Total Suspended Solids (TSS) & Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS)
TSS testing measures the total concentration of suspended (non-soluble) solids in the aeration stabilization basin (ASB) or in effluents. The total suspended solids (TSS) data is critical in determining the operational behavior of a waste treatment system. It is usually a permitted test and solids must be kept at a minimum.
In order to test the total suspended solids, a well-mixed sample should be filtered through a weighed standard glass-fiber filter. The residue left on the filter is dried to a constant weight at a temperature between 103 °C and 105 °C. The increase in the weight of the filter represents the total suspended solids of the sample. Large floating particles or submerged agglomerates of nonhomogeneous materials from the sample may be excluded in the total suspended solids measurements if it is determined that their inclusion is not representative of the entire sample. The size of sampling should also be limited to a size that yields no more than 200 mg residue.