Which device would best measure total suspended solids?

Which device would best measure total suspended solids?

• A. Gooch Crucible
• B. Separatory Funnel
• C. Buchner Funnel
• D. Filter Funnel

Answer: (A)

Total suspended solids are determined by gravimetrically weighing the solids trapped on a pre-weighed filter after filtering a known volume of water and drying to constant weight. The Gooch crucible is specifically designed for this purpose: it is a pre-weighed porcelain filtration vessel with a disc that effectively traps particles and can be dried thoroughly to a constant mass. After filtration and drying, weighing the crucible with the residue (and subtracting the crucible’s tare) gives the mass of suspended solids, which you can convert to mg/L using the sample volume. This setup minimizes solids loss and provides a stable, repeatable weight, making it the best choice for accurately measuring total suspended solids. Separatory funnels are used to separate immiscible liquids, not to quantify solids by weight. A Buchner funnel speeds vacuum filtration but relies on transferring solids to a filter paper and does not inherently provide a precise gravimetric measurement of suspended solids. A filter funnel supports gravity filtration with filter paper and is not optimized for the accurate, direct weighing of rinsed and dried solids.

Total suspended solids are determined by gravimetrically weighing the solids trapped on a pre-weighed filter after filtering a known volume of water and drying to constant weight. The Gooch crucible is specifically designed for this purpose: it is a pre-weighed porcelain filtration vessel with a disc that effectively traps particles and can be dried thoroughly to a constant mass. After filtration and drying, weighing the crucible with the residue (and subtracting the crucible’s tare) gives the mass of suspended solids, which you can convert to mg/L using the sample volume. This setup minimizes solids loss and provides a stable, repeatable weight, making it the best choice for accurately measuring total suspended solids.

Separatory funnels are used to separate immiscible liquids, not to quantify solids by weight. A Buchner funnel speeds vacuum filtration but relies on transferring solids to a filter paper and does not inherently provide a precise gravimetric measurement of suspended solids. A filter funnel supports gravity filtration with filter paper and is not optimized for the accurate, direct weighing of rinsed and dried solids.