(These At-Home Individual Experiments MUST BE SUPERVISED BY AN ADULT)

Instructions For Water Purification Experiment

Objective:

Learn how chemistry is used in water treatment by filtering dirty water through a simple filtration system.

Materials & Measurements:

• Dirty water – 500 mL of water (Mix 1 tablespoon of soil and a few small leaves in tap water)
• Coffee filter – 1 piece
• Sand – 200 grams (~1 cup)
• Activated charcoal – 100 grams (~½ cup)
• Gravel (optional but recommended) – 100 grams (~½ cup)
• Clear plastic or glass container – 1 (1-liter capacity)
• Small funnel or plastic bottle (cut in half) – 1

Steps:

1) Pre-filtering: Pour the dirty water through a coffee filter to remove large particles like leaves and debris.

2) Setting up the filtration system:

• • If using a plastic bottle, invert the top half to act as a funnel.
  • Layer the bottom with gravel (100 g) to trap large particles.
  • Add a layer of activated charcoal (100 g) to absorb impurities and odors.
  • Place sand (200 g) on top to filter finer particles.

3) Filtration Process: Slowly pour the pre-filtered water through the layers. Collect the filtered water in the container below.

4)Observation: Compare the clarity of the water before and after filtering.