Name: John Benedict B.

Azarcon Locker Number: 3D

Experiment No. and Title: Experiment No. 7(Water Filtration) Date: November 10,2018

Data and Results

Table 1. Raw Data
Data
Properties of unfiltered water brownish, soil settled at the bottom
pH level of unfiltered water acidic
Volume of unfiltered water(that’ll be placed at 720mL
the filtration)
Filtration(Impure H2O) 12 minutes and 6 seconds
Composition of “Impure Water” 980mL tap water, 2.5mL of rust(from steel
wool), 2.5mL of soil, 2 small leaves, 15mL of
household vinegar, and 15mL of cooking oil
Kind of charcoal Charcoal
Properties of the filtered water crystal clear, crystal clear, crystal clear,
smell of smell of smell of
vinegar is vinegar is vinegar is
lessened lessened lessened
pH level of filtered water acidic acidic acidic
Volume of filtered water collected 600mL 590mL 580mL
Filtration Time(tap water) 6 minutes and 4 minutes 4 minutes
3 seconds

Figure 1. Water Filtration Column

Figure 2. Before and After Filtration(1st Trial)

 Figure 3. Before and After Filtration(2nd Trial)

Figure 4. Before and After Filtration(3rd Trial)

Figure 5. Filtered Water(After three consecutive trials)

Answers to Questions
1) The impurities that the water column removed are: rust, soil, leaves. The small stones or the
gravel were responsible for filtering out the large sediments such as leaves, whereas the sand
was responsible for removing fine impurities. Moreover, the charcoal is responsible for
removing contaminants and impurities through chemical absorption.(1)While we suspect that
some vinegar and cooking oil were left behind since the blue litmus paper turned to red. This
is because vinegar and cooking oil are acidic, and it is possible that some concentration of
vinegar and cooking were left behind which led the litmus paper turn to red.
2) One of the drawbacks of this method is that it doesn’t remove harmful bacteria from the
impure water. Due to this, the filtered water gathered from this method isn’t safe for
consumption. In order to improve the water filtration column done, it must be noted that the
water must be disinfected through chlorination in order to remove bacteria. However, it is
worth noting that the filtered water gathered must be stored in a sterile container in a cool, dark
place since there’s a possibility that bacteria will regrow(3). Moreover, activated carbon filters
should have used such as activated charcoal instead of plain charcoal because they are very
effective in removing chemicals such as iron, manganese, and etc.(3)
3) No, this type of filter doesn’t remove harmful bacteria from the impure water. In order for
bacteria to be removed from water, the water filtration should have disinfection as one of its
final steps. With the help of disinfection, water is chemically treated to actually remove bacteria
including other microorganisms, making it more safe for consumption(2).
4) The volume of water that can be purified with this column depends on the extent of the
impurity of the water. Moreover, to determine the water that could be purified by this column
should require trial and error. It is very possible that the charcoal will stop removing the
chemicals because it is already clog up with too much impurities, making the water filtration
column less efficient. In short, we could determine the volume of water that could be purified
by testing the water filtration continuously until it is unable to filter water any longer.
5) Participants in a camping group are usually taught how to dig a hole in the ground next to a
stream most especially if they are in the wilderness because the seep they have constructed
allows the water to filter through the earth which greatly reduce the chances of contracting
impure or dirty water. It is important to note that a seep can be constructed almost anywhere
the ground is wet, such as a ground near a flowing stream water for this case. The participants
must line the hole that they dig with stones since this will be very helpful in preventing
sediment from mixing with water. Moreover, they should also seep out the dirty, muddy water
in order to remove as much sediment as possible and must allow the remaining sediment to
settle out completely until the water is clear(4).

Conclusion
The objectives of this experiments were successfully met. A water filtration column was
constructed which was able to filter certain impurities such as rust, soil and leaves from the
impure water. In the filtration column, the stones and gravel were responsible for filtering out
the large sediments such as leaves, the sand was responsible for removing fine impurities while
the charcoal was responsible for removing contaminants and impurities through chemical
absorption. The volume of 600mL filtered water collected from 720mL unfiltered water looked
crystal clear yet we still conclude that some concentration of vinegar and cooking oil could
have been left since the blue litmus paper turned to red, indicating that there must be an acidic
liquid in the water. Moreover, it was also evident in the filter’s water vinegar smell, although
the concentration of the smell was somehow lessened.

References
1. Michaud, K. Love to Know[Internet]. [Place Unknown]. LovetoknowCorp: 2006 [Last
updated date unknown, cited 2018 November 13]. Available from:
https://science.lovetoknow.com/science-fair-projects/homemade-water-filter-science-
project
2. [Author Unknown]. ScienceTools[Internet]. United States of America: [Publisher
 Unknown]:[Published Date Unknown][Last Updated Date Unknown, cited 2018
November 13]. Available from: https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/water-
filtration-science-project/
3. [Author Unknown]. HealthyWA[Internet]. Western Australia: Department of
Health:[Published Date Unknown][Last Updated Date Unknown, cited 2018 November
13]. Available from: https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/U_Z/Water-filters-for-your-
home
4. [Author Unknown]. Practical Primitive[Internet]. United States of America: [Publisher
Unknown]:2008[Last Updated Date Unknown, cited 2018 November 13]. Available from:
http://www.practicalprimitive.com/skillofthemonth/waterseep.html