Food to Microorganism Mass Ratio

10/23/25

“How can we compare the amount of mass a wastewater treatment plant needs to clean versus the potential it can provide?”

Wastewater treatment plants will have to remove a certain amount of organic compounds, as quantified by the BOD loading rate. At the same time, they have a potential measured by the Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids multiplied by the volume. The ratio between these two variables measures the amount of waste that needs treatment versus the capabilities of the system, much like the “food” that needs to be consumed versus the “hunger levels” of the system. In fact, wastewater experts call this relationship the Food to Microorganism Mass Ratio in light of the metaphor.

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