The proportion of liquid waste (i.e. sewage) that is organic (i.e. compostable) compared to the the entire amount of liquid waste.
Used to calculate:biodegradable liquid waste
Varies by: lifestyle
| Used | lifestyle | Reference | Location: Ecosystem (study period) |
Value | Units | Notes |
|---|
| * | Average American | Cooke 2014 Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation | USA: Wastewater treatment plants () | 0.05 | % proportion (0 - 100) | "The solid components of wastewaters actually represents a very small part of most discharges, usually less than 0.1 percent by weight. However, it is this small component of the wastewater that presents the major challenges in wastewater treatment, operation and disposal. Essentially, the water component, the other 99.9 percent can be viewed as providing the volume and the vehicle for transporting the solid and microbial component of the wastewater.... In domestic wastewater, solids are about 50 percent organic. This fraction is generally of animal or vegetable life, dead animal matter, plant tissue or organisms, but may also include synthetic (artificial) organic compounds." |
| Average American | Hunter & Heukelekian 1965 Composition of Domestic Sewage Fractions | Highland Park, NJ: Residential community (1959 - 1960) | 0.000301 | % proportion (0 - 100) | Hunter & Heukelekian (1965) found that the mean volatile total solids in wastewater was 217 mg/L. If we assume a density of wastewater of 721 g/L (see http://www.aqua-calc.com/page/density-table/substance/sewage-coma-and-blank-sludge), then the organic percentage is calculated as 3.0097e-4. | |
| * | Average Earthling | UNEP et al. 2004 Guidelines on Municipal Wastewater Management | Global: Wastewater systems (2004) | 0.0648 | % proportion (0 - 100) | UNEP et al. (2004) lists minimum and maximum values for total biochemical waste water demand as 120 - 1,000 mg/L. According to this website (http://www.water-chemistry.in/2009/11/relationship-between-bod-cod-toc-and-thod/), the ratio of biochemical oxidation demand to total organic content is 1.85. Dividing we find that wastewater has a total organic content of between 65 - 541 mg/L. If the density of waste water is 721 g / L (aqua-calc.com), then the organic percentage of wastewater varies between 0.009015 - 0.13869. If we take the mid-value, we find approximately 0.0648 %. |
| * | Average New Yorker | Hunter & Heukelekian 1965 Composition of Domestic Sewage Fractions | Highland Park, NJ: Residential community (1959 - 1960) | 0.000301 | % proportion (0 - 100) | see notes under "Average American" |
| * | Eco-conscious | Hunter & Heukelekian 1965 Composition of Domestic Sewage Fractions | Highland Park, NJ: Residential community (1959 - 1960) | 0.000301 | % proportion (0 - 100) | see notes under "Average American" |
| * | Lenape Person | Torondel 2010 Sanitation waste characteristics | Global: All (2010) | 5.25 | % proportion (0 - 100) | We assume that the waste from a Lenape person is deposited in a pit-latrine or similar, 75% is waste water from washing and food preparation, and that the remaining is human faecal matter. Torondel (2010) describes human faecal matter as 20-30% solid matter, of which 84% is organic. Therefore we calculate that the organic proportion of liquid waste is approximately 5.25%. |