What are total suspended solids (TSS)?

The abbreviated term TSS expands to total suspended solids. These are waterborne particles that are larger than 2 microns in size. They comprise inorganic materials like clay, sand, minerals, and metals. They also include bacteria and algae.

TSS floats or suspends in water and includes sediment and plankton. When a water source is contaminated with the decay of plants and animals, the organic particles they release are known as suspended solids. While some of these settle on the bottom, the other suspended solids float or remain suspended in water. TSS affects the clarity of the water. Therefore, efforts should be made to lessen the TSS because the less it is, the clearer the water is. 

These solids are trappable in the filters. The total solids present in the water is equal to the total suspended solids plus total dissolved solids.

Total Solids= Total Suspended Solids (TSS) + Total Dissolved Solids(TDS)

It now becomes important to know what TDS is and how it is different from TSS.

What is the difference between TSS and TDS?

Below listed are the major differnce beween TSS and TDS-

Total Suspended Solids (TSS): Total Suspended Solids are related to the quality of turbidness, i.e. the transparency of the water. The water is passed through a filter. The particles that get held back in the filter are known as total suspended solids. The less the TSS is, the clearer the water is. The size of the microns is larger than 2 microns.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): Total Dissolved Solids are related to the dissolved minerals and salts in the water. When the water passes through a filter, there are two kinds of particles, one that remains in the filter and the other that passes through the filter. The particles that pass through the filter are known as total dissolved solids. They are related to conductivity, salinity, alkalinity and measure the hardness. The less the TDS is, the better because aquatic animals are not adapted to saline water. The size of the microns is less than 2 microns.

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