Efficiency of Crab Shells and Acacia Seeds in Purifying Water

PROBLEM:
Are crab shells and acacia seeds effective in purifying water?

HYPOTHESIS:
We think that if we utilize crab shells and acacia seeds in unpurified water then it will
neither have a significant effect on this liquid nor it will purify unpurified water.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
a) Controlled Variable
- a sample of unpurified water from Iloilo River

b) Manipulated Variable(s)
- another sample of unpurified water from Iloilo River
- Acacia seeds
- Crab shells

b) Responding Variable
- impurities in water

MATERIALS:

ITEMS QUANTITY
Crab Shells 400 grams
Acacia Seeds 40 grams
Sterilized bottle 2 units
Erlenmeyer Flask 6 units
Flashlight 1 unit
Mortar and Pestle 1 unit
NaOH solution 400 mL.
Distilled Water 2 liters
Commercial Faucet Filtering Device 1 unit
Glass bottle 2 units
Test tube 2 units
pH paper 2 units
Beaker 1 unit
Phenolphthalein 10 grams

PROCEDURE:
a) COLLECTING PROCESS
Water samples are to be collected from Iloilo River passage near Gaisano Mall.
The bottle should be held in the lower part and was submerged at a depth of about
25 centimeters with the bottle mouth slightly facing upwards. Remember that if there is a
current, that bottle mouth should face towards the current.
The 1st water sample should be marked ‘A’ because this should be our controlled
sample. The 2nd water sample should be marked ‘B’ and is to be used for the investigation.

Acacia seeds are to be collected either from West Visayas State University, Iloilo
National High School or St. Clements church.
The rest of the materials are expected to be purchased.

b) MAIN PROCESS
Acacia seeds are to be broken into two, collecting the yellowish, sticky part and leave
to dry.
Crab shells are to be pounded and dried. The shells were supposed to be immersed in
200 mL. of 0.02n NaOH solution to solidify the chitosan gel. After this procedure, the
membrane should be washed with distilled water to remove the NaOH solution. The
membrane should be air dried after this.
A Ca membrane is to be needed in this treatment. The Ca membrane is made out of a
thin film of 1% solution of chitosan in 2% acetic acid and cast it to a cellulose acetate (CA)
micro filtration membrane.
A commercial faucet filtering device is to be used. Acacia seeds and chitosan UF
membrane are to replace stones inside the filtering device if there are any.
Water sample ‘B’ is then to be filtered by the commercial faucet filtering device.