The key difference between total solids and total suspended solids is that total solids are the material residue that is left in a vessel after the evaporation of a sample, whereas total suspended solids are the dry weight of suspended particles that remains undissolved in a sample of water.
Total solids and suspended solids measure the amount of particulate matter floating in the water.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Total Solids (TDS)
3. What are Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
4. Total Solids vs Total Suspended Solids in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Total Solids vs Total Suspended Solids
What are Total Solids (TDS)?
The total solid content is sometimes called the total dissolved solid content (TDS) and gives the combined amount of dissolved inorganic and organic substances that can be found in a liquid. These substances are present in the water in the form of molecular, ionized, or microgranular forms. The concentration of these solids is given in the unit ppm. Moreover, we can determine the concentration of TDS using a digital meter.
Generally, the dissolved matter has to be small enough to pass through filtration when we use 2-micrometer filter papers. These substances are typically found in freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes. Dissolved solids are not considered pollutants, but we can use them as an indication of the aesthetic characteristics of drinking water.
What are Total Suspended Solids (TSS)?
Total suspended solids can be defined as the dry weight of suspended particles in a given water sample and include the particles that are not dissolved in water. We can trap the particles using a filter that is used in sintered glass crucible, a filtration apparatus. Moreover, total suspended solids are used as a water quality parameter that can be used in assessing the quality of a sample taken from any water body, ocean water, wastewater samples, etc.
Total suspended solids are denoted as TSS. It is also known as total suspended matter and suspended particulate matter. These three terms describe more or less the same measurement. Further, this term was initially called a non-filterable residue, which was then changed into TSS due to the ambiguity of scientific parameters.
We can determine the TSS content of a water sample by pouring the sample carefully while measuring the volume of water through a filter (pre-weighed) having a specific pore size. Then we can weigh the filter again after the drying process, which can remove all the water on that filter. When the water sample contains an appreciable content of dissolved substances, this content also gets added to the weight of the filter paper upon drying.
What is the Difference Between Total Solids and Total Suspended Solids?
The key difference between total solids and total suspended solids is that total solids are the material residue that is left in a vessel after the evaporation of a sample, whereas total suspended solids are the dry-weight of suspended particles that remains undissolved in a sample of water. Moreover, total solids come from agriculture runoff, residential runoff, leaching, sewage treatment plants, etc., whereas suspended solids come from the surrounding area, aquatic ecosystems, etc. In addition, total solids are not considered pollutants, while suspended solids are considered pollutants.
Below is a summary of the difference between total solids and total suspended solids in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Total Solids vs Total Suspended Solids
The key difference between total solids and total suspended solids is that total solids refer to the material residue that is left in a vessel after the evaporation of a sample, whereas total suspended solids refer to the dry-weight of suspended particles that remains undissolved in a sample of water.
Reference:
1. “How & why we measure suspended solids.” Partech. December 2, 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Stilles Mineralwasser” By W.J.Pilsak (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia