My Water Filter

This is the second AP of unit two for the fall course of water (H2O.) The project was to make a water filter that would turn contaminated water into clean water. The part that I didn’t do very well was making the water filter; I used regular charcoal instead of activated charcoal. The charcoal made the water really dirty. I knew how to create a water filter, but I looked online for a template on how to build one. Something that I did wrong that made my outcome less successful was that I guided the water through the filter so it would flow quicker and easier. I liked building the water filter; I used a soda bottle, and natural materials from Home Depot. I built the filter with my dad. I did the work and he gave suggestions. I ran my water cycle four times and none of the four trials supported my predictions.

(PVU, October 2015)

The filter that I built used natural materials to filter the contaminated water. Larger gaps filter larger particles and smaller gaps filter smaller particles. I layered them so that the largest gaps were at the top and the smallest were at the bottom. Gravity pulled the water through the filter and therefore through the gaps, leaving particles behind. My filter has many natural materials such as gravel, charcoal and two types of sand. If I used other materials, I don’t think I would get the same filtration. I collected water from an unfiltered source (I used tap water and added a little dirt into it and stirred it.) I used a pH Testing Kit to record my data.

The materials I used were: 

  • One soda bottle
  • Two types of sand
  • Charcoal
  • Gravel
  • One glass jar
  • One sock
  • One knife
  • One rubber band

The steps I took:

1. I washed all my materials very well. 
2. I cut 5 inches off the bottom of a soda bottle, leaving the top to keep all my material inside. I took the sock and placed it on the top of the bottle and tied the rubber band over it.
3. I started adding layers of material into the soda bottle.
4. Once everything was in place, I placed the soda bottle on top of a glass, slowly added water and waited for it to come out through the filter. Afterward, I tested the filtered water.


1. Test the non-filtered water by placing it into a non-contaminated container; use a pH meter (preferably electric) to record your data.
2. Gradually pour your cup of non-filtered water into your filter. Make sure you let all the water fall through before doing anything else. Take some of the filtered water and put it into the other clean container and test the pH level again, record the data right away.
3. Compare the two containers; make sure you try to notice any color, transparency or translucence, particles, and door.

(PVU, October 2015)

 

(PVU, October 2015)

(PVU, October 2015)
Looking before and after on this pH scale, you can see how even though the pH did not change a lot, it moved from being acidic to the neutral point.

(PVU, October 2015)
Even though the water I had wasn’t very acidic to start with, by filtering the water, I was able to change the pH levels from filtering, to reduce the acidity of the water. 

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