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Effect of Salinity on the Ability of
Polypropylene Absorbent Pads to Pick Up Oil Spills |
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Researched by Sam H.
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The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of salinity on the ability of polypropylene absorbent pads to pick up oil spills.
I became interested in this idea when I learned that oil spills are a problem in society. I wanted to test whether there is a difference in fresh water or saltwater recovery of the oil.
The information gained from this experiment could help society because spilled oil is a huge and growing problem. Oil pollutes fresh water streams and lakes as well as marine areas. We need to know ways to recover spilled oil before it causes environmental damage.
My hypothesis was that as the salinity level increased the polypropylene absorbent pads would pick up more oil.
I based my hypothesis on the fact that saline water is denser then fresh water. So the oil would rise to the top faster in the saline water than in the fresh water. More oil on the surface might mean polypropylene absorbent pads would pick up more oil.
The constants in this study were:
- The type of polypropylene absorbent pads
- The type of oil
- Amount of oil
- Size of polypropylene absorbent pads
- Temperature of water
- The container used to hold the water and oil
The manipulated variable was the amount of salt in the water.
The responding variable was how much oil the polypropylene pads picked-up.
To measure the responding variable I weighed the polypropylene pads using a triple beam balance.
| QUANTITY | ITEM DESCRIPTION |
| 6 |
Polypropylene absorbent pads |
| 2 | 5 gal plastic paint bucket |
| 787.5 grams |
Sodium chloride (rock salt) |
| 44,211 ml. | Water |
| 900 ml. |
Oil |
| 1 | Paint stirrer for electric drill |
| 1 | Electric drill |
| 1 | Triple beam balance |
1. Prepare polypropylene pads
A) Cut each polypropylene pad
into eighths
B) Weigh each polypropylene pad
C) Mark the weight on the corner of each pad
2. Prepare salt water. Only one of the mixtures will be used in each
test.B) Weigh each polypropylene pad
C) Mark the weight on the corner of each pad
A) Clean the bucket
B) For the control group pour 5000 ml. of tap water into the bucket
C) For the brackish water group (17.5 g/l)
B) For the control group pour 5000 ml. of tap water into the bucket
C) For the brackish water group (17.5 g/l)
i. pour 4912.5
of tap water into the bucket
ii. add 87.5 grams of salt
iii. mix well for 3 minutes using an electric drill with a paint-stirring rod.
ii. add 87.5 grams of salt
iii. mix well for 3 minutes using an electric drill with a paint-stirring rod.
D) For the ocean water group (35
g/l)
i. pour 4825 ml. of tap water into the bucket
ii. add 175 grams of salt
iii. mix well for 3 minutes using an electric drill with a paint-stirring rod.
3. Add 100 ml. of motor oil to the water or salt water being tested.ii. add 175 grams of salt
iii. mix well for 3 minutes using an electric drill with a paint-stirring rod.
A) Mix well for 3 minutes using
an electric drill with a paint-stirring rod.
B) Let sit 15 minutes
4. Recover oil with polypropylene pads.B) Let sit 15 minutes
A) Place a pad onto the surface
and let it float for 15 min.
B) Remove this pad and let it dry.
C) Place a second pad onto the surface and let it float for 15 minutes
D) Dry polypropylene pads
5. Weigh the pads separately using a triple beam balance and record on
a data sheet.B) Remove this pad and let it dry.
C) Place a second pad onto the surface and let it float for 15 minutes
D) Dry polypropylene pads
6. Repeat steps 2 – 5 for a total of three trials with the same salt-water mixture.
7. Repeat steps 2 – 6 with the next salt-water mixture.
8. Find the average of the different trials for each salt-water group.
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of salinity on the ability of polypropylene absorbent pads to pick up oil spills.
The oil was collected from the water in three passes. For all three treatments the first pad collected about three times as much as the second pad, which collected about twice as much as the third pad. The total for all three pads was the most useful data.
The results of the experiment showed that all three treatments were nearly the same. The fresh water group collected an average of 81.1 grams of oil, the brackish water collected 80.7 grams, and the salt water collected 81 grams.
See my table and graph
My hypothesis was that as the salinity level increased the polypropylene absorbent pads would pick up more oil.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected because there was almost no difference between the groups. In fact the fresh water group was .01 gram higher than the highest salinity group.
Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if collecting the oil immediately after mixing it into the water without giving it time to separate would change the amount absorbed for each group. Another interesting question would be to test the effect of water temperature on oil recovery. The oil I used was highly refined, so it would be valuable to test crude oil recovery.
If I were to conduct this project again I would make sure that the times I took the pads out of the bucket were more exact. I would also use more pads so there was no oil left in the bucket at the end of each trial. Another improvement would be to find a more efficient way to pour the oil into the bucket because the oil got stuck to the sides of the graduated cylinder, so not all of the oil got into the bucket. The last difference would be to do more trials to make sure my results were reliable.
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Introduction
Over 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. More and more of
this water is polluted every year. Humans need clean water to drink and
want it for recreational purposes. Not only humans need clean water but
so do water animals and the birds that live near shorelines. Water Pollution
Water pollution is when water is contaminated with toxic wastes. The
water can be polluted with poisonous chemicals, metals, oils, etc. Oil
spills are one of the worst sources of water pollution in the world. Petroleum
Petroleum is one of the most valuable resources in the world. It is so
valuable that some people call it “black gold”. Petroleum has the
greatest number of uses of all of the other substances in the world.
Petroleum has so many uses because of its molecular structure. “ Crude
oil is chiefly a mixture of many different hydrocarbons, which are
molecules made up of the elements hydrogen and carbon. Some of these
hydrocarbons are gaseous, and some are solid. Most of the hydrocarbons,
however, form a liquid.”(“Petroleum” The World Book Encyclopedia 1998.)
Some components of oil, gasoline and kerosene, are used in their natural liquid state. Others have to be mixed or changed to be able to be used. One of the ways petroleum can be used is for fuel. Petroleum fuel is easier to use than other fuels like coal and wood. Gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel are used for transportation. About 26% of all refined petroleum is used for heating and energy production. Another use for petroleum is as a raw material. Approximately 13% of the parts of petroleum are used for raw material in manufacturing. Petroleum can also be used as lubricants and specialized industrial oils. This accounts for 2% of petroleum production. When drilling for oil, it is a huge gamble. Petroleum is often found where most geological and geophysical studies indicate it accumulated. Oil is not always found in these places. In fact there is less than a 10% chance that the expected oil is found and a 2% chance that there is enough to use commercially. When the geologists and the geophysicists prepare for the drilling they have to follow three steps. First is obtaining the leases and permits, second is preparing the site, and third is rigging up. Another method of finding oil is called vibroseis. When using this method a thumper truck creates sound waves to find underground rocks that might contain oil. The second truck holds a seismograph. A seismograph is a tool used to record the time at which the underground rocks return the waves to the surface. Oil has been used for thousands of years. In the Bible it says that Noah used a solid form of petroleum for his ark. This form of petroleum was called pitch. The ancient Egyptians used pitch for coating mummies. Pitch was also used during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar for the walls and streets of Babylon. Indians used to scoop up crude oil from surface pools to use it for fuel. Oil was found in New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Some oil was found in wells that were made for salt. This oil was considered an annoyance to some and useful to others. Oil was used to cure ailments and as axle grease. In 1840 kerosene was discovered by a Canadian geologist named Abraham Gesner. Kerosene quickly increased in value when it began being used for lighting lamps. After natural gas is separated from the crude oil and water and sediment are removed it is either sent to a refinery or stored in tanks. More than 10 million barrels of oil are transported daily in the United States. Some ways of transporting the petroleum are by pipeline, tankers, barge, and railroad tank car. The problems with these types of transportation are tons of oil gets spilled yearly. Spill Sources
The first way of transporting oil is through pipelines. Pipelines are
an arrangement of pipes that carry substances long distances. While a
pipeline is transporting the petroleum products something might go
wrong and the oil can leak out of the pipeline and will eventually make
its way to water. Another way of transporting petroleum is by putting
it on huge tankers. A tanker is a huge ship that transports liquid
cargo, such as petroleum products, molasses, wine, chemicals, coal,
grain, and iron ore. Accidents and normal ship operations cause tankers
to spill 2.5 billion pounds of oil into the world’s oceans yearly. A
barge is also a way of transporting petroleum. This is a boat with a
flat bottom that is used for transporting heavy loads. Like tankers,
accidents can happen while the barge is transporting the oil. The oil
can spill into the water and cause serious problems like killing the
water animals and making a big mess that is very hard to clean up.
Railroad tank cars also transport petroleum. A railroad tank car is
about fifty feet long that carries oil and other liquids. The train can
crash and cause the oil to spill and will slowly find its way to water.
When oil is spilt or gets into the water it is very hard to clean up.Polypropylene
Polypropylene is an artificially made polymer, which is a long
chainlike molecule. Polypropylene is made up of a huge number of
propylene monomers chained together. These monomers each consist of
three carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms. The formula for
polypropylene is (C3H6) n, with n being the number of monomers.Salt
Since ancient times salt, a clear, easily fractured mineral, has been
used to flavor and preserve food. The most common salt consists of the
elements sodium and chlorine. The chemical name for salt is sodium
chloride, the mineral name is halite, and the formula is NaCl. Salt
forms clear crystal cubes. Salt can sometimes look white, gray, yellow,
or red because of impurities. Salt can be used in the chemical industry. In this industry the salt is used to make other chemicals. Salt can also be used as a deicer and in the food industry. Salt in the sea comes from rain that dissolves different minerals in soil with sodium and chlorine in them. These minerals then get carried to the sea. The oldest method of getting salt out of the sea is by evaporating the water; this salt is called solar salt. About 2.5 % of seawater is salt and 1 percent other minerals. Salt has been a very important mineral since ancient times. It was even traded ounce for ounce for gold. The Chinese used salt coins for their currency. In ancient times most salt came from dry coastal areas. The earliest trade routes were in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Egypt. The main purpose of the first few roads in the world was for transporting salt. Summary
Only 3% of the water on Earth is usable because of all of the salt. If
we keep polluting this water with more and more toxins, we will have
very little clean water in the future. Without this clean water humans
and other animals will not be able to live. Cleaning up oil spills is
an important environmental safeguard. |
| Balph, Martha. “Pipelines”, The World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. Beck, Robert. “Tankers”, The World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. Laudon, Robert. “Petroleum”, The World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. Post, Robert. “Railroad”, The World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. “Oil Spill”, The Hutchinson Dictionary of Science, 1998. Rozens, Aleksandrs. Environmental Destruction. Canada, pp. 9-21 Stefoff, Rebecca. Environmental Disasters. Pennsylvania: Langhorne, 1994. Pp. 49-61. Walter, Dean E. Jr. "Salt," World Book Encyclopedia, 1999. |
I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
- My parents for taking to all the after school classes.
- My teachers for answering all of my questions.
- Breanna for helping me get the picture of the formula for polypropylene.
- TJ for helping me with my bibliography.
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