Pounds Formula

Prepared By
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Operator Training and Certification Unit
 CALCULATION OF POUNDS

We often need to know how many

pounds of material we are dealing with.

1. Loading on treatment system.

2. Calculating pounds of a chemical to add.

3. Calculating pounds of a material being discharged.

Pounds
Formula
mg/L (Metric)
To
Pounds (English)
 CALCULATION OF POUNDS
Three things must be known to calculate the
POUNDS of material in a quantity of water.

1. The Quantity of water must be known.

(The flow of the water stream or the volume of the
tank containing the water.)

2. The Concentration of material in water

must be known. (Lab analysis)

3. The Weight of a gallon of water

The Weight of a gallon of water is a constant.

1 gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds

 CALCULATION OF POUNDS

Pounds =

Conc. x Flow (or Volume) x 8.34 Lbs/gallon

Concentration Quantity Weight

Of STUFF Of Water Of The
In the
X The STUFF
X Water
Water Is In
Flow (volume) and concentration must be
expressed in specific units.

Flow or Volume must be expressed

as millions of gallons:
gallons
= MG
1,000,000 gal/MG
i.e.) A tank contains 1,125,000 gallons of water. How many
million gallons are there?

1,125,000 gal = 1.125 MG

1,000,000 gal/MG
Concentration must be expressed
as parts per million parts.

Concentration usually reported as milligrams

per liter. This unit is equivalent to ppm.

1 mg = 1 mg = 1 mg = ppm
liter 1000 grams 1,000,000 mg

Parts Lbs.
mg/L = ppm = =
Mil Parts Mil Lbs.
When Flow (volume) is expressed as MG
and Concentration is in ppm,
the units cancel to leave only pounds.
Lbs. =
Concentration x Flow (or Volume) x 8.34 Lbs/gallon

Lbs. Lbs.
M Lbs. X M gal X
gal
= Lbs.
 If we enter flow rate in M gal per day
(MGD), the answer will be in Lbs/day.

Lbs./Day =
Concentration (mg/L) x Flow (MGD) x 8.34 Lbs/gal.

Lbs. M gal Lbs.

M Lbs. X Day X
gal

= Lbs./Day
 EXAMPLE POUNDS CALCULATIONS
1. Calculate the POUNDS of suspended solids
discharged to the receiving stream if the
suspended solids concentration was 15 mg/L
and the plant flow was 1.2 MGD.
POUNDS/day =
Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

POUNDS/day =

15 mg/L X 1.2 MGD X 8.34 #/gal

= 150 Lbs./day Suspended Solids

2. Calculate the POUNDS of Phosphorus
discharged from a system if the Phosphorus
concentration was 0.75 mg/L and the flow was
500,000 gallons/day.
POUNDS/day =
Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

POUNDS/day =
500,000 gal/day
0.75 mg/L X X 8.34 #/gal
1,000,000

= 0.75 mg/L X 0.50 MGD X 8.34 #/gallon

= 3.1 Lbs./day Phosphorus

3. Calculate the POUNDS of Mixed Liquor Volatile
Suspended Solids, (MLVSS) in a 250,000 gallon
aeration tank if the MLVSS concentration is
2500 mg/L.
POUNDS =
Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MG) X 8.34 pounds/gallon
3. Calculate the POUNDS of Mixed Liquor Volatile
Suspended Solids, (MLVSS) in a 250,000 gallon
aeration tank if the MLVSS concentration is
2500 mg/L.
POUNDS =
Conc. (mg/L) X Q (MG) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

POUNDS =
250,000 gallons
2500 mg/L X X 8.34 #/gal
1,000,000

= 2500 mg/L X 0.25 MG X 8.34 #/gallon

= 5200 Lbs MLVSS

The Pounds formula can be rearranged to
calculate flow or concentration:

a. M gal = Lbs _
8.34 Lbs/gal x conc. (mg/L)
What volume may be discharged to
meet a pounds limit?

b. conc. (mg/L) = Lbs _

8.34 Lbs/gal x M gal.

What is the concentration if this

amount of chemical was added?
 CALCULATION OF POUNDS

Pounds =

Conc. x Flow (or Volume) x 8.34 Lbs/gallon

Concentration Quantity Weight

Of STUFF Of Water Of The
In the
X The STUFF
X Water
Water Is In
Practice Problems
Work Calculations on Separate Paper
Answers Given on Next Slides
1. Calculate the POUNDS of suspended solids discharged to the receiving
stream if the suspended solids concentration was 18 mg/L and the plant
flow was 0.20 MGD.

2. Calculate the POUNDS of BOD going to a treatment system if the

influent BOD concentration was 195 mg/L and the flow was
86,000 gallons/day.

3. Calculate the CONCENTRATION of Alum added if 43 pounds were fed

into a flow of 0.125 MGD.

4. Calculate the number of GALLONS that may be discharged per day

from a lagoon if the permit limit is 30 pounds of BOD per day
and the BOD concentration is 20 mg/L.
 POUNDS CALCULATIONS
POUNDS/day = Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

1. Calculate the POUNDS of suspended solids discharged to the

receiving stream if the suspended solids concentration was 18 mg/L
and the plant flow was 0.20 MGD.

POUNDS/day = Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

POUNDS/day = 18 mg/L X 0.20 MGD X 8.34 #/gal

= 30 Lbs./day Suspended Solids

2. Calculate the POUNDS of BOD going to a treatment
system if the influent BOD concentration was 195 mg/L
and the flow was 86,000 gallons/day.

POUNDS/day = Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

POUNDS/day = 195 mg/L X 86,000 gal/day X 8.34 #/gal

1,000,000

= 195 mg/L X 0.086 MGD X 8.34 #/gallon

= 140 Lbs./day BOD

3. Calculate the CONCENTRATION of Alum added if
43 pounds were fed into a flow of 0.125 MGD.

POUNDS/day = Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

43 #/day = Conc. (mg/L) X 0.125 MGD X 8.34 #/gal

0.125 X 8.34 0.125 X 8.34

43
= Conc. (mg/L)
0.1325 X 8.34

= 41.25 mg/L Alum

4. Calculate the number of GALLONS that may be discharged per
day from a lagoon if the permit limit is 30 pounds of BOD per day
and the BOD concentration is 20 mg/L.

POUNDS/day = Conc. (mg/L) X Flow (MGD) X 8.34 pounds/gallon

30 #/day = 20 mg/L X Flow MGD X 8.34 #/gal

20 X 8.34 20 mg/L X 8.34 #/gal

30
20 X 8.34
= Flow MGD

0.18 = Flow MGD

0.18 MGD X 1,000,000 = 180,000 gallons/day

 Pounds Formula

Prepared By
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Operator Training and Certification Unit