Jan 12, 2012
Final Draft
Lab Report
By Veronica Guerinot
Title: Cleaning and Filtering Water
Statement of the Problem:
One problem is that water is dirty. The water can be dirty with mud, soil and pollution. Veronica Guerinot wants to find out: how can people clean the water? Can the water be cleaned? Some filters are underground and they clean and filter the water that is being recycled from lakes, wells, and underground water that is being pumped from any of those. The Laguna Beach Wastewater Division is responsible for managing the sewage in the area. The Laguna Beach Water district regulates the quality of the water. The Water Quality Division of the City of Laguna Beach writes that they: “The Water Quality Division is responsible for implementing programs to eliminate discharges of pollutants to the municipal storm drain system and ocean.” In conclusion, there are many districts around the world, which recycle, filter, and clean water, so that humans can use it for drinking, bathing, and more. Veronica Guerinot is going to examine if it is possible to clean water through filters by doing a lab.
Hypothesis:
If water mixed with soil is filtered twice through a funnel and a filter, then the water will be cleaner. Most of the soil and dirt will be removed from the water.
Materials:
1. Spoon
2. Coffee filters
3. Water
4. Paper towels
5. Soil
6. Three clear plastic cups
7. Two funnels
8. Notebook paper
Procedure
First, stir a spoonful of soil into a cup of water, until the water is cloudy. Then place a funnel in a clean cup and place two of the possible filters, which include coffee filters and a paper towel. These two layers should be inside the funnel. Next, pour the dirty water through the funnel. Observe the water after it has passed through and record your results. Use the same dirty cup to prepare another cupful of dirty water. Now, place the second funnel in a clean cup and add two clean filters. This time, the two filters should be a coffee filter and notebook paper. The independent variable is the type of filter that is used. The dependent variable was the rate of how fast the water came out and the quality of the water. Now, observe the water and record your results.
Finally, compare how the two different filter systems clean the dirty water. Make an observation chart which includes Type of Filter System and Observations, split into two columns.
Results (Data)
Table 1
| Filter System | Observations |
| 1. (Paper Towel and Coffee Filter) | We poured the mixture of dirt and water into the layered funnel, coffee filter, and paper towel. We watched it drip quickly into the plastic cup. The water came out with no dirt chunks in it, but had a slight yellow tint to it. |
| 2. (Notebook Paper and Coffee Filter) | We poured the mixture of dirt and water into the layered funnel, coffee filter, and notebook paper. We watched it drip very slowly. It was dripping slowly from the notebook paper that held the water well instead of filtered it. The water had a yellower tint to it. |
Both of the mixtures got thoroughly cleaned by the filters. They both had a yellow tint to them after it was cleaned, although number 2 had a more obvious tint to it. Number 2 also dripped out more slowly than number 1. Number 1 poured out quickly.
Conclusions
The original hypothesis of Veronica Guerinot was correct. The water was cleaned very thoroughly after passing through 2 filters. Before it was cleaned, it was a dark cloudy mixture with dirt chunks throughout it. After it was cleaned, it was very clear, and only contained microscopic dirt chunks. The water also held a yellow tint. The filters were used like a strainer. At the end, the dirt chunks were still in the filter, but the water ran through into the cup.
Number 1 ran through the filter quicker and was more clear in color. Number 2 ran through slowly and had a more noticeable yellow tint.
Veronica Guerinot chose to do this lab because she knows that she will have to use this if the fresh water supply runs out. She will know how to filter water, so she will stay alive. Also, she will be able to help water pollution by helping filtering the water. She will be able to help reuse water by cleaning it. If Veronica Guerinot had poured more water into the filter and overflowed it, dirt could’ve escaped into the clean water collection. This did not occur during Veronica Guerinot’s experiment. Although, she did not precisely measure the amount of dirt going into the filters, this could have contributed to the yellowish tint.
Bibliography
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