Environmental Lab Report

Environmental Lab Report

Introduction

Water pollution typically occurs when harmful or waste or substances enter the bodies of naturally occurring water that includes rivers, lakes, oceans, ponds and ditches. There exist various forms of toxic or harmful substances such as chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, medicines, antibiotics and organic substances including human and animal waste. In addition to these, there are microbial pathogens from the dead species in the surface water, animal and human waste, and most important physical objects, which do not decompose including as plastic objects. Moreover, acid rain is another major cause of water pollution (Abel, 1996). The Acid rain is formed when the combination of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides mixes with the rainwater where the atmospheric oxygen forms acidic compounds including nitric acid and sulfuric acid. The nitrogen oxides are formed from various sources such as power plants, burning of coal from automobile exhaust (Salathiel, 1973).

In addition to the naturally occurring water pollutants, various industrial and domestic activities in mines, factories, garbage, refineries, automobiles, sewage, household products, arming, and also burning of fuels including wood, oil and coal (Rowland, pp. 113). The direct interaction of water pollutants with naturally occurring water is called Point source water pollution. For example, the oil spill in any ocean (Abel, 1996).

Whereas Non-point source pollution can be regarded as the indirect water pollution. The important thing to note is that all these water pollutants are harmful to all the living organisms on the planet be it humans, mammals, birds and even the sub marine species. However, there are several elements on planet earth that acts as a natural filter to deal with the pollutants. One of these is the beach soil (Gammar, 1997).

Purpose

The purpose or object of the experiment is to analyze, investigate, and evaluate the natural Earth's filters.

Basic Technique

The experiment is divided into two parts. The first part is to demonstrate the point source pollution. The second part will demonstrate how and to what extent the soil will be able to remove oil from the water.

Materials

The necessary material required wills include

Vegetable Oil

2-Litre plastic pop bottles

Beach sand

Beakers

Very thin and transparent cloth material

Water Container

Tape

glass jars with the screw cap lids

Scissors

Rubber bands

Transparent plastic cups Marking pens

Procedure

Part 1

Take a glass-baking dish with measurements 9x11 inch and pour water in it until half filled. Make sure not to touch or move the table or the dish unnecessarily.

Add approximately 3 drops of a blue food coloring in the water dish. However, this should be ensured that the drops are added near any corner of the water filled baking dish.

Now add around 3 drops of the red food coloring in to the dish. This should be ensured in this step as well that the drops are added near the corner opposite to the one chosen for adding the blue coloring.

Make sure that the table and the dish remains still. Observe the colors in the dish.

Leave the dish as it is and keep observing the dispersion ...