How do you make a water filter? 

   

Our Experiment

Materials

• empty 2 liter soda bottle
• cotton stuffing
• gravel
• sand
• coffee filter

• dirt to make water dirty
• bucket to keep materials in
• water

Safety Procedures

• don't drink the water
  
• don't eat the ingredients
  
• don't spill the water
  

Procedure:

1. cut the bottom off the plastic bottle
2. place the cut-off bottom of the bottle on the table
3. put the rest of the bottle  upside down in the bottom 
4. place the coffee filter on the bottom of the bottle
   
5. pour in a layer of sand (2 inches)
   
6. pour in a layer of gravel  (2 inches)
   
7. place a layer of cotton on top (2 inches) 
   
8. create the dirty water by mixing water and dirt
   
9. pour dirty water into the container
   
10. check to see if the water that comes out of the filter is clean, if it isn't filter it through a couple more times
    

Watch us in action:

How does it work? 

As the water trickles through the filter, the different layers remove different parts of the dirty water. The cotton removes big clumps of dirt, the gravel removes smaller pieces of dirt and the sand removes tiny pieces of dirt. The coffee filters stop the ingredients from draining through. To make the water drinkable you should add a layer of  charcoal, or add chlorine. You can also boil the water for at least one full minute.

About Koen

Koen is a fifth grader in Mrs Morreale's class. He likes to play soccer and PS3. He is learning Japanese and hopes to visit Japan.

About Rowan

Rowan is a fifth grader in Mr Camarra's. He likes to play the xbox and lacrosse.