ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY

ECW 568
OPEN-ENDED LAB
OCT 2020 – FEB 2021

TITLE OF EXPERIMENT : VOLATILE SUSPENDED SOLIDS

DATE OF EXPERIMENT : 18 NOVEMBER 2020
GROUP : EC220 6C4A
GROUP MEMBERS 1. MUHAMMAD AFIQ BIN ABD WAHAB
(2019582199)
2. MUHAMMAD AMIRUL AKMAL BIN ROSLI
(2019704875)
3. MUHAMMAD ZAHIR BIN ASAHAR (2019725385)
4. NUR KHARINA BINTI NORDIN (2019530229)
5. NURUL HIDAYANI BINTI HARMAN (2019717237)

LECTURER : DR. DZULAIKHA BINTI KHAIRUDDIN

LEVEL OF OPENESS : 2
MARKS COMMENTS
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE(S)
METHODOLOGY 2 4 6 8 10
RESULTS 2 4 6 8 10
DISCUSSION 2 4 6 8 10
CONCLUSION 2 4 6 8 10
ORGANIZATION 2 4 6 8 10

TOTAL MARKS
TABLE OF CONTENT

CONTENTS PAGE
 INTRODUCTION 1
 OBJECTIVE 1
 APPARATUS 2
 PROCEDURES 3
 DATA ANALYSIS 4-5
 DISCUSSION 6-7
 CONCLUSION 7
 REFERENCES 7
INTRODUCTION
Suspended solids are particles which remain in suspension in water either due
to the motion of the water or because the density of the particle is lighter or
equal to the water. When these suspended particles settle to the bottom of a
water body, they become sediments. The terms "sediment" and "silt" are often
used to refer to suspended solids. Suspended solids consist of an inorganic
fraction (silts, clays, etc.) and an organic fraction (algae, zooplankton, bacteria,
and detritus) that are carried along by water as it runs off the land. The
suspended solid concentration is used as one of the indicators of water quality.
Suspended solids are an indicator of water quality. The amount of suspended
solids indicates how cloudy the water is. It is generally used on waste water as
it has a direct effect on the cost of treating the water. The volatile suspended
solids (VSS) method is a rough measure of solids concentration in samples of
activated sludge derived by measuring volatile solids. Some bacteria are mostly
organic, so the VSS test is a better indicator of organic-solids concentrations
and therefore, the number of bacteria in a sample.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this experiment are:
1. To determine the concentration of volatile solids and fixed solids in water
samples.
2. To analyze the data and interpret the results of VSS experiment.

1
APPARATUS

 Analytical balance  Desiccators

 Aluminum dishes

 Tongs
 Muffle furnace

 Whatman filter paper

 Thick glove

2
PROCEDURES
1. Aluminum dish was weighted to the nearest 0.1g.
2. The sample was filtered in filter paper and added to the aluminum dish.
3. Sample was placed in a preheated oven and evaporated at 103°-105°C
approximately 6 hours.
4. The dish was taking out of the oven and was allowed it to cool at room
temperature in a desiccator.
5. The dish was weighted to the nearest 0.1g using the analytical balanced.
6. The dish was transferred into preheated muffle furnace at 550°C for 30
minutes then dish was taking out with thongs and let it cooled to room
temperature in desiccator.
7. The dish was weighted to the nearest 0.1g and the ignition was repeated until
2 successive samples weighing do not differ by more than 4% or 0.05g, which
ever less.
8. The total volatile solids were the loss of weight. Weighted residue is total fixed
solids.
9. The data was calculated by using this formula:

(( )× )
Volatile solids (mg/L) =

( )×
Fixed solids (mg/L) =

A = weight (mg) of solids + dish before ignition

B = weight (mg) of solids + dish after ignition
C = weight (mg) of dish

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DATA AND ANALYSIS
LABEL DESCRIPTION WEIGHT (g)
A Weight of solids + dish before ignition 1.323
B Weight of solids + dish after ignition 1.196

C Weight of dish 1.165

Table 1: Weight of solids in three (3) descriptions A, B and C

CALCULATION

 Amount of total solids present in the sample

( )×
= ( )
× 1000
( . . )×
= × 1000
= 7900 mg/lit

 Amount of volatile suspended solids present in the sample

( )×
= ( )
× 1000
(1.323−1.196) × 1000
= × 1000
20
= 6350 mg/lit

 Fixed Suspended solids present in the sample

= Total solids – Volatile suspended solids

= 7900 – 6350
= 1550 mg/lit

Based on the data and the water quality index for volatile suspended solid, it
seems the sample were taken from the river nearby to factory with high
production of waste material.

4
 DOE Water Quality Index Classification
CLASS
PARAMETER UNIT
I II III IV V
Ammonical 0.1 – 0.3 –
mg/l < 0.1 0.9 – 2.7 > 2.7
Nitrogen 0.3 0.9
Biochemical
mg/l <1 1–3 3–6 6 - 12 > 12
Oxygen Demand
Chemical Oxygen
mg/l < 10 10 – 25 25 – 50 50 - 100 > 100
Demand
Dissolved Oxygen mg/l >7 5–7 3–5 1–3 <1
6.0 – 5.0 –
pH - > 7.0 < 5.0 > 5.0
7.0 6.0
Total Suspended 50 –
mg/l < 25 25 – 50 150 - 300 > 300
Solid 150
Water Quality Index 76.5 – 51.9 –
> 92.7 31.0 – 51.9 < 31.0
(WQI) 92.7 76.5

Water Classes and Uses

CLASS USES
Class I Conservation of natural environment.
Water Supply I – Practically no treatment necessary.
Fishery I – Very sensitive aquatic species.
Class IIA Water supply II – Conventional treatment required.
Fishery II – Sensitive aquatic species.

Class IIB Recreational use with body contact.

Class III Water supply III – Extensive treatment required
Fishery III – Common, of economic value and tolerant species;
livestock drinking
Class IV Irrigation
Class V None of the above

5
DISCUSSION
As previously indicated, the primary objectives of this experimental laboratory
were to determine the concentration of volatile solids and fixed solids in water
samples. The total suspended solids (TSS) data however is crucial in
determining the operational behavior of waste treatment system. High total
suspended solids (TSS) values in effluent are usually related to excessive
solids generation due to increase in BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) or
can indicates the problem with bacteria. In aeration stabilization basins, the
high TSS may indicate the improper aeration in the system.
In this experiment, the TSS were tested by a well-mixed sample of 20
mL water from specific location and was filtered through Whatman filter paper.
The residue left in the filter was dried at a temperature between 103°C and
105°C. The increase in weight of the filter represent the total suspended solids
of the sample. After the TSS value was determined, the volatile suspended
solids (VSS) were tested to obtain the concentration of VSS in the sample. The
filter used for testing TSS was ignited at 550°C for 10-15 minutes. The weight
loss on ignition of the solids represent the volatile solids in the sample. Fixed
solids are the solid retained on the filter paper after the ignition process which
is total solids minus volatile suspended solids.
Therefore, the concentration of total suspended solids is 7900 mg/l while
concentration of volatile suspended solids obtained from this experiment is
6350 mg/l. According to the DOE Water Quality Index, the concentration of TSS
in this sample would be in Class V which is above 300 mg/l. The water is not
suitable for any uses which means it might be located somewhere near the
urban development that have a lot of municipal and industrial wastes such as,
agricultural and factories areas. Water that contained high levels of volatile
solids is not suitable for drinking purposes. However, the volatile suspended
solids test usually applied to sludge. The sample could also be taken from the
wastewater plant because volatile and fixed components in residue could give
approximate amount of organic matter in the solid fraction of wastewater. The
value of fixed solids in this sample is 1550 mg/l which is 0.20 to the total solids’
ratio the ratio VSS/TSS is 0.80 and it indicates that the concentration of fixed
solids is also quite high in this water sample.

6
 Hence, it is concluded that the water sample was taken from the river
located at near urban runoff and agricultural land, industrial wastes and
wastewater discharge because the suspended solids can be resulted from this
source.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we had achieved the objective of this experiment that is
to determine the concentration of volatile solids and fixed solids in water
samples. We learned that to find the fixed suspended solids present in the
samples is by total solids minus the volatile suspended solids. Based on the
data and analysis, the fixed suspended solids that present in the samples is
1550mg/liter where the concentration of the fixed suspended solids is quite
high. Therefore, the water sample is unsuitable for daily use. The water also
should be treated especially water from industrial waste and wastewater before
discharging it to the river to avoid water from being contaminated. Toxic
chemical can be very hazardous and harm people and aquatic life as well as
the environment.

REFERENCES

Marek, D. (n.d.). Total Suspended Solids, Total Dissolved Solids and Conductivity
and Volatile Suspended Solids Even 3321 Environmental Engineering Lab.
Retrieved from slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/DonaldMarek/4-
labtsstdsvss
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) & Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS). (n.d.). Retrieved
from ebsbiowizard: https://www.ebsbiowizard.com/total-suspended-
solids-tss-volatile-suspended-solids-vss-2-1071/
Volatile Solids. (n.d.). Retrieved from corrosionpedia:
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1154/volatile-solids