Total suspended solids
Total suspended solids (TSS) is the
TSS is also referred to using the terms total suspended matter (TSM) and suspended particulate matter (SPM). All three terms describe the same essential measurement. TSS was previously called non-filterable residue (NFR), but was changed to TSS because of ambiguity in other scientific disciplines.
Measurement
TSS of a water or
If the water contains an appreciable amount of dissolved substances (as certainly would be the case when measuring TSS in
Although
Definition problems
Although TSS appears to be a straightforward measure of particulate weight obtained by separating particles from a water sample using a filter, it suffers as a defined quantity from the fact that particles occur in nature in essentially a continuum of sizes. At the lower end, TSS relies on a cut-off established by properties of the filter being used. At the upper end, the cut-off should be the exclusion of all particulates too large to be "suspended" in water. However, this is not a fixed particle size but is dependent upon the energetics of the situation at the time of sampling: moving water suspends larger particles than does still water. Usually it is the case that the additional suspended material caused by the movement of the water is of interest.
These problems in no way invalidate the use of TSS; consistency in method and technique can overcome short-comings in most cases. But comparisons between studies may require a careful review of the methodologies used to establish that the studies are in fact measuring the same thing.
TSS in mg/L can be calculated as:
- (dry weight of residue and filter − dry weight of filter alone, in grams)/ mL of sample * 1,000,000
See also
- Bed load – Particles in a flowing fluid that are transported along the bed
- Settleable solids– Process by which particulates move towards the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment
- Turbidity – Cloudiness of a fluid
- Volatile suspended solids – water quality measure
- Water pollution – Contamination of water bodies
- Water quality – Assessment against standards for use
References
- ^ United States. Clean Water Act, sec. 304(a)(4), .
- ^ Michaud, Joy P. (1994). "Measuring Total Suspended Solids and Turbidity in lakes and streams." Archived 2010-07-30 at the Wayback Machine A Citizen's Guide to Understanding and Monitoring Lakes and Streams. State of Washington, Department of Ecology.
- Moran, Joseph M.; Morgan, Michael D., & Wiersma, James H. (1980). Introduction to Environmental Science (2nd ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman.
- Eaton, Andrew D.; Greenberg, Arnold E.; Rice, Eugene W.; Clesceri, Lenore S.; Franson, Mary Ann H., eds. (2005). Standard Methods For the Examination of Water and Wastewater (21 ed.). American Public Health Association. ISBN 978-0-87553-047-5. Also available on CD-ROM and onlineby subscription.
- Ramsey, Justin. 2001. Design of septic tanks design summary series.
- National Association of Wastewater Transporters. Scandia, MN (1998). Introduction to Proper Onsite Sewage Treatment.