Amperometric Determination of Chemical Oxygen Demand

A method is described for measuring the low level --5 to 50 ppm-- chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water samples by amperometric titration. The method involves digestion of the sample with potassium dichromate in a 50% sulfuric acid solution using one-fifth the reagents and sample required for the standard COD method. This is followed by an amperometric titration using a standard ferrous ammonium sulfate solution and employing a rotating platinum electrode in a three-electrode potentiostatic system. The titration is carried out at a potential of +0.80 volts versus a saturated calomel electrode, thus eliminating the need for O2 purging of the polarographic cell. The electrochemical method is compared to the standard method with respect to precision, sensitivity, cost and waste disposal