What We Did
The goal of this project was to learn or make different types of water filtration systems or to learn about different methods of conserving water. My group had a hard time coning up with an idea that we all agreed on, be eventually decided on testing a water filtration powder to learn the chemistry behind it and we combined that with using food scraps to filter out water.
The first test we did with the powder was just dirty water with the powder. We followed the directions on the packaging and it filtered how we expected. However we did not drink the water because we did not know what chemicals were in the container before we used it. The second test we did with the powder was using hot chocolate. We discovered that some of the hot chocolate powder had separated from the water, but not all of it. That showed that the powder was not designed to take out all the ingredients inside of hot chocolate powder or that it was not good at removing minerals dissolved in water.
Out of all the food scraps that can be used to filter water, we decided on banana. This was because bananas are found in many counties around the world and there were already labs in place to see how a banana filters water. To do this lab we put lead nitrate in water and then put cut up banana peels in it. The banana would then take out the lead nitrate and when we added potassium iodate, and since the color did not change, we knew there was no lead nitrate left in the water.
The first test we did with the powder was just dirty water with the powder. We followed the directions on the packaging and it filtered how we expected. However we did not drink the water because we did not know what chemicals were in the container before we used it. The second test we did with the powder was using hot chocolate. We discovered that some of the hot chocolate powder had separated from the water, but not all of it. That showed that the powder was not designed to take out all the ingredients inside of hot chocolate powder or that it was not good at removing minerals dissolved in water.
Out of all the food scraps that can be used to filter water, we decided on banana. This was because bananas are found in many counties around the world and there were already labs in place to see how a banana filters water. To do this lab we put lead nitrate in water and then put cut up banana peels in it. The banana would then take out the lead nitrate and when we added potassium iodate, and since the color did not change, we knew there was no lead nitrate left in the water.
Power Point
Context
- Solution - is a mixture comprised of 2 or more substances
- Solvent - the substance that a solute dissolves in
- Solute - a substance that is dissolved in a solution
- Electrolytes - these are substances that dissociate in to ions in water. These solutions can also conduct electricity
- Non- electrolytes - these substances do not dissolve on water, therefore, it does not conduct electricity.
- Polarity - is a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end.
- pH levels - tells you how acidic a liquid is. Water has a pH level of 7, which means you want you drinking water as close to 7 as possible
- Acids - If something has a pH above 7, it is considered an acid
- Bases - If something has a pH below 7, it is considered a base
- Coagulation/ Flocculation - a positive charge is added to the water and neutralizing the dirt and other particles in the water. The particles then clump together
- Sedimentation - this is when the large particles from the previous step sink to the bottom because of the weight of the particles.
- Filtration - The water on top is then put through various filters to get out dissolved particles, such as dust, parasites, bacteria, and viruses
- Disinfection - this step is used to kill any remaining bacteria, viruses, or parasites
Conclusion
This project can with many challenges. One of the biggest challenges I faced was not working well with my team. Often they talked among themselves and didn't always include me. Also they expected me to do a lot of the work, which they took credit for in the end. While I was working on the project they were either socializing or goofing around. Another problem my group faced was that we had a hard time figuring out test to see how the P&G powder actually worked, besides that it was visually cleaner.
One of the positives for this project was that I was able to work with people I would not generally work with so this pushed me outside my comfort zone which is good life experience. Through this project I was also able to learn about different methods of water treatment, that I would have not otherwise have learned. This project also opened my eyes to the need for alternate ways of water filtration/ water usage because that will be a big issue in the future.
One of the positives for this project was that I was able to work with people I would not generally work with so this pushed me outside my comfort zone which is good life experience. Through this project I was also able to learn about different methods of water treatment, that I would have not otherwise have learned. This project also opened my eyes to the need for alternate ways of water filtration/ water usage because that will be a big issue in the future.