Foul Water Lab Report

Nina Gabbay
6/18/12
Summer Chemistry
Dr. Forman
Group Lithium: Nina, Nicolette, Makena

It’s no myth, just call us Lith: fresh, clean, pure. 

Foul Water Lab Report 

Abstract: 

The purpose of the foul water lab experiment is to purify foul water to use it for hand-washing. The purification procedure includes three main parts: oil-water separation, sand filtration, and charcoal adsorption and filtration. Oil-water separation is the process in which a pipet removes the thick layer of oil from the foul water sample. Sand Filtration is the process to get rid of solid particles and allow liquid to pass through the sand and gravel into a beaker. The solid particles get trapped in the sand allowing the liquid to pass. Charcoal adsorption and filtration is the process where charcoal and the distilled water are mixed and then poured into the funnel. This process causes the filtrate to be clear and free from sand, oil, odor or a cloudy appearance. 

Procedure: 

The materials we used were foul water, distilled water, graduated cylinder, pipet, funnel, paper clip, sand, and gravel. 

First, we started the oil-water separation process. We were given 100 mL of foul brown water and let it sit in the graduated cylinder for a minute. The water, which smelled like left out trash,  had a thick layer of oil on the top of the foggy water. Using a pipet we removed the layer of oil, and placed it into a test tube. 

 We then added several drops of distilled water to the liquid and saw that the water went to the bottom. We realized the oil was on top of the water because oil is less dense than water. After the oil- water separation, the 100 mL of foul water was then 95 mL. 

 After the oil-water separation, we moved on to the sand filtration process. We received a styrofoam cup and poked small holes on the bottom of the cup with a paper clip. We put 1 cm of gravel, 2 cm of sand, and another 1 cm of gravel. In order to make sure we had the exact measurements, we used a ruler. We then put distilled water in the cup to moisten the gravel and sand. 

We then poured 95 mL of the sample through the sand and gravel and the appearance totally changed. The brown color turned into a light yellow color, the foggy water was more visible and clear, and the sample also smelled better then before. The filtrate was now only 93 mL. 

 After the sand filtration process, we moved on to the charcoal adsorption and filtration process. We first tightened the ring on the ring stand, folded the paper, and slightly moistened it so it stuck to the sides of the funnel. 

 Then, we poured the filtration into the charcoal which made it look like dark coffee. We then swirled the sample and poured it into the funnel. We made sure the liquid level was below the paper. 

The clear filtrate slowly dripped into the beaker, while the charcoal stuck to the filter paper. The purified water was 86 mL and now smelled like vegetables. 

Results: 

After oil-water separation, sand filtration, and charcoal adsorption and filtration, we distilled the water. After distillation, the water was more pure;however, it still was not completely pure.

After the conductivity test, we realized that the filtered water lite up because of the salt (NaCl) which conducts electricity. The water that was not distilled did not light up because there was no salt.

	Volume	Color	Clarity	Odor	Presence of Oil	Presence of Solids
Before Treatment	100 mL	Dark brown, like a swamp	Thick and foggy	Smells like trash that has been left out	Thick layer on the top	Pieces of black dirt particles
After Oil-water separation	95 mL	Same as before	Same as before	Same as before	Thin layer on the top	Still black dirt particles that have sunk to the bottom
After sand filtration	93 mL	Dark yellow	Much easier to see	Does not smell as bad, smells like olive oil	No oil	No black dirt particles, just a little sand
After charcoal adsorption and filtration	86 mL	Clear	Clear	Smells like vegetables.	No oil	No solids

86% of the original foul water was recovered as purified water; therefore, we lost 14 mL during the purification process. 

Class Data Table of Volumes: 

	Before the treatment	After oil-water separation	After sand filtration	After charcoal adsorption and filtration
H	100	93	75	82
He	100	92	91	83
Li	100	95	93	86
Be	100	83	80	77
B	100	86	59	68
C	104	87	50	41

Averages- 

Before the treatment: 100.6

After oil-water separation: 89

After sand filtration: 90

After charcoal adsorption and filtration: 73

After the last step, the percent of recovery for each group varied. The percents were different because some groups used more sand and gravel, some groups premoistened the sand and gravel more and some groups were able to take out more water after the oil-water separation.