Filter Don't Falter
Hello again! We are finishing up our second unit, 4.5 billion (how old the Earth is!), for our class H20. Our action project for this unit is building a filter; our scenario to inspire us was that there was a flood in our city and the water sources were contaminated. To not have to go to another city to get clean water, and because water supplies are running low, we must make a filter that can filter water for 2-3 weeks. We are doing this AP (action project) because we want to be able to make a filter in case of an emergency and to not have to buy filters or bottled water. We want to be able to regulate the pH of water, make it taste better, have less odor, and look clean. In other words, this AP wants us to construct and analyze a water filter that is designed after groundwater filtration.
My question for this AP is how will a groundwater inspired filter affect the pH level and look of the water? My hypothesis for this AP is that the water which will come out of my filter will be more clear, but perhaps slightly acidic(less than 7 of the pH scale) meaning maybe it will be acidic since I added lemon and outside of the body lemon is acidic.
Let's get started! These are the materials I used to make my filter:
The process of building!
I put my materials in this order because for our FE (Field Experience) for this unit we went to the Jardine Water Purification Plant, and they had their filter system: (top to bottom) sand, pebbles, and rocks. As such that is how I layered mine. I also added charcoal because we learned that charcoal works very well to clean water and make it taste better. I added lemon because in my heritage lemon works very well to clean and kill bacteria. Filtration in general removes particles from water. Specifically, sand filters remove bacteria and small particles from the water. Active charcoal is effective in removing chlorine, and sediment. It also removes taste and odor from the water, though they can’t take out inorganic compounds. Lemon is a citrus fruit so inside your water when fully metabolized its effect is alkalizing and raises the pH of the body tissue.
My filter is actually quite similar to groundwater filtering as groundwater filtering happens in many different ways. Muddy water can be cleaned out by plants, the top layer of streams and lakes filters water, and water passes through the unsaturated zone where there a lot of pores and spaces in the soil. My filter is most similar to the unsaturated zone as they both have layers of sediments and have spaces and pores for particles and bacteria in the water to get caught.
Now it's time to test it! I got my dirty water to filter from the GCE Lab School bathroom sink and filled that water with dirt, twigs, leaves, and flower petals.
Wouldn't want to drink that right?
As you can see in the graph we tested the pH level of both the dirty water and filtered water. Surprisingly there was no change in the pH for my experiment, as they both stayed at 5.8, but here is a graph to show you where the pH lies on the pH scale! I don't know for certain why the pH level didn't change as everyone else in my class had a change in their pH, even if it was minor. But I believe that the water did become closer to alkaline in the filter, but because of the lemon juice it went right back to where it was.
After this unit and AP, I have learned a lot about where water comes from, how it got to Earth, why it's so vital, and how it is cleaned (by humans and mother nature). This Action Project was a lot of fun, I loved being able to build something that I had learned about. A few things I may improve if I do this again are: add more charcoal and no lemon juice, and get the rocks and sand from nature instead of buying them! My hypothesis was half-incorrect as I believed that because I had added lemon the pH would decrease when instead it stayed the same. But I was correct when I said that the water would come out more clear, which it did! I would encourage you to try this project out, it's fun and you can use it to filter actual drinking water so why not; it's a great way to learn about water filtration!
My question for this AP is how will a groundwater inspired filter affect the pH level and look of the water? My hypothesis for this AP is that the water which will come out of my filter will be more clear, but perhaps slightly acidic(less than 7 of the pH scale) meaning maybe it will be acidic since I added lemon and outside of the body lemon is acidic.
Let's get started! These are the materials I used to make my filter:
- A plastic jug
- Metallic tape
- Sand (3 packs)
- Gravel
- Rocks
- Lemon
- Cotton cloth
- Homemade charcoal
- A big strainer
- Scissors
- Take your scissors and put them on the stove to heat them up and stab them into the bottom of the plastic jug to make a hole. (Do this as many times as you need to make a hole at the bottom)
- Put metallic tape over the hole just in case.
- Take out the screen from a strainer and cut out a hole that fits the jug. Wrap it in metallic tape and put it at the bottom.
- Take the cotton cloth and cut out a hole that fits the jug and put it on top of the strainer.
- Get your rocks, wash them and dump them on top of the strainer and cloth.
- Get your pebbles, wash them, and pour them on top of the rocks.
- Take your sand, wash it, and pour it on top of the pebbles and rocks.
- Add a little lemon juice from an actual lemon. This may affect the pH level but lemon as soon as it gets in your body tissue becomes alkaline!
- Burn some twigs and sticks and crunch them up into dust to make homemade charcoal and put it on top of the sand
- Take out the screen from a strainer and cut-out a hole that fits the jug. Wrap it in metallic tape and put it at the bottom.
 |
| GGS (2017) Filter! |
| GGS (2017) Filter Layout |
I put my materials in this order because for our FE (Field Experience) for this unit we went to the Jardine Water Purification Plant, and they had their filter system: (top to bottom) sand, pebbles, and rocks. As such that is how I layered mine. I also added charcoal because we learned that charcoal works very well to clean water and make it taste better. I added lemon because in my heritage lemon works very well to clean and kill bacteria. Filtration in general removes particles from water. Specifically, sand filters remove bacteria and small particles from the water. Active charcoal is effective in removing chlorine, and sediment. It also removes taste and odor from the water, though they can’t take out inorganic compounds. Lemon is a citrus fruit so inside your water when fully metabolized its effect is alkalizing and raises the pH of the body tissue.
My filter is actually quite similar to groundwater filtering as groundwater filtering happens in many different ways. Muddy water can be cleaned out by plants, the top layer of streams and lakes filters water, and water passes through the unsaturated zone where there a lot of pores and spaces in the soil. My filter is most similar to the unsaturated zone as they both have layers of sediments and have spaces and pores for particles and bacteria in the water to get caught.
 |
| GGS (2017) Dirty Water |
Now it's time to test it! I got my dirty water to filter from the GCE Lab School bathroom sink and filled that water with dirt, twigs, leaves, and flower petals.
Wouldn't want to drink that right?
Now after I poured the dirty water into my filter I had to compare the two; as such here is a little chart to make it easy for you!
_
|
Before
|
After
|
Look
|
Murky, full of dirt, flower petals, and leaves.
|
Nothing in it, quite clear
|
Smell
|
Like dirt and dead animals
|
Slightly plastic
|
Taste
|
No
|
Slightly plastic but otherwise clean
|
pH
|
5.8
|
5.8
|
H+
|
-log5.8= 0.0000015849
1.5849*10^-6
|
-log5.8= 0.0000015849
1.5849*10^-6
|
 |
| GGS Filter don't Falter (2017) |
| GGS (2017) pH Scale |
After this unit and AP, I have learned a lot about where water comes from, how it got to Earth, why it's so vital, and how it is cleaned (by humans and mother nature). This Action Project was a lot of fun, I loved being able to build something that I had learned about. A few things I may improve if I do this again are: add more charcoal and no lemon juice, and get the rocks and sand from nature instead of buying them! My hypothesis was half-incorrect as I believed that because I had added lemon the pH would decrease when instead it stayed the same. But I was correct when I said that the water would come out more clear, which it did! I would encourage you to try this project out, it's fun and you can use it to filter actual drinking water so why not; it's a great way to learn about water filtration!
Sources
Agriculture Agri-Food Canada, Filtration: How Does It Work?, last updated August 13, 2015, seen October, 7th, 2017
Martin Water Conditioning Refreshing Water Solutions, How is Water Naturally filtered or Purified?, last updated June 15, 2014, seen October, 7th, 2017
How Stuff Works, What is Activated Charcoal and why is it used in Filters?, last updated N/A, seen October, 8th, 2017
How Stuff Works, What is Activated Charcoal and why is it used in Filters?, last updated N/A, seen October, 8th, 2017
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