If filters with a higher surface area and semi-permeable materials filter out the most sediments, then a coffee filter will be the most effective because they have small pores with a thin layer of protection.

 After some extensive research, I discovered that the material used for water cleansing heavily depends on the chemicals you wish to eliminate from the substance. For instance, many of us wish to use water filters for the sole purpose of having a better taste, scent, and most obviously hydrating our bodies. Thankfully this is not a tremendous issue in Canada however, it can be in other parts of the world where fresh drinking water is scarce. One main contaminant in water is lead. To remove lead from your liquid, a reverse osmosis filtration system works best. Reverse osmosis filtration can be referred to as an extra filter, it removes any slit or chlorine in the water, when it then passes through another system of removing accumulated bits and pieces called a semipermeable tissue. Which is, a material which only allows some matter to pass through. The water then passes through a final filtration system to clean any other residue before it reaches your faucet. Although, the most efficient way to clean your freshwater would be using a carbon filter. Carbon filters in their grainy form are made up of un-processed organic substances such as unactivated charcoal. Charcoal has special properties and a large surface area, making the process easier to adsorb. These filters attract harmful chemicals like fluorine, chlorine, and pesticides. Carbon filters work by adsorbing any detrimental substances because the chemicals are attracted to the exterior of the cleanser. Grainy carbon filters overall have a fantastic capability of adsorbing chemicals, but carbon block filters also may do you well. The difference is that carbon block filters are bulkier but they also provide an increased adsorption as the carbon molecules are compressed together to create a block. Overall, both are usually used in reverse osmosis, as together they fabricate a very low probable chance of water contamination with the combination of chemical adsorption and filtration of sediments through a carbon block. 

Manipulated Variable: Type of filter system

Responding Variable: Water 

Controlled Variable: Amount of water, sediments, sand, dirt

Measure 600mL of water into a clear pitcher 

Add 2 ½ tablespoons of sand, dirt, and small rocks each into the pitcher 

Mix substances in the pitcher

Put a different filter on each of the four cups 

Slowly pour 150mL of grimy water over each cup with a filter 

Observe the amount of grimy water draining into the clear cup

Write down your observations

Plastic cup with coffee filter: This filtration system had occupied the most for letting the water pass through. The total time taken was about 20 minutes, but the filtration was rather shocking. Most of the dirty liquid was unable to pass through and the pebbles were definitely not able to. The liquid ended in a beige color without debris visible in the cup. Although this filtration system had done the best out of the four, it still isn’t suitable for use as a daily filtration system, since the water was still murky. 

Plastic cup with paper as a filter: Surprisingly the printer paper hadn’t even let the water pass through. After 20 minutes of waiting, the paper had not given in and the cup remained empty without water. The paper had completely blocked the liquid off and was not able to land into the cup, as the material was not permeable and was a very dense material.

Plastic cup with a rag as a filter: Unexpectedly, the rag had probably done the worst of the four. As with all the other materials, the pebbles and sand were not able to pass through, but most of the dirt had not been separated from the water. I was expecting a better performance from this material, as the material is semi-permeable and very absorbent. The rag had soaked up much of the water, letting less water pass through and having a decreased amount of water in the cup at the end. 

Plastic cup with a paper towel as a filter: Similarly to using a rag as a filter, much of the water had been absorbed by the material. Not as much as the rag, but it also had done a better job filtering the water. It was probably the second-best filtration system, but the water still seemed to be dirty but had no pebbles or sand visible. 

I analyzed my filtered water using clarity levels. We tested 4 materials and ranked them from levels 1 to 3, level 1 being the dirtiest and level 3 being the best quality. The coffee filter water was ranked as level 3. It gave us the cleanest result. Level 2 was the paper towel as it was still quite dirty. The 1st level was the washcloth as it created excess heat causing water on the sides of the cup, and it could not strain out the dirt completely. Although we tested 4 materials, the paper did not allow the water to seep through and the cup remained empty so it did not receive a level. (I have included an image of my graph in the attachments section)

In conclusion, my hypothesis was correct and the coffee filter was indeed the best household item for filtration. Using a material with a semi-permeable texture, will allow some water to pass through but will deny any other materials from passing through. Theoretically, If we pass the water through another coffee filter the water will be even more cleaner, and so on. 

This experiment showed my partner and me that the filters we buy from the store and have built into our fridges are not exactly necessary or good. The types of filters we tested, (coffee filters, paper, paper towel, and a washcloth) were only able to filter out the heavier material and not the smaller particles. Our artificial filters depend on chemicals in your water that you need to extract. This test showed us that a similar result is achievable using household materials but it is not as effective as the carbon filters we use today. This shows us that using carbon filters is the best way to get the cleanest and best quality water.  

We measured a total of 600ml and contaminated the water. We split it into 4 portions making each cup have approximately 150ml. As the human eye is not perfect, each cup of water could not have the same amount but they were in the 140ml-160ml range. This could affect the result as it could be possible 1 of the materials could have done a better job with less water. 

Suzuki, David. “What's the best water filtration system?” David Suzuki Foundation, https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/whats-best-water-filtration-system/

 Accessed 9 February 2024.

“What are Carbon Filters for Water Filtration?” ESP Water Products, https://www.espwaterproducts.com/carbon-filters/

Accessed 9 February 2024.

Woodard, John. “What Is a Reverse Osmosis System and How Does It Work?” FreshWater Systems, 16 October 2023, https://www.freshwatersystems.com/blogs/blog/what-is-reverse-osmosis

 Accessed 9 February 2024.

Throughout this presentation, I had the help of my partner Snehpreet. We completed this experiment not just ourselves but with the help of our science fair coordinators, Ms.Dool and Ms. Easton as well.