A Matter of Leaching
Dirty water.Copyright http://sgp.undp.org
Students leach organic matter from soil to create a water sample with high dissolved organic matter content (DOM), and then make filters to see if the DOM can be removed. They experience the difficulties of removing DOM from water, and learn about other processes that might make DOM removal more effective.
Identifying safe and suitable drinking water sources is an important environmental engineering task to support communities. When identifying potential water sources, engineers always consider the amount of dissolved organic matter (DOM) that is present because DOM can be transformed into varopis dangerous chemicals when exposed to chlorine during the water treatment cleaning process. Before municipal water comes out of a faucet, it goes through several treatment steps to make sure it is safe for human consumption. Engineers design these water treatment processes and facilities.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the process of filtration and its value in treating water.
- Describe the difficulty of removing dissolved organic matter content (DOMC) from water.