An Automated Multi-Chamber System for Quantifying Biological Oxygen Demand

Quantifying respiratory fluxes is important for understanding global carbon cycles, microbial population growth, postharvest quality and compost stability. Here we review methods for measuring respiratory fluxes and describe a simple, closed system that measures the depletion of oxygen to determine these fluxes. The system uses a galvanic cell oxygen electrode coupled with a data acquisition system capable of microvolt resolution. Measurements are automated and graphed in real-time. We discuss best practices for using the system