Foul Water Lab Report

6/18/13

Abby, Layla, and Jilly

Summer Chemistry, Dr. Forman

The Process of Filtering Foul Water

Abstract:

o   The purpose of the foul water lab was to understand the effort and process of filtering water. We started with foul water samples and separated out the oil, filtered it through sand, and used charcoal adsorption. The resulting water was clean and pure. Although it wasn’t safe for drinking, it looked and smelled was significantly better than the foul water.

Procedure:

·      Preparing for your lab

·      Create a Data Table to record the volume, color, clarity, odor, presence of oil, and presence of solids, before treatment, after oil-water separation, after sand filtration, and after the charcoal adsorption and filtration.

·      Put 100 mL of foul water into a clean beaker

·      Describe the appearance of the water on your data table

·      Oil-Water Separation:

o   Let the cylinder sit for a few minuets so that a layer of oil sits at the top

o   Remove the oil layer with a pipet and put it in a clean beaker

o   Add a few drops of distilled water to the beaker to verify that the removed liquid is in fact oil by observing the oil floating to the top of the distilled water in the beaker.

o   Discard the liquid in the beaker

·      Sand Filtration:

o   Poke holes in the bottom of a disposable cup using a straightened paper clip

o   Fill the cup with three layers: Gravel (1cm), Sand (2cm), Gravel (1cm)

o   Pour a small amount of distilled water over the layers to dampen. Allow the distilled water to drain out

o   Place the cup over a clean beaker and pour the water sample through the filter

o   The water that filters out of the cup is called the filtrate

·      Charcoal Adsorption and Filtration:

o   Fold the filter paper into a funnel shape and place into the funnel. Spray some distilled water on the funnel holding the filter paper to help the paper stay on the funnel.

o   Put one teaspoon of charcoal into a flask. Add the water sample to the flask and swirl for a few seconds.

o   Set up the clay triangle so that it is holding the funnel, and the water that goes through the funnel will end in a clean beaker.

o   Pour the charcoal water mixture into the funnel and let it filter out

o   If the water isn’t clear pour it through the funnel another time

·      Data Analysis:

o   Be sure to write down a description of the water sample in each of the stages on the data chart

o   Create a histogram

Results:

My group recovered 77mL of purified water out of the 100mL of foul water that we started with. We observed that filtration could remove oil, odor, and other impurities from water. I found that it was a longer process than expected to filter water. By reading the directions carefully, we did not have any errors when completing the lab. After we filtered the water we took a few groups' pure water sampled and distilled it. By doing that we removed the salt. After distillation, we checked both of the pure and distilled water samples' conductivity. We concluded that the salt water was conductive and the distilled water was not. We realized that the salt makes the water conductive. In addition, we also realized the 'pure' water is not completely free of all impurities such as salt. The results of the class varied due to water loss and gain during various steps. For example, some groups took a significant amount of water out along with the oil during the oil-water separation step. On the other hand, some groups added water when dampening the filter paper. Over all the class recovered between 41%-86% of the foul water. We learned how much dirty water it takes to recover pure water and the effort that goes into purification. 

Foul Water ----------> Pure Water

 

Our Groups Results: