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The large dust masses apparently present in some galaxies at high redshift prompt the question of just how much interstellar dust can be present per unit mass of a galaxy. Under very simple assumptions, we derive an upper limit to this mass — showing both what is possible for a galaxy of given total mass and various gas fractions, and what represents the ultimate upper limit for a given stellar or total mass, if we are free to choose the particular gas fraction. The results hold for a galaxy formed with arbitrary gas outflows, or arbitrary inflows of unenriched gas, and illustrate the difficulty of generating very high dust masses in galaxies.
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Edmunds et al. (1998) studied this question.