A STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMON CHARCOAL AS A WATER FILTER

SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

BAGUIO COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, BAGUIO CITY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUBJECT

RESEARCH PROJECT/ THESIS

(S.T.E.M. 12)

MARL JIMBERSON R. OLARTE

MICHAEL ANGELO G. SALAS

DECEMBER 2018
 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

As the population increases, human activities caused enormous damage towards the resources

of water. Bodies of water such as lakes, rivers and oceans were contaminated with harmful

chemicals like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). Inhabitation of these toxic chemicals on water

defines what is so called to be water pollution.(Woodford, 2017)

Green and natural remedies were proposed to decrease the pollution contaminating the water

resources thanks to recent studies and experiments. People are now aware of the threats that the

water pollution could cause on the environment. Governments are introducing green agricultural

practices and they had given actions to the management of industrial waste to reduce water

pollutants such as oil, petroleum and toxic chemical compounds. But no matter what we do,

water pollution was still unavoidable. One of the major contributors of pollutants to water are the

industrial factories which continuously produce waste byproducts. These kind of activities

hinders the sanitation of water.

Major water pollutants are those produced in gradual amounts together, with those that are

listed that affects the health and the environment. While these pollutants all have effects and

sources, each of it is chemically unique. The presence of contaminants in the water in a great

amount causes the water to be substandard and unsafe. Water pollution caused more than

900,000 deaths annually. (W.H.O., 2016)

Conceptual Framework

The study focuses on testing the effectiveness of common charcoal as alternative water

filter. The researchers based it on the fact that Activated Charcoal is used to adsorb odors and

colored substances (Journal of Chemical Education).One theory also suggests that activated

charcoal has a large surface area and porosity, it can also remove the total suspended solids and

improve the taste of water (Idris, 2013).

Charcoal is very efficient in filtering water. One gram of activated charcoal has a surface

area of up to 1000 m2. Particles would bind to their walls due to Van der Waals forces. The

adsorption process is controlled by the diffusion rate of organic molecules through the pores. The

rate of adsorption is a function of molecular weight and the molecular size of the organics.

Charcoal has two forms, Common Charcoal, and Activated Charcoal (Water Purification

Theory).

The total dissolved solids in ppm, color change, and odor after filtering are directly

affected by the form of charcoal the researchers will be using and the amount of it which will be

used in the filter. The total dissolved solids in ppm, color change, and odor after filtering might

also be affected by external factors such as the type of cloth to be used in making the filter, and

the purity of the charcoal. These relationships are illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Paradigm showing the relationships among the variables in the study.

Result
Filter

Total dissolved
 Form of charcoal
solids in ppm after
used: Whole,
filtering
semi-whole,
 Color change in
crushed and
water
powdered.
 Odor of the
 Amount of
filtered water
charcoal used

External Factors

 Types of cloth
used in making
the filter
 Purity of the
charcoal
Statement of the Problem

This study will be conducted to test the effectiveness of common charcoal as an

alternative water filter.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1.Does the common charcoal have a special property that allows it to filter substances

in water?

2. Is there a significant difference between the measured Total Dissolved Solids in ppm

before and after the water filters were used.

3. Color of the water before and after filtering.

4. Does increasing the surface area of the common charcoal affect its effectiveness in

filtering water?

Research Hypothesis

1a. HO: There is no significant difference between the measured TDS in ppm before and after

the filters were used.

HA: There is a significant difference between the measured TDS in ppm before and after the

filters were used.

1b. HO: There is a significant difference between the color of the water before and after
filtering.

HA: There is a significant difference between the color of the water before and after filtering.

2. HO: Increasing the surface area does not affect its effectiveness as water filter.

HA: Increasing the surface area affects its effectiveness as water filter.

3. HO: The common charcoal does not have a special property that allows it to filter substances in

water.

HA: The common charcoal has a special property that allows it to filter substances in water.
Significance of the study

Water pollution seems to be threatening than the usual in urban places like Baguio

City. One of the major contributors in water pollution are the mining activities

happening in the mountains of the Cordillera. Mining trails made numerous damage to

the environment especially the water resources. Mining residues affected the quality of

the water thus diminishing the economic and ecological necessities of people.

So, the researchers plan to make an alternative water filter using a common charcoal.

This will help people to lessen the amount of contaminants present in water.

Thus, it also help prevent water pollution and it also helps make our surroundings

clean.
Scope and Delimitation

The study (laboratory activities) will be conducted at Baguio College of Technology,

Plaza Natalia Bldg., Baguio City. The study will start on Nov 7 to Dec 20, 2018.

The study will only test the effectiveness of common charcoal as water filter, the effectiveness

will be based on the collected data (TDS in ppm and Color Change) and it would not test the pH

level of the filtered water. The charcoal and other materials that will be used would come from

local shops.

The researchers will be searching for more information regarding the said study to

achieve a successful study. The information will be gathered from the internet and journals.

The common charcoal will be purchased at a local shop.

This study does not involve other uses of common charcoal other than a filter for water.
Definition of Terms

1. Charcoal (common)-

It is defined as a lightweight black carbon and ash residue hydrocarbon produced by

removing water and other volatile constituents from animals and plant substance. It is usually

produced by pyrolysis-( heating of wood or other substance in the absence of oxygen). The

finished charcoal consist of largely of carbon.

2. Activated charcoal-

Common charcoals were produced naturally but in the case of activated charcoal, it is special

type of charcoal wherein it was treated with oxygen to open up numerous tiny pores between it's

atoms. It was described as a fine black odorless and tasteless powder in which it was treated,

activated to increase its ability to absorb variety of substance.

Activated charcoal was mainly used for air filtration.

3.PPM (Parts per million)-

An abbreviation for " parts per million" and it can be expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/L).

This measurement is the mass of a chemical or contaminate per unit volume of water. One ppm

is equivalent to the absolute fraction amount multiplied by one million.

4. Porosity-

The word "porosity" comes from the Greek word poros for "pore" which means
"passage." It is defined as the quality of being porous or full of tiny holes. Liquid go right

through things that have the characteristic of being porous.

5. TDS (Total Dissolved solids)form is a measure of the dissolved combined content of all

inorganic and organic substances present in a liquid in molecular, ionized or micro-granular

(colloidal sol) suspended form.

6.Adsorb-

defined as the adhesion of a chemical species onto the surface of particles.The gas or liquid

particles bind to the solid or liquid surface that is termed the adsorbent.
 Baguio College of Technology

#37, Harrison Road, Baguio City

November 22,2018
Venancia Banguisan, PhD.
Principal
Senior Highschool Department
Baguio College of Technology
Dear Ma'am

We, the Student Researchers of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

(S.T.E.M.) 12 are currently conducting a study entitled " Effectiveness of Common Charcoal as

Water Filter."

In this regard, we would like to ask approval from you to be allowed to conduct our studies

outside the school premises. The said study will be conducted for research and educational

purpose only

Sincerely yours, noted by:

Marl Jimberson R. Olarte Eng. Lorena Guieb Dayrit

Michael Angelo G. Salas Dr. Venancia Banguisan, P h.D

 Chapter 2

Research Related Literature

This chapter indicates the ideas, also the history, relevant to the experiment to provide

information and further elaborate different information that were the foundation of the

proposed study. In order to develop new method and procedures, careful review of literature

and studies must be done for the development of the study. The main purpose of this chapter is

review theories and studies related to charcoal and water filter.

I. Related Literature

The Filtration Theory

The objective is to describe a fundamental analysis which provides a filtration mechanism that

can be used to select filters and filter media. General multiphase balances are developed from

the principles of volume averaging and the new continuum requires constitutive equations

which may be different from those of the individual phases. Linear constitutive equations are

developed which are function of multiphase variables. For the filtration analysis, governing

equations for both non-Newtonian and Newtonian fluids are derived. Combination of the

constitutive and general balance equations is subjected to dimensional analysis to determine

that the dominant terms are the pressure and drag forces for both classes of fluids. Filtrate rate

expressions are derived for non-Newtonian and Newtonian fluids, one dimensional cylindrical

and
circular leaf filters. All are governed by an analogous rate expression.

Physical Property of Charcoal

Charcoal is carbon and activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with

oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. The use of special

manufacturing techniques result in highly porous charcoals that have surface areas of

300-2,000 square meters per gram. These so-called active or activated charcoals, are

widely used to absorb odorous or colored substances from gases or liquids. When a

material absorbs something, it attaches to it by chemical attraction. The huge surface area

of activated charcoal gives it countless bonding sites. When certain chemicals pass next

to the carbon surface, they attach to the surface and are trapped.

Activated charcoal is good at trapping other carbon-based impurities (“organic”

chemicals), as well as things like chlorine. Many other chemicals are not attracted to

carbon at all like sodium, nitrates, etc. – so they pass right through. This means that an

activated charcoal filter will remove certain impurities while ignoring others. It also

means that, once all of the bonding sites are filled, an activated charcoal filter stops

working.

Porosity and adsorption properties of an activated charcoal

Activated Carbons were prepared from esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima) by activation with

different amounts of KOH and different temperatures of pyrolysis. The study of

carbonization was carried out by thermal analysis (DSC, Tg, DTg and simultaneous Mass

spectroscopy). Moreover, the characterization of surface carbons was performed by means of

measurement of surface area, by BET method (SBET), the micro and mesopore area, by

Dubinin–Radushkevich

(Smic and Sext), the pore size distribution, by DFT and the surface charge distribution, by

potential Zeta and Mass Titration. Probes of adsorption with anionic surfactant were carried

out. These results suggest that the fundamental factor over adsorption was the development of

mesoporosity in carbons activated at greats ratios of KOH impregnation.

Water Filter

Water filtration research has been undertaken for a variety of reasons. Studies have been

performed to develop information for filtration theories and for design of filtration plants to

remove suspended matter such as clays, algae, suspended matter in general, and asbestos

fibers from water. Filtration studies related to removal of microorganisms have generally been

motivated by the need to learn about the removal of pathogens or indicator organisms, or both.

Reducing the risk of waterborne disease has been a goal of microbiologically related filtration

research for nearly 100 years. This chapter briefly reviews that research and then discusses the

results of recent investigations.

II. Related Studies

 Performance of activated carbon in water filters ( January 2013)

J. Idris and M. Mazar Atabaki (2013) conducted a study about "Performance of activated carbon

in water filters" wherein the purpose of their study is to show the performance of activated

charcoal in water filtering system. Activated carbon is commonly used in water treatment to

remove water contaminants from tap water and well water. Activated carbon is used in home

water filtering system due to its excellent adsorption capacity. In their study, they used two

types of activated charcoal : one granular activated carbon-A (GAC-A) and the other granular

activated carbon-B (GAC-B). Two types of water sample were used, the tap and well water , are

analyzed before and after the experiment. The water samples were analyzed using pH test,

turbidity test, total suspended solid examination, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) test and

chemical oxygen demand (COD) test .The results obtained from the water analysis shows that

the GAC-A performs better than GAC-B in reducing turbidity, total suspended solid, BOD and

COD. However the ultraviolet radiation reduced the BOD and COD of the water.

Effectiveness of Wood Ash Containing Charcoal as a Fertilizer. April 2011

M. Santalla, B.O. Ignacio, R. Soalleiro and A. Merino (2011)conducted a study about

"Effectiveness of Wood Ash Containing Charcoal as a Fertilizer." The purpose of their

study was to investigate the effectiveness of Mixed Wood Ash ( MWA) which contains charcoal.

With the 4 year-investigation of the effectiveness of the MWA, the research findings shows that

the MWA containing charcoal can be a long lasting great source of nutrients for plants and soil
but it decreases the phosphorus and nitrogen content of the soil which is necessary for the

plants to grow.

Fruit peels as Efficient Renewable Adsorbents for Removal of Dissolved Heavy Metals and

Dyes in Water

R. Mallampati, L. Xuanjun, A. Adin, S. Valiyaeveettil ( February 2018)

A study was conducted to test the efficiency of fruit peels as a renewable adsorbent. In the

study avocado, hamimelon and dragonfruit peels were selected for the investigation as a

potential adsorbent. The research finding shows that the three selected peels shows high

adsorption capacity decreasing over a period of time. The investigation indicates that the fruit

peels might be a good, renewable and cost-efficient source of water filter.Application of Fibrous

Activated Carbon Filter in Continous-Flow Unit for Removal of Volatile Organic Compounds

Under Simulated Indoor Conditions ( W.K. Jo, H.H. Chun) February 2013

The study conducted aims to show the application and effectiveness of fibrous activated carbon

(FAC) when used in volatile organic compound (VOC) filter. Findings shows that the FAC is

applicable in filtering VOC but its effectiveness depends upon the SFR entering the filter.

Source:

M. Atabaki, Y. K. Siong, & Idris, J. (2013). Performance of activated carbon in water filters.

Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234060484_Performance_of_activated_carbon_in_

water_filters
Santalla, M., Ignacio, B., Rodríguez-Soalleiro, R., & Merino, A. (2011). Effectiveness of wood ash

containing charcoal as a fertilizer for a forest plantation in a temperate region. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225554721_Effectiveness_of_wood_ash_containing

_charcoal_as_a_fe

Willis M.S., Bybyk S., Collins R., Raviprakash J. (1987) Theory of Filtration. In: Bear J.,

Corapcioglu M.Y. (eds) Advances in Transport Phenomena in Porous Media. NATO ASI Series

(Series E: Applied Sciences), vol 128. Springer, Dordrecht 2015. (2008). Physical properties of

charcoal. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from http://ukrfuel.com/news-physical-properties-of-

charcoal-22.html

Dı ́az-Terán, J & M. Nevskaia, D & López-Peinado, A.J. & Jerez, A. (2001). Porosity and adsorption

properties of an activated charcoal. Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering

Aspects

Logsdon G.S. (1990) Microbiology and Drinking Water Filtration. In: McFeters G.A. (eds)

Drinking Water Microbiology. Brock/Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience. Springer, New

York, NY
Methodology

This chapter indicates the precise and accuracy of the methods and procedures used to gather

data from the study. Furthermore, it also discusses the materials,tools and equipments used in

elaboration to the study.

I. Materials

The materials that were used by the researchers to set up the study are the following:

Plastic Bottles - 4pcs

Rubber Bands - 4pcs

Cloth - 4 pcs (measures 4x4 inches each)

Common charcoal

Tap water - 1 Liter

II. Step-by-step Procedure

1.The researchers first gathered the materials that will be used: common charcoal, cloth, four

plastic bottles, rubber band, and dirty water to be filtered.

2. The bottom part of the four bottles was removed using cutter.

3. The bottle cap was removed and replaced with cloth attached using the rubber band.

4. The researchers put no charcoal on the first bottle and labeled it “A”, this will serve as the

control.The researchers put uncrushed charcoal on the second bottle and labeled it “B”. The

researchers put semi-crushed charcoal on the third bottle and labeled it “C”. The researchers

put powderized charcoal on the fourth bottle and labeled it “D”. The charcoal the bottles

contained weigh 75 g each.

5. The water was then filtered using the four different filters and collected on four separate

containers labeled with respect to the filter used for testing.

III. Data Gathering Procedure

In this study, experimentation was the main scientific test used to gather data. It was

conducted between two variables wherein the form and amount of common charcoal was

indicated as the independent variable and for the dependent variable, it was denoted by the

change in the content of the water.

On the data gathering procedure, the researchers used extended laboratory examination

wherein the water samples were examined in the Water Analysis Centers to obtain accurate

and precise data.

 The researchers also acquired additional information from available sources and references

that could be found on software files, books, internet websites, newspapers and articles. These

additional information are very important because it appends essential data that could support

and affirm the content and data of the study

conducted.

IV. Research Design

The research design used by the researchers in this study was the Pretest-Posttest Design. The

research design chosen would allow the researchers to observe the content and color of the water

sample used before and after the experiment was established. In this design, water sample that

were obtained will not have any treatment but it undergo in the same test and analysis.