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Getting the Bugs (and Other Things) Out of Water

CSEF · 2004 Environmental Engineering

Elizabeth M. Raymond · Sacred Heart School, Ventura

Overview

Objectives/Goals My objective is to determine the best method of purifying water. I believe that the distillation method will work the best to remove both chemical and biological contaminants. Methods/Materials Obtain untreated lake water, and test it for the presence of chemical and biological contaminants using commerical water testing kits. Then purify the water using 9 different methods; coffee, foam, fiber and activated carbon filters, bleach, chlorine and iodine tablets, boiling and distillation. Then test each sample of purified water for chemical and biological contamints using the water testing kits. Results Distillation method worked the best, removing all contaminants. Boiling removed all bacteria and iron. Activated carbon removed some bacteria and iron. Chlorine, bleach, and iodine removed all bacteria but no chemical contaminants. Coffee filter removed some bacteria and no chemical contaminants. Foam and fiber filters added more bacteria into the water and removed no chemical contaminants. Conclusions/Discussion My hypothesis was correct being that the distillation method was more effective at removing the contaminants than the other methods. From doing this experiment I proved that different methods of water purification are more effective than others, and it is important to choose the correct method because some methods hardly work at all.

Summary statement

Given the importance of water, my project was designed to figure out which method of water purification is most efficient in removing harmful substances such as chemcial and biological contaminants.

Help received

Science teacher Mrs. Dwyer oversaw each step of project as class assignment; Dad helped with purchasing materials, transportation, and assisted with the experiments.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2004 Environmental Engineering · Entry J0825

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