Name:

________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

Water Purification System Design: Part I

EQ: What can I do to make water clean? Objective: Design a water purification system to purify a sample of foul
water. Your goal is to make the most efficient water filtration system, one that cleans water quickly and fully.

Background information: We have been studying water and know that there are visible contaminants in water, as well as contaminants we cannot see. We are going to test different materials to see how effectively they clean water. Then, you will use the data you have collected to design a water purification system.

**Note: We will NOT be drinking the water to make sure that it is clean!!! We are not doing a disinfecting step, which means there could be disease-causing pathogens in our water samples**

Materials needed:
Pen or pencil 1 water bottle, with the bottom cut off sand gravel cotton balls paper towels 50 mL sample of foul water Scissors 2 clean beakers 400 mL 600 mL water masking tape to label samples spoon

Safety

S S S S

Wear safety goggles at all times Be careful when handling glass Clean up any spills immediately and notify the instructor Do not pour sand or gravel into the sink

Pre-lab questions
1. Read the background information. What is the main goal of this lab? 2. Read through Part 2 of the procedure. List the materials you need for Part 2 only. 3. Look through the parts of the lab. What three layers will you be testing? 4. List at least 3 contaminants you know of, easily visible and not easily visible, that can be in water.

Environmental Science 1

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

Procedure

Part 1: Observations Materials: Foul water sample, goggles 1. Obtain a 50 mL sample of foul water. You will be testing your first filter layer using this foul water sample. 2. Write 2-3 sentences describing your observations of the water sample shown to you. Include what you see and what you smell. 3. Conclusion: Make an inference about what might be in the water. Write 2-3 sentences, describing what might be in the water that you can see and what is in the water that you cant see. Part 2: Building the gravel layer Materials: 1 gravel beaker, 2 empty beakers, water bottle 1. Obtain a water bottle, a plastic beaker, a glass beaker and about 50 mL of gravel. Before you make your filter, you need to rinse the gravel. Take the beaker filled with gravel and fill it with water. Swirl it a few times, then tilt the beaker to drain off top layer of water. Repeat until the water is clear when you swirl it. Be careful not to spill gravel in the sink. 2. Look at the water bottle. It should have the bottom cut off, as well as holes in the cap. Hold it upside down so that the open end is at the top, and the cap is at the bottom. This will serve as the structure of the water filter. The holes in the cap will allow the water to flow through as it filters. 3. Place the water bottle in a clean, empty beaker, with the cap facing down. 4. Fill the water bottle with 5 cm of gravel. Tap the bottle to allow the gravel to settle. 5. Pour 150 mL of water onto your gravel layer. Observe the water that comes out of the cap into the beaker. If the water is clear, then your gravel is ready to be tested. If not, continue to run 150mL of water through the filter until you have clear water. Pour out the filtrate (what comes out of the filter) once you are finished. Part 2: Testing the gravel layer 1. You should already have a foul water sample. With the end of the water bottle still in the clean, empty glass beaker, slowly pour the contents of your foul water sample into the open end of the water bottle. You may hold up the bottle so you can see the water coming out of the filter. 2. Write down your observations of the filter: a. How quickly does the water come out of the filter? b. How does the water look after it is filtered compared to before it is filtered? Environmental Science 2

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

3. Once you have tested your gravel layer, wash the gravel and return it to the beaker. Rinse out your water bottle. Wipe down your table and clean up any spilled gravel. Check the floor to see if it is wet; clean up any spills immediately. 4. Before you continue, check your materials. o Gravel is in beaker, rinsed free of foul water o Table is dry and clear of spilled gravel o Floor is dry and clear of spilled gravel o Water bottle is rinsed clean

c. What is left in the gravel after you filtered? d. Evaluate gravel as a material for your water filter. What do you think its purpose is in the water purification system?

Part 3: Building the sand layer Materials: 1 sand beaker, 2 empty beakers, water bottle, spoon 1. Repeat the setup from Step 1 of the procedure. You will place your clean water bottle cap down in a clean glass beaker. 2. You need to clean your sand in the same way that you cleaned your gravel. Fill the beaker with water, add the sand, swirl, then drain off top layer of water. Repeat until the water is clear when you swirl it. You should now have cleaner sand that is still damp. 3. Using your spoon, fill the water bottle with damp sand until you have a layer that is approximately 5 cm. 4. Fill your beaker with 150 mL of water. Gently and slowly, pour the water on top of the sand layer, being careful not to disturb the sand. 5. Observe the water that comes out of the drinking end of the bottle. If it is not clear, continue to pour water in through the top until it is clear. Pour out the filtrate, which is the water that has been filtered. Part 4: Testing the sand layer 5. Obtain an additional foul water sample. Stir the foul water sample until it is mixed more evenly. With the end of the water bottle still in the clean, dry beaker, slowly pour the contents of your foul water sample into the open end of the water bottle containing a layer of sand. Lift up the bottle so you can observe the filtrate leaving the bottle. 6. Write down your observations of the filter: a. How quickly does the water come out of the filter? Compare it to the speed of the gravel layer. b. How does the water look after it is filtered compared to before it is filtered? c. What is left in the sand after you filtered?

Environmental Science

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

d. Evaluate sand as a material for your water filter. What do you think its purpose is in the water purification system? 7. Once you have tested your sand layer, rinse out the sand and return it to the beaker. Rinse out your water bottle. Wipe down your table and clean up any spilled sand. Check the floor to see if it is wet; clean up any spills immediately. 8. Before you continue, check your materials. o Sand is in beaker, rinsed free of foul water o Table is dry and clear of spilled sand o Floor is dry and clear of spilled sand o Water bottle is rinsed clean

Part 5: Building and testing the cotton layer: writing the procedure Based on testing sand and gravel, you now know how to test a filter layer. Write the steps needed to test cotton as a filter layer. (You dont need to clean the cotton like you did for the gravel and sand). Get your procedure approved, then complete your procedure. Record your observations. Materials: _____________ ______________ _______________ _________________ Building: 1. 2. 3. Testing 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Clean-Up o o o o Observations:

Environmental Science

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

Water Purification System Design: Part II

EQ: What can I do to make water clean?

You have tested 3 different layers that had various levels of effectiveness in getting water clean. You will now compare and contrast the abilities of each layer, then design a Mega-Filter that will combine these abilities into an extremely effective filter. You will make your Mega-Filter once, then modify one component to get a more effective filter.

S Fill out each box in the table describing how each layer worked to clean the foul water

Speed

Gravel

Sand

Cotton

What it filtered out

What was left behind (ex: visual and smell) Pros Cons

Part 6: Designing a Mega-Filter 7. Look over your results in the table above. Brainstorm below (include a sketch of your filter and notes) what materials you want your Mega-Filter to contain. S Label each layer S Show measurements of approximately how thick each layer should be (use cm) S Explain what each layer does and why you decided to position it where you did Environmental Science 5

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

8. Predict how your water filter will perform. Discuss speed, amount of contaminants that will be removed, and any other predictions based on your previous trials of each layer. 9. Build your filter. Write down each step as you complete it (use details!)

10. Make sure you run clean water through your filter until it is clear. 11. Once your filter is ready, slowly pour 50 mL of foul water. Observe and record results. Make a table similar to the one about to help you collect data on your filter. 12. How effectively did your filter work? What would you change to improve it? 6

Environmental Science

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

Part 7: Redesigning your Mega-Filter 13. Write down 3 ideas of possible modifications that you could make to your filter to make it work better. o o o 14. You will reconstruct your filter with 1 change. Choose the modification you think would improve your filter the most and explain why you think so. 15. Reconstruct your filter with the modification you chose. Be careful not to waste any materials; clean and return materials if possible. Draw it below, labeling the layers as you did before. 16. Re-test your filter with 50 mL of foul water. Record your results in the same type of data table as in #11.

17. Evaluate your new filter. Did it work better or worse than your previous model? Why do you think? How can you tell? 7

Environmental Science

Name: ________________________________

Date: _____________ Cohort: _____________

Check your Understanding 18. Is the water you produced clean? Why or why not? 19. What other steps do you think you could take to ensure that your water is completely safe to drink? (Use textbook p 484 for ideas) 20. Write 3-5 sentences explaining what you learned about water purification and how it works.

21. Why is it important to purify water before drinking it?

Evaluate your lab work: Circle the number that applies to your performance in this lab I followed the laboratory safety rules from the safety contract: Never Rarely Sometimes Mostly Always 0 1 2 3 4 I listened to instructions: Never Rarely Sometimes Mostly Always 0 1 2 3 4 I helped my group complete each step: Never Rarely Sometimes Mostly Always 0 1 2 3 4 I asked questions about the procedure when I didnt understand: Never Rarely Sometimes Mostly Always 0 1 2 3 4

Comments:

Environmental Science