzers

Explore the capabilities of each of our product lines below. Our analyzers and robotic systems are capable of analyzing a wide variety of analytes on a single platform. Select a product line to learn more about the capabilities of each system.