Lab Report: Effect Pollution has on Water

A. Question Being Addressed:

The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between pollution and water while the physical properties of water are held fixed. I am going to compare the “polluted” water with the purified water and see if it changed in anyway. For this experiment, I’m going to use water containing sand and oil to get “polluted” water. Also, I am going to use two methods of separation of substances, distillation to remove the oil, and filtration to remove the sand. Then I am going to use activated charcoal to remove any dissolved substances in the water. After that the water is purified.

Independent Variable: Pollution

Dependent Variable: Water

Constant Variable: Physical Properties of Water

Other constant variable include a graduated cylinder, 250 m beakers, pieces of filter paper, plastic spoons, a rubber band, washed fine sand and activated charcoal, plastic-foam cups.

B. Hypothesis:

“If the pollution is decreased then the water will decrease inversely because the removal of the pollutants from the liquid will affect some of water’s physical properties”

C. Method and Procedure

Materials:

, Graduated cylinder

, 4, 250 ml beakers

, 2 plastic spoons

, A small nail

, 2, 8 oz. plastic-foam cups

, 2 pieces of filter paper

, Washed fine sand

, Washed activated charcoal

, Scissors, metric ruler, rubber band

, “Polluted Water”

Procedure

1. Measure 100ml of polluted water into a graduated cylinder and pour it into a beaker

2. Separate oil by pouring it into another beaker. Use a plastic spoon to remove the last bit.

3. Use the nail to pole 5 to 10 small holes in the bottom of the cup, and fit the filter paper in the inside bottom of the cup.

4. Set the cup inside another beaker, fill the cup with 2 cm. of wet sand.

5. Pour the polluted water and let it filter through.

6. Place 3 cm. of activated charcoal in an unused cup, pour the water and stir it with a spoon for about 1 minute.

7. Place a piece of filter paper on top of the cup and fasten it with a rubber band.

8. Let the water filter into a clean beaker.

Method of Data Collection

1. Create a table-chart to record the observations

2. The color, clearness, odor, layers, solids and volume will be recorded in the chart for the water before treatment, after the oil separation, after the sand filtration and after the usage of charcoal.