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Suspended solids refers to small solid particles which remain insuspension in water as acolloid or due to motion of the water. Suspended solids can be removed bysedimentation if their size or density is comparatively large, or by filtration.[1] It is used as one indicator ofwater quality and of the strength ofsewage, orwastewater in general. It is an important design parameter forsewage treatment processes.
It is sometimes abbreviatedSS, but is not to be confused withsettleable solids, also abbreviated SS, which contribute to the blocking ofsewer pipes.
Suspended solids are important aspollutants andpathogens are carried on the surface of particles. The smaller the particle size, the greater the total surface area per unit mass of particle in grams, and so the higher thepollutant load that is likely to be carried.
Removal of suspended solids is generally achieved through the use ofsedimentation and/orwater filters (usually at a municipal level). By eliminating most of the suspended solids in a water supply, the significant water is usually rendered close to drinking quality. This is followed bydisinfection to ensure that any free floating pathogens, or pathogens associated with the small remaining amount of suspended solids, are rendered ineffective.
The use of a very simplecloth filter, consisting of a folded cottonsari, drastically reduces the load ofcholera carried in the water, and is suitable for use by the very poor; in this case, anappropriate technology method of disinfection might be added, such assolar water disinfection.
A major exception to this generalization isarsenic contamination of groundwater, asarsenic is a very serious pollutant which is soluble, and thus not removed when suspended solids are removed. This makes it very difficult to remove, and finding an alternative water source is often the most realistic option.
