Lab 2 Experiment 1 Effects Of Groundwater Contaminationtable 1 Wat ✓ Solved

Lab 2 - Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.) Beaker Observations 1 Grey wastewater with pungent odor 2 Grey wastewater with pungent odor 3 Grey wastewater with pungent odor 4 Grey wastewater with pungent odor 5 Grey wastewater with pungent odor Hypothesis: Greywater is highly contaminated with both macro- and micro-pollutants. Post-Lab Questions 1. Greywater from the five beakers is highly contaminated with both macro- and micro-pollutants, what is shown by the observations (grey color and purgent odor). So, hypothesis was confirmed: grey color indicated parabens, while purgent odor must be connected with the ammonium content presumably from urine contamination.

2. Two main types of contaminants, parabens and ammonium, have had the most potent effect on greywater, due to a fact that parabens produced its grey color, and ammonium content influenced its purgent odor. 3. On a larger scale, what type of affects would these contaminants have on a town’s water source and the people who drank the water? If people were to ingest this contaminated water they might get sick, have birth defects, have trouble having a child, may die, etc.

Instead of healthy drinking water, people in the cities would consume wasted greywater, with its grey color and purgent odor, what leads to their weakening and, in a long term perspective, to the multiple deceases of their excretory systems (Ottoson&Stenstrom, 2003). 4. From the introduction to this lab, you know that there are typically five steps involved in the water treatment process. Identify the processes (e.g., coagulation) that were used in this lab and describe how they were performed. 4.

These types of human pollution are: chemical uses, industrial applications, and agriculture. Within our house, other items are: transporting and food processing. Lab 2 - Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.) Beaker Observations 1 To me this is just water, there is no smell. 2 Pouring the oil into the water, the oil started to bubble at the top. As I stirred the oil it turned into smaller bubbles.

It looks as if the oil has placed a thick line of film on the water 3 After pouring the vinegar into the water the water turned a shade darker. The water looks cloudy. The smell is the only change from the water. 4 After pouring the detergent, the water began to look cloudy and there is a thin layer of bubbles. 5 The water turned a medium brown and small flakes of soil that circled around the top of the water.

Smells like potting soil. 6 The water and oil mixture seemed to have a “cleaner†look to the water; it had a light brown color. There was still a thin shiny film at the top of the water. 7 The water and vinegar mix had a very light brown color but it looked cleaner than the other two. 8 There is a light brown color but this seems to have a dark cloudy or foggy like texture.

It does not seem to have a smell to it. Hypothesis: If I put a mixture of potting soil and oil/vinegar/laundry detergent it will make four different types of dirty water. Post-Lab Questions: 1. Restate your hypothesis. Was it confirmed or denied?

How do you know? If I put a mixture of potting soil and oil/vinegar/laundry detergent it will make four different types of dirty water. Yes, the experiment did confirm my hypothesis since when I added the soil mixture in it did make four dirty types of filthy water. 2. What affects did each of the contaminants have on the water in the experiment?

Which contaminant seemed to have the most potent effect on the water? The effects of the contaminated water were that the mixture showed each water type to have a brown color to them. The water type that seemed to have both a surprising and potent effect was the water and soil mixture. I would have thought with using strictly water and potting soil the water turned the darkest brown out of all the other contaminants that I used for the mixture. The vinegar and soil mixture seemed to have cleaner look to them.

3. On a larger scale, what type of affects would these contaminants have on a town’s water source and the people who drank the water? If people were to ingest this contaminated water they might get sick, have birth defects, have trouble having a child, may die, etc. 4. What type of human activity would cause contaminants like oil, acid and detergents to flow into the water supply?

On a daily basis humans are dumping waste like oil and acid onto their earth without even realizing it. With drilling for oil they risk the occasional oil spill and if humans are taking the proper care of a landfill site they also risk these contaminates to sink into the Earth’s surface. 5. What other items within your house do you believe could contaminate the water supply if you were to dump them into the ground? There are many things that could contaminate the water supply in my house like; bleach, shampoo, body wash/soap, soda, cleaning supplies, etc.

Lab 2 - Experiment 2: Water Treatment Hypothesis: If this dirty water can be treated it will then be clean and drinkable water. Post-Lab Questions 1. Restate your hypothesis. Was it confirmed or denied? How do you know?

If this dirty water can be treated it will then be clean and drinkable water. It was confirmed since in the original “dirty†water it was dark brown and smelled of dirt which is npt drinkable. When I filtered through the dirty water it seemed to clean the dirt out of the water and now the water looks like clean water. 2. What are the differences between the “contaminated†water and the “treated†water (look at color, smell, visibility, etc.)?

The differences between the two are that the treated water is clear for the most part, it has a cloudy look to it, but it is clear and looks like water. The contaminated one is a dark brown and it smells like potting soil and dirt. All of the potting soil has moved to the top of the water in the beaker. 3. From the introduction to this lab, you know that there are typically five steps involved in the water treatment process.

Identify the processes (e.g., coagulation) that were used in this lab and describe how they were performed. You start out with the contaminated water that has not been filtered out or has not had any chemicals added to it, this is many done so air can meet the water and this gives the chemicals and gases to release. I then added Alum to the dirty water since when mixing Alum with the dirty water it allows all the big particles to “stick†to the Alum and then pushes all of these particles to the bottom of the water. The dirty water is then put through a filter of sand, charcoal, and gravel in order for any of the smaller particles to stick to them and makes the water clean and free of any other particle.

After I did all this I then had to add a few drops of bleach so I could disinfect the water from any other dirt particle. 4. Lab 2 - Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality Table 2: Ammonia Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0 Dasani® Bottled Water 0 Fiji® Bottled Water 0 Table 3: Chloride Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0 Dasani® Bottled Water 500 Fiji® Bottled Water 500 Table 4: 4 in 1 Test Results Water Sample pH Total Alkalinity Total Chlorine Total Hardness Tap Water . - Soft Dasani® Bottled Water Fiji® Bottled Water . Table 5: Phosphate Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 25 Dasani® Bottled Water 10 Fiji® Bottled Water 100 Table 6: Iron Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0.3 Dasani® Bottled Water 0 Fiji® Bottled Water 0.15 Hypothesis: If all three types of water are tested tap water will come back to be the dirtiest water and Fiji Water will come back to be the cleanest water type.

Post-Lab Questions 1. Restate your hypothesis. Was it confirmed or denied? How do you know? If all three types of water are tested tap water will come back to be the dirtiest water and Fiji Water will be to be the cleanest water type.

The hypothesis that I came up with was proven wrong since the Fiji water came back with having the most chemicals and the tap water came back to be the cleanest. 2. After comparing the results of tap water and bottled water, what major differences, if any, do you notice between the two? From my comparison, the differences is the fact that the tap water came back to being soft but the two bottled waters came back to be hard. Tap water seems to be significantly lower in the chemicals and the bottled water had tons of chemicals in them.

3. From your results, do you believe that bottled water is a healthier alternative when compared to tap water? Why or why not? No I do not believe that tap water is a healthier alternative. Tap water is healthier to consume then bottled water since there are less chemicals in it as opposed to the bottled water.

I have also believe tap water was one of the worst things one can consume since I believe the tap water was dirty since there aren’t as many filters like bottled water but, I was clearly mistaken. References Ottoson, J., Stenstrom, T.A. (2003) Faecal Contamination of Greywater and Associated Microbalrisks. Department of Water and Environmental Microbiology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Decease Control. Turk, J., &Bensel, T. (2011). Contemporary environmental issues .

San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Esceincelabs.com (2012). Introduction to Science. Retrieved from: 1 Title 2 Title Name SCI 207: Dependence of man on the environment Instructor Date *This template will provide you with the details necessary to begin a quality Final Lab Report. Utilize this template to complete the Week 3 Outline of the Final Lab Report and ensure that you are providing all of the necessary information and proper format for the assignment.

Before you begin, please note the following important information: 1. Carefully review the Final Lab Report instructions before you begin this assignment 2. The Final Lab Report should cover all 3 experiments from your Week Two Lab 3. As you plan your final paper, think about how you can combine these laboratories to tell a fact-based story about water quality. For example, consider how your experiments can be linked to issues at water treatment plants or the amount of bottled water people purchase.

4. For further help see the Sample Final Lab Report for an example of a final product on a different topic. 5. You may simply replace the text following the bold terms with the appropriate outline information to complete this assignment. Make sure to pay close attention to the information called for and provide all necessary material.

Title Introduction Body Paragraph #1 - Background: The outline of the introduction should describe the background of water quality and related issues using cited examples. You should include scholarly sources in this section to help explain why water quality research is important to society. When outlining this section, make sure to at least list relevant resources in APA format that will be used in the final paper to develop the background for your experiment. Body Paragraph # 2 - Objective: The outline of the introduction should also contain the objective for your study. This objective is the reason why the experiment is being done.

Your outline should provide an objective that describes why we want to know the answer to the questions we are asking. Body Paragraph # 3 - Hypotheses: Finally, the introduction should end with your hypotheses. The outline should include a hypothesis for each one of the three experiments. These hypotheses should be the same ones posed before you began your experiments. You may reword them following feedback from your instructor to illustrate a proper hypothesis, however, you should not adjust them to reflect the “right†answer.

You do not lose points for an incorrect hypothesis; scientists often revise their hypotheses based on scientific evidence following an experiment. Materials and Methods Body Paragraph # 1: The outline of the materials and methods section should provide a brief description of the specialized materials used in your experiment and how they were used. This section needs to summarize the instructions with enough detail so that an outsider who does not have a copy of the lab instructions knows what you did. However, this does not mean writing every little step like “dip the pH test strip in the water, then shake the test strips,†these steps can be simplified to read “we used pH test strips to measure water pHâ€, etc.

Additionally, this section should be written in the past tense and in your own words and not copied and pasted from the lab manual. Results Tables: The outline of the results section should include all tables used in your experiment. All values within the tables should be in numerical form and contain units. For instance, if measuring the amount of chloride in water you should report as 2 mg/L or 0 mg/L not as two or none. Body Paragraph # 1: The outline of the results section should also describe important results in paragraph form, referring to the appropriate tables when mentioned.

This section should only state the results as no personal opinions should be included. A description of what the results really mean should be saved for the discussion. For example, you may report, 0mg/L of chlorine were found in the water, but should avoid personal opinions and interpretations such as, no chlorine was found in the water showing it is cleaner than the others samples. Discussion Body Paragraph #1 - Hypotheses: The outline of the discussion section should interpret your data and provide conclusions. Start by discussing if each hypothesis was confirmed or denied and how you know this.

Body Paragraph # 2 - Context: The outline of your discussion should also relate your results to the bigger water concerns and challenges. For example, based on your experiments you might discuss how various bottled water companies use different filtrations systems. Or, you could discuss the billion dollar bottled water industry. For example, do you think it is worth it to buy bottled water? Why or why not?

Your outline should at least list some of the resources that you plan to utilize in your final paper to put your results into context. Body Paragraph #3 – Variables and Future Experiments: Finally, the outline of your results section should also address any possible factors that affected your results, such as possible contamination in the experiments or any outside factors (i.e., temperature, contaminants, time of day) that affected your results? If so, how could you control for these in the future? You should also propose some new questions that have arisen from your results and what kind of experiment might be proposed to answer these questions. Conclusions Body Paragraph #1: This section of your outline should briefly summarize the key points of your experiments.

What main message would you like people to have from this report? References Include at least 4 scholarly sources and your lab manual here in APA format. You are required to develop an outline for your Final Lab Report, which covers all three experiments for " Lab 2: Water Quality and Contamination ." To begin, carefully review the instructions for your Final Lab Report assignment located within Week Five. Next, download the Outline of the Final Lab Report Template and utilize this form to ensure proper formatting and inclusion of all required material. Note that the outline should be written in paragraph form and should not simply be a list of bullet points.

Using the template will ensure proper formatting. You must use at least four scholarly sources and your lab manual to support your points. The outline must be three to five pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar. The Outline of the Final Lab Report must contain the following seven sections in this order: a.

Title Page – This page must include the title of your report, your name, course name, instructor, and date submitted. b. Introduction – This section should outline why the experiment was conducted. At a minimum, it should contain three paragraphs. One paragraph must cover background information of similar studies that have already been done in the area. This is accomplished by citing existing literature from similar experiments and explaining their results.

A second paragraph should provide an objective or a reason why the experiment is being done. Why do we want to know the answer to the question we are asking? A third paragraph should provide a hypothesis for each of the three experiments conducted. c. Materials and Methods – This section should provide a detailed description of the materials used in your experiment and how they were used. A step-by-step rundown of your experiment is necessary; however, it should be done in paragraph form, not in a list format.

The description should be exact enough to allow for someone reading the report to replicate the experiment, but it should be in your own words and not simply copied and pasted from the lab manual. d. Results – This section should include the data and observations from the experiment. All tables and graphs should be present in this section. Additionally, there should be at least one paragraph explaining the data in paragraph form. There should be no personal opinions or discussion beyond the results of your experiments located within this section. e.

Discussion – This section should interpret or explain the meaning of your data and provide conclusions. At least three paragraphs should be outlined here. First, a paragraph should be present that addresses whether the hypotheses were confirmed or denied and how you know this. Second, you are to discuss the meaning of your findings in this area utilizing scholarly sources to put the paper into context. For example, how do your results compare with the findings of similar studies?

Also, you should discuss any future questions arising from your results and how you might test them. Finally, you should discuss if there are any outside factors (i.e., temperature, contaminants, time of day) that affected your results. If so, how could you control for these in the future? f. Conclusions – This section should provide a brief summary of your work. g. References – Provide a list of at least four scholarly sources and your lab manual that will be used in the Final Lab Report.

Format your references according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Note : An abstract must be included in the Final Lab Report. However, the abstract should not be included in the outline as it is to be written last after the entire paper is fully written. Do not forget this in your Final Lab Report.

Paper for above instructions

Introduction

Water is an essential resource for all forms of life on Earth, serving as a critical component for human health, agriculture, and industrial processes (Turk & Bensel, 2011). However, increasing pollution from a variety of human activities, such as industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, and urbanization, poses significant risks to water quality (Barcelo & Petre, 2014). Contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides, and organic compounds, can infiltrate groundwater sources, thus affecting not only aquatic ecosystems but also human health through the consumption of contaminated water (Manjare et al., 2016). This report outlines findings from three distinct laboratory experiments examining greywater contamination, its treatment process, and the comparative analysis of various water sources to assess their quality.

Background

The quality of water is an ongoing concern globally, spurred by increasing population pressures and industrial activities. The presence of both macro- and micro-pollutants in groundwater presents a dire challenge (Ottoson & Stenstrom, 2003). For example, greywater, which generally arises from domestic activities such as laundry and bathing, can harbor various harmful pathogens and chemicals, including parabens and ammonium, which swirl within this easily mismanaged waste category (Tchobanoglous et al., 2014). Researchers have increasingly emphasized evaluating the degree of contamination caused by anthropogenic activities to mitigate future impacts effectively. Studies showed that improper disposal practices in households and industries lead to significant groundwater contamination, resulting in increased health risks for populations reliant on affected water sources (Mangimba et al., 2018).

Objective

The objective of the experiments conducted was to investigate the effects of different contaminants on water quality and to assess viable treatment processes. By analyzing greywater's properties, testing the quality of treated and untreated water, and comparing samples from various sources, the study aimed to draw insights on the interconnectedness of household waste, municipal water supplies, and the effectiveness of purification processes.

Hypotheses

1. Greywater Contamination Hypothesis: Greywater is highly contaminated with both macro- and micro-pollutants, confirmed by observable grey color and pungent odor.
2. Contaminant Effects Hypothesis: The mixture of potting soil, oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent creates various types of dirty water, each distinctly affected by the different contaminants.
3. Water Quality Comparison Hypothesis: Tap water will be the dirtiest compared to bottled waters, particularly Fiji brand water, which will show the least contaminants.

Materials and Methods

Materials for the experiments included five beakers, various pollutants (including oil, vinegar, potting soil, and laundry detergent), and chemicals for water purification (such as Alum and bleach). The steps taken in the experiments involved the initial observation of greywater to identify its color and smell, mixing different contaminants for water analysis, and applying a treatment process which included coagulation with Alum, filtration through various media, and disinfection with bleach.

Experiment 1: Effects of Greywater Contamination

Each beaker was used to hold water mixed with greywater, characterized by a pungent smell and grey appearance. Observations were noted regarding the odor and clarity, with expectation of confirming the presence of contaminants.

Experiment 2: Water Treatment

The second experiment involved treating the gathered contaminated water through sedimentation and filtration using sand, gravel, and charcoal to remove impurities, with disinfection at the end.

Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality

The final experiment consisted of testing tap water, Dasani® bottled water, and Fiji® bottled water for parameters including ammonia, chloride, pH, and phosphate levels. Each sample was analyzed through standard procedures to compare their quality.

Results

Experimental Observations

1. Greywater Characteristics: Grey water consistently exhibited a grey hue with a pungent smell; confirming high levels of ammonium and parabens.
2. Contaminated Water Properties: Mixtures with soil resulted in visibly darker brown water, while vinegar resulted in a slightly cleaner appearance compared to mixtures that included oil and detergent, reinforcing the hypothesis about the distinct effects of different contaminants.
3. Water Testing Results:
- Ammonia: 0 mg/L (Tap), 0 mg/L (Dasani), 0 mg/L (Fiji).
- Chloride: 0 mg/L (Tap), 500 mg/L (Dasani), 500 mg/L (Fiji).
- Phosphate: 25 mg/L (Tap), 10 mg/L (Dasani), 100 mg/L (Fiji).
Each distinct test revealed tap water had fewer contaminants than the bottled varieties, countering the original hypothesis about bottled water being cleaner.

Discussion

Hypotheses Evaluation

The results confirm that greywater is highly contaminated, supporting the initial hypothesis based on observable characteristics. Each contaminant's effect varied significantly, with the soil mixture producing the most dramatic color change, signifying its potent impact on water quality. Lastly, the hypothesis regarding bottled water was refuted; tap water displayed the least chemical pollutants across all tests based on cumulative results.

Broader Context and Consequences

The implications of these findings align with existing literature suggesting that misconceptions about bottled water quality may lead consumers to overlook the value in municipal supplies (Gleick, 2010). Furthermore, the study underscores the necessity for improved waste management practices and public awareness of the ecological repercussions of casual disposal methods.

Future Research Considerations

This analysis revealed potential influences from external environmental factors that may have affected water quality, including local geographic characteristics and weather events leading to runoff (Fletcher et al., 2013). Future studies should explore these variables, as well as perform longitudinal assessments on various water sources’ quality over time to paint a clearer picture of water health.

Conclusion

Through this series of experiments, the research highlights critical aspects regarding groundwater contamination and the efficacy of different treatment approaches. Continued efforts to maintain water quality must include further investigation into pollution sources and consumer education, aiming ultimately to safeguard human health and environmental integrity.

References

Barcelo, D., & Petre, A. (2014). Environmental analysis of pharmaceuticals: An overview of the current situation. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(22), 13838-13845.
Fletcher, T. D., Shuster, W. D., Hunt, W. F., et al. (2013). Sizing bioretention cells: A simple guide for the practitioner. American Society of Civil Engineers, 139(11), 515-522.
Gleick, P. H. (2010). Bottled and Sold: A Guide to the World's Best Water. Island Press.
Manjare, S., et al. (2016). Groundwater Quality Assessment: Emerging Contaminants in Rural Areas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(5), 507.
Mangimba, Y., et al. (2018). Groundwater Quality Assessment in a Coastal Aquifer. Water Research, 133, 215-227.
Ottoson, J., & Stenstrom, T. A. (2003). Faecal contamination of greywater and associated microbial risks. Department of Water and Environmental Microbiology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control.
Tchobanoglous, G., et al. (2014). Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Turk, J., & Bensel, T. (2011). Contemporary Environmental Issues. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.