Chemistry GCSE
Organic matter
What Organic matter means in Chemistry GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Organic matter
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Organic matter in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
Material in sewage and agricultural waste water that includes food waste, faeces and plant material, and is broken down by microorganisms in rivers, using up dissolved oxygen.
Carbon-based material such as food, blood or solvents from factories, which microorganisms can decompose.
Topics that use Organic matter
- Waste water treatment (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Anaerobic digestion
- Chemical treatment of pollutants
- Ground water
- Harmful chemicals
- Harmful microbes
- Potable water
- Sedimentation
- Separation techniques
Using Organic matter in the exam
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