Water Filtration System
Safety Warning
⚠️ Do NOT drink the filtered water under any circumstances. Even if the water appears clean, it may still contain harmful contaminants. This activity is for educational purposes only.
Overview
Design and build your own water filtration system to learn how engineers help remove dirt and debris from water sources.
Materials
Bottle of dirty water (water mixed with soil or dirt)
Empty plastic bottle
Clear cup or container
Clean rocks or gravel
Coffee filters
Rubber bands
Optional Materials
Sand
Cotton balls
Activated charcoal
Other filtration materials
Instructions
Place a coffee filter over the opening of the bottle containing the dirty water.
Secure the filter with a rubber band.
Cut the bottom off the empty plastic bottle.
Fill the bottle with clean rocks or gravel.
Stack the materials in the following order:
Dirty water container on top
Bottle containing rocks in the middle
Clean cup at the bottom
Slowly pour the dirty water through the filtration system.
Observe how the appearance of the water changes as it moves through each layer.
What’s Happening?
Water treatment systems use multiple layers of filtration to remove dirt and particles. While your filter can improve the appearance of the water, it does not make the water safe to drink because microscopic contaminants may still remain.
Challenge
Experiment with additional filtration materials to see if you can create even clearer water.
