Brian - Oil Spill Solution Lab Report

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How can metal oxides and magnets save our

next generation from man-made disaster?

(Metal Oxide utilization for oil spill cleanup)

Shin Seung Heon Brian

Science Lab Report

Mr. Lawrence

Gr. 10B

May 18, 2015

1



Contents:

1. Introduction

. !ac"ground Information

#. $im

%. &aria'les

. ontrolling &aria'les

*. H+pot,esis

. Met,odolog+ Materials

/. 0aw ata

2. 3rap,ed ata and $nal+sis

14. onclusion

11. 5valuation

2



1.0 Introduction

6al" down t,e local street of an+ countr+7 an+w,ere7 an+time. 3o up to a stranger

and as"7 86,at is t,e 'iggest cause of pro'lem in our world9s ecos+stem toda+?: Over

24; of t,e strangers7 no matter w,ere +ou are7 would repeatedl+ sa+ t,e same word7<pollution9. =ollution7 t,e introduction of contaminants and pollutants into t,e natural7

neutral environment t,at causes adverse c,anges7 isn9t a simple matter an+more> t,e

vastl+ negative impact t,at pollution ta"es on our current world is 'e+ond t,e ,uman

'eing9s control. $n estimated ,alf a million people9s deat, '+ air pollution in India7

1%7444 deat,s per da+ in developing countries due to water pollution17 emission of

excessive green,ouse gases7 ocean acidification7 and muc, more unexpected7 and

immeasura'le pessimistic conseuences divulge as t,e c,allenges over pollution

proliferates ferociousl+.

In order to save our planet '+ solving t,e pro'lems on pollution7 I9ve created a surve+

inuiring on t,e people9s opinions a'out t,e most urgent t+pe of pollution to solve. Hereis t,e grap,ed result@

1 Wikimedia. (2015, May 16). World Health Organization. Retrieved May 17, 2015, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization

3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization



19%

40%8%

16%

10%6%

What is the most urgent type of pollution in the 21st century?Air Pollution (Vehicle Exhaust)

Water Pollution (Oil !ill)

oil Pollution

"oise Pollution

#a$ioactice Pollution ("uclear Poer Plant)

&her'al Pollution (Poer Plants)

$mong t,ese different pro'lems7 particular issues are more urgent and essential

t,an t,e rest. $s t,e world9s demand and consumption of oil increases at a fast pace7 oil

spills are constantl+ ,appening all over t,e seas of 5art,. !ased on 5nvironmental

0esearc, onsulting (50) <Awent+-+ear trend $nal+sis of Oil Bpills in 5=$

Curisdiction97 an average of / million gallons of crude oil is spilled in t,e =acific Ocean.

Oil spills aren9t merel+ a pro'lem of t,e loss of oil for use7 'ut are a ,uge cause of t,e

damages made into marine ecos+stems7 animal ,a'itats7 as well as t,e deat,s of living

organisms.

$lt,oug, t,e ,uman race ,as made several attempts of cleaning t,e deleterious oil spills

for a significant duration of time7 t,e results were mediocre since t,e 'est we could do

was merel+ containing t,e oil and preventing it from spreading 'ut was not a'le to

remove it from t,e ocean. A,erefore7 'ased on t,e concepts of t,e Dermi la' =,+sicist

2 US EPA Archive, and Schmidt, D. (2014). Twenty-year trend Analysis of Oil Spills in EPA Jurisdiction’. 1st ed. US EPA Archive, p.21

Population: i$$le school an$ *i+hschool stu$ents o, -e.u/nternational chool

Sampling: tratie$ a'!lin+ stu$ents !er +ra$eleel

ra$e 6 12

Survey Question: What is the 'ost ur+entt5!e o, !ollution in the 21st centur5

4



$rden 6arner #7 t,is experiment will explore t,roug, t,e practical utilization of naturall+

occurring metal oxides and magnet for cleaning oil spills7 a solution t,at will save our

generation. A,e results will reveal t,e most efficient and appropriate naturall+ metal oxide

for cleaning oils spills7 an oxide t,at is effective in carr+ing t,e oil to a particular area and

t,at is completel+ ,armless to t,e marine ecos+stem. Once again7 t,e result of t,e grap,

a'ove and a significant portion of m+ own concerns sense an urgenc+ of t,e pro'lem.A,us a solution to save t,e next generation from man-made disasters7 especiall+ oil spills7

is definitel+ necessar+7 and t,is experiment will reveal t,e crucial role magnets and

naturall+ occurring mental oxides will 'e ta"ing in creating a pristine ecos+stem

t,roug,out t,e w,ole planet.

** In the backgroun information! "ritings unerline aresafety precautions to take# $ea carefully an follo" thesafety instructions for the materials that are use in thise%periment#

3 US EPA Archive, and Schmidt, D. (2014). Twenty-year trend Analysis of Oil Spills in EPA Jurisdiction’. 1st ed. US EPA Archive, p.21



2.0Background Information

2#1 &'() +,I-'S

Oxide is a c,emical compound7 w,ic, is consisted of at least one ox+gen (O) atomand anot,er c,emical element7 suc, as a transition metal. Involving t,is current researc, on

cleaning oil spills '+ utilizing magnets7 t,e metal oxides t,at are used in t,is experiment

contains an anion% of ox+gen in its oxidation stage of -. Metal oxides are solid at room

temperature. Metal oxides t,at are going to 'e used in t,is experiment are@

a+netite7 erric Oxi$e(e3O4)

a+nesiu' Oxi$e (+O)

inc Oxi$e (nO)

-alciu' Oxi$e (-aO)

Potassiu' Oxi$e (: 2O)

2#1#1 &agnetite . /erric 0Iron +%ie

Magnetite is a mineral7 w,ic, is one of t,e t,ree common naturall+ occurring iron

oxides. It is also t,e most magnetic of all t,e naturall+ occurring minerals on 5art,.*

Magnetite9s attri'ute of 'eing magnetic and natural ma"es it sufficientl+ useful and relevant

for oil cleaning purposes since. Bince magnetite is a naturall+ occurring mineral7 even if it is

added onto t,e ocean7 it wouldn9t ,ave an+ negative impacts on t,e marine ecos+stem.

$ppearance E olor !lac"7 gra+ wit, 'rownis, tint in reflected sun

Aenacit+ !rittle

Bolu'ilit+ issolves graduall+ in ,+droc,loric acid

2#1#2 &agnesium +%ie

Fnli"e Magnetite7 magnesium oxide is an artificial material t,at is produced '+ t,e

,eating of magnesium car'onate or magnesium ,+droxide or '+ t,e treatment of magnesium

c,loride wit, lime. Magnesium oxide is still p,+sicall+ and c,emicall+ sta'le at ,ig,

temperatures> ,owever7 precautions must 'e ta"en w,en magnesium oxides are 'urned wit,

flames since t,e ,ig,l+ 'rig,t flame is ver+ ,ard to extinguis, and it also emits a ,armful

intensit+ of F& lig,t. $lso7 in,alation of magnesium oxides ma+ cause metal fume fever.

A,erefore during experiment7 magnesium oxide must 'e used awa+ from ,ig, temperature,eat at all times.

$ppearance 6,ite =owder

4 $nion is an atom or molecule in w,ic, t,e total num'er of electrons is not eual to t,e

total num'er of protons7 giving t,e atom or molecule a positive or electrical c,arge

Wikimedia. (2015, May 9). Oxide. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxide

6 Wikimedia. (2015, May 15). Magnetite. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite ; Wikimedia. (2015, May 15). Magnesium oxide. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_oxide

6


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetite




ensit+ #./g E cm#

Bolu'ilit+ Bolu'le in acid7 ammonia7 and water

2#1#2 inc +%ie

Bimilar wit, magnesium oxide7 zinc oxide also ,as an appearance of w,ite powder

'ut it isn9t solu'le in water. Ginc Oxide is an inorganic compound7 w,ic, is widel+ used as anadditive in multiple materials suc, as ru''ers7 plastics7 ceramic7 paints7 etc. / $lt,oug,

particular zinc oxides occur naturall+ as zincite7 maorit+ of t,em are produced s+nt,eticall+.

Ginc oxide itself is non-toxic> ,owever it is ,azardous to in,ale zinc oxide fumes, which is

generated w,en zinc or zinc allo+s are melted and oxidized at ,ig, temperature. uring t,e

experiment7 it9s essential to "eep zinc oxides awa+ from fire and ,eat.

$ ppearance 6,ite =owder

ensit+ .*4*g E cm#

Bolu'ilit+ Bolu'le in ,+droc,loric acid

2#1#3 4alcium +%ie

$lso "nown as <uic"lime9 or <'urnt lime79 calcium oxide is a commonl+ used

c,emical compound for cement production7 illumination (lig,t)7 paper production7 etc.

0elativel+7 uic"lime is an inexpensive material> t,erefore it ma+ 'e efficient to utilize in

cleaning up t,e oil spills. However7 in comparison to ot,er oxides7 suc, as ferric oxide and

magnesium oxide7 its performance in carr+ing oil to t,e magnet ma+ 'e poor and calcium

oxide9s reaction wit, water ,as to 'e cautioned. !ecause of vigorous reaction of uic"lime

wit, water7 uic"lime causes severe irritation w,en in,aled or placed in contact wit, moist

s"in or e+es. In,alation ma+ cause coug,ing7 sneezing7 la'ored 'reat,ing. It ma+ t,en evolve

into 'urns wit, penetration of t,e nasal septum (nose)7 a'dominal pain7 nausea and vomiting.

$lt,oug, uic"lime is not considered a fire ,azard7 its reaction wit, water can release enoug,

,eat to ignite com'usti'le materials.2

It is a'solutel+ mandator+ to ,eed t,ese precautionssince calcium oxide9s reaction wit, water ma+ ta"e negative impact w,en in,aled. A,erefore

during t,e experiment7 alwa+s wear safet+ goggles7 la' gown7 gas mas"7 and gloves to

prevent an+ dangers.

$ ppearance 6,ite =owder

ensit+ .*4*g E cm#

Bolu'ilit+ Bolu'le in ,+droc,loric acid

2#1#3 Potassium +%ie

=otassium Oxide is a ver+ simple su'stance7 an ionic compound of potassium and

ox+gen. However7 potassium oxide in t,e form of O is ,ig,l+ reactive> t,us identical precautions wit, calcium oxide must 'e ta"en for potassium oxide as well. =otassium oxide is

used for industrial contexts suc, as cement formulas7 glass-ma"ing formula7 fertilizers7 etc.14

$lt,oug, potassium oxide ma+ 'e inefficient in carr+ing oil towards t,e magnet7 as an oxide7

it is wort, experimenting on its functionalit+

$ppearance =ale Jellow =owder

8 Wikimedia. (2015, May 13). Zinc oxide. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_oxide

9 Wikimedia. (2015, May 15). Calcium oxide. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_oxide10 Wikimedia. (2015, May 17). Potassium oxide. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_oxide

;


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_oxide



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_oxide




ensit+ .# g E cm#

Bolu'ilit+ 6it, water forms OH

3#5)im

&he 'ain o.<ectie o, the ex!eri'ent is to etermine the most

e6cient metal o%ie ,or oil cleanin+ utili=ation>

7#5 8ariables

/n$e!en$ent? &5!es o, "aturall5 Occurrin+ 'etals an$ 'etal oxi$es %ith ar5in+ox5+en content (@ue to .on$in+)

@e!en$ent? uantit5 ('illiliters) o, oil retriee$ ,ro' the %ater tanB &i'e taBen to retriee 'axi'u' a'ount o, oil

-ontrol? A'ount o, oil a$$e$@istance o, oil ,ro' the 'a+netA'ount o, "aturall5 Occurrin+ a+net a$$e$

&5!e o, oil a$$e$A'ount o, %ater %ithin the tanB

9#5 4ontrolling 8ariables

/n$e!en$ent?

A,e t+pes naturall+ occurring magnets (Derric Oxide (Magnetite)7 Magnesium Oxide7

alcium Oxide7 Ginc Oxide7 and =otassium Oxide) utilized7 w,ic, are necessar+ to remain

identical t,roug,out t,e w,ole duration of experiment7 can 'e ensured to sta+ constant '+

utilizing identical materials for all of t,e experiments. !+ o'serving t,e metal oxides9

ualities7 including precise p,+sical features7 amount of iron content7 c,emical ma"e up7 etc.7

t,e magnet9s t+pe can 'e assured as identical. Bee"ing ,elp from a ,emist7 science teac,er7or an expert would also 'e 'eneficial to ensure t,e independent varia'le9s identit+.

-ontrolle$?$mount of oil added@ !+ utilizing a 'ea"er7 exactl+ measure correct amount (4mK) of oil

added

istance of oil from t,e magnet@ !+ using a ruler or a measuring tape7 measuring t,e distance

from t,e oil to t,e glass wall7 w,ere t,e magnet will 'e placed.

$mount of Laturall+ Occurring Magnet added@ !+ using a weig,ing scale7 ensure t,e amount

of magnets '+ weig,ing t,e grams of t,e magnet powders.

A+pe of oil added@ Fse t,e same oil from t,e same source ensures t,e identical t+pe of oil.

$mount of water wit,in t,e tan"@ !+ using a 'ea"er7 measure #4K of water into t,e fis, tan".

Once added7 also use a ruler to measure t,e ,eig,t of t,e water added (4cm)

#5 ;ypothesis

If t,e metal oxide contains more ferromagnetic (or ferromagnetic) content7 then t,e time

ta"en to retrieve t,e oil would 'e s,orter and larger amount of oil retrieved will 'e ,ig,er.

8



7.0 Materials & Methodology

&aterials QuantityPo%$er a+netite7 erric Oxi$e(e3O4)

10 +ra's

Po%$er a+nesiu' Oxi$e 10 +ra'sPo%$er inc Oxi$e 10 +ra'sPo%$er -alciu' Oxi$e 10 +ra'sPo%$er Potassiu' Oxi$e 10 +ra'se!aratin+ unnel#ectan+ular ish &anB (0c' C 30c'C 30c')

1 tanB

alt%ater 30 Diters

resh%ater (@istille$ %ater) 30 Diters

a+net Ear 2 Ears-ru$e Oil (Petroleu') 300 'D-ooBin+ Oil 3000 'D &i'er 1 ti'er#uler 1 ,eetarBer 1 'arBerPencil 1 !encil

"ote.ooB 1 note.ooB

**Precautions:

$lwa+s wear gloves7 safet+ goggles7 la' gown7 and gas mas" for ,andling certainoxides@ alcium oxide =otassium Oxide

Magnesium Oxide must 'e placed awa+ from ,eat and fire

Ginc Oxide must 'e placed awa+ from ,eat and fire

6ear gas mas" w,en adding alcium Oxide and =otassium Oxide onto t,e oil

6ear all necessar+ euipment7 goggles7 la' gown7 and gloves 'efore starting

Proceure:

1. Dill t,e 0ectangular Dis, Aan" Fp to t,e tan"9s ,eig,t of 4 cm or #4 liters wit, Balt

6ater. (Aan"9s ,eig,t 4cm N to #4 liters)

. On t,e center of t,e tan" (4cm awa+ from a certain glass wall)7 spill 4 mK of rudeOil (=etroleum) adust t,e position of t,e oil and t,en mar" a point or a line exactl+

4cm awa+ from one side of t,e fis, tan"9s glass wall.

#. Bprin"le 14 grams of powder Magnetite (De#O%)7 euall+ spread7 on top of t,e oil7 and

t,en wait a'out 4 seconds.

%. On t,e exterior part of t,e fis, tan"7 place a magnet 'ar w,ere t,e point (4cm awa+)

was mar"ed.

. !+ using a stopwatc,7 once t,e magnet 'ar is placed on t,e glass wall7 start t,e

stopwatc,7 and wait until t,e maximum amount of oil and t,e metal oxides are

attracted onto w,ere t,e magnet 'ar is.

*. Btop t,e time and record t,e data on a note'oo"7 '+ utilizing ta'le $7 once all of t,e

magnet and oil is attracted onto t,e sides of t,e glass wall wit, t,e magnet 'ar. If all

of t,e magnet and oil doesn9t come 'ac" or gets attracted '+ t,e magnet wit,in 1minute7 stop t,e stopwatc, and record t,e data.

9



. $lwa+s 6ear Ka' 3loves $t t,is point !+ using 4 mK 'ea"er7 scoop all of t,e

oil attracted to t,e glass wall9 water can 'e collected toget,er as well 'ut tr+ to

minimize t,e amount of water scooped into t,e 'ea"er wit, t,e oil.

/. 6ait a'out #4 seconds to 1 minute for t,e oil and water to separate '+ itselves.

2. !+ using a separator+ funnel7 carefull+ separate t,e oil from t,e water7 onto a 144mK

'ea"er.

14. Measure ,ow muc, oil was collected7 and t,en write down t,e amount of oil

collected alongside t,e time ta"en on Aa'le $ to gat,er all of t,e oil (measured in step

and *).

11. 0epeat steps 1 P 14 wit, ot,er t+pes of powder metal oxides zinc oxide7 magnesium

oxide7 calcium oxide7 and potassium oxide- wit, t,e same uantities of eac, of t,e

materials given.

1. Have a total of # trials from step 1 step 117 wit, all t,e metal oxides utilized.

1#. =ut all of t,e collected raw data on Aa'le $ and anal+ze '+ explaining t,e results.

&a.le A?

Type of Metal Time Taken to reach glass

wall (seconds)

A'ount o, Oil retriee$

('D)Po%$er a+netite7 erricOxi$e (e3O4)

Po%$er a+nesiu' Oxi$ePo%$er inc Oxi$e

Po%$er Potassiu' Oxi$ePo%$er -alciu' Oxi$e

8.0 Raw Data

&rial 1?

Type of Metal Time Taken to reach glass wall (seconds)

A'ount o, Oil retriee$('D)

Po%$er a+netite7 erricOxi$e (e3O4)

4>; secon$s 0 'D

Po%$er a+nesiu' Oxi$e #eache$ axi'u' (1'in>)

0 'D

Po%$er inc Oxi$e #eache$ axi'u' (1'in>)

0 'D

Po%$er Potassiu' Oxi$e #eache$ axi'u' (1'in>)

0 'D

Po%$er -alciu' Oxi$e #eache$ axi'u' (1'in>)

0 'D

&rial 2?



Po%$er a+netite7 erricOxi$e (e3O4)

4>2 secon$s 0 'D


0 'D


0 'D


0 'D


0 'D

10



&rial 3?



Po%$er a+netite7 erric

Oxi$e (e3O4)

>3 secon$s 0 'D


0 'D


0 'D


0 'D


0 'D

9.0 Graphed Data

4>;

60 60 60 60

4>2

60 60 60 60

>3

60 60 60 60

1# (ime (aken to retrieve oil 0secons

&rial 1 &i'e taBen &rial 2 &i'e taBen &rial 3 &i'e taBen

0

0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0

2# )mount of oil retrieve

&rial 1 A'ount o, Oil &rial 2 A'ount o, Oil &rial 3 A'ount o, Oil

11



Po%$er a+netite7 erric Oxi$e (e3O4)

Po%$er a+nesiu' Oxi$e

Po%$er inc Oxi$e

Po%$er Potassiu' Oxi$e

Po%$er -alciu' Oxi$e

0

0

0

0

0

4>;3

60

60

60

60

)verage )mount < (ime

A'ount o, Oil ('D) &i'e taBen (secon$s)

9.1 Data Analysis

In order to ensure t,e results of t,e experiment7 t,e same procedure ,as 'een repeated

over # trials. A,e main rationale 'e,ind measuring distinct dependent varia'les (time ta"en

to retrieve all of t,e oil and t,e amount of oil retrieve) is to determine t,e 'est t+pe of metal

oxide for retrieving oil7 due to its a'ilit+ to carr+ oil into t,e magnet and its efficienc+ wit,in

a certain duration of time limit. $ll of t,e varia'les including t,e independent varia'le7 t+pe

of metal oxide7 and t,e controlled varia'les7 including amount of metal oxide7 amount of oil7

distance of magnet7 etc.7 were all "ept eual in order to reduce errors and to prevent an+

external factors t,at ma+ ta"e impact on t,e results of t,e experiment. !elow are t,e anal+ses

to eac, of t,e grap,s presented on =age 11@

Time taken to retrieve oil (Trial 1, 2, 3):

uring t,e onset of t,e experiment7 all of t,e metal oxides were forecasted to

retrieve all of t,e oil wit,in t,e maximum time of *4 seconds. In contrar+ to t,e expectations7

onl+ t,e magnetite E ferric oxide was a'le to s,ow an excellent performance '+ 'eing a'le to

retrieve all of t,e oil content wit,in 14 seconds for all # trials. Magnetite E Derric oxide was

a'le to displa+ its efficienc+ '+ ,aving an instant 'onding wit, t,e oil su'stance> t,us

carr+ing t,e oil towards t,e magnet 'ar on t,e single side of t,e water tan". On t,e ot,er

,and7 calcium oxide7 potassium oxide7 zinc oxide7 and especiall+ magnesium oxide7 w,ic,

was predicted to s,ow significant performance7 were all una'le to 'ring in t,e oil su'stance

towards t,e magnet 'ar. $lt,oug, t,e zinc oxide and t,e magnesium oxide were attracted to

t,e magnet 'ar w,en placed at a close distance (wit,in 14cm)7 '+ 'eing placed at a distance

of 4 cm7 w,ic, was part of t,e met,odolog+7 no effect was ta"en. Overall7 t,is grap, of

<time ta"en to retrieve oil9 evidentl+ presents t,e efficienc+ of magnetite E ferric oxide in

carr+ing oil at a comparativel+ fast pace7 w,ile t,e rest of t,e metal oxides reac,ed t,e

maximum time limit of *4 seconds wit,out s,owing an+ c,anges into t,e movement of t,e

oil.

Amount of oil retrieved (Trial 1, 2, 3):

In relation to t,e results displa+ed in t,e 1 st grap,7 t,e results on measuring t,e

amount of oil retrieved also leans towards t,e efficienc+ of magnetite E ferric oxide as well.

$mong t,e different t+pes of metal oxides7 magnetite E ferric oxide was t,e onl+ oxide to

actuall+ carr+ t,e oil towards t,e magnet 'ar. Burprisingl+7 magnetite E ferric oxide was a'leto 'ring all 4 mK of t,e oil onto t,e magnet 'ar9s glass wall side. $lt,oug, magnesium oxide

12



and zinc oxide s,owed small movements towards t,e magnet7 none of t,e oil was carried onto

t,e magnet 'ar wit,in t,e time limit of *4 seconds. Fnfortunatel+7 aside from magnetite E

ferric oxide7 none of t,e metal oxides were a'le to ac,ieve its expected tas" wit,in t,e time

limit. On all # trials7 t,e same results were repeated@ onl+ magnetite E ferric oxide was a'le to

carr+ all 4 mK of oil onto t,e magnet 'ar unli"e t,e rest of t,e metal oxides.

Average e!ult:

3enerall+7 it can 'e anal+zed t,at t,e onl+ metal oxide t,at ,as s,own favora'le result

was t,e magnetite E ferric oxide. 6it,in an average time of %.# seconds7 it was a'le to carr+

4 mK of oil into t,e magnet 'ar side of t,e glass wall. A,e repetition of experiment ensured

t,at t,e performance of magnetiteEferric oxide was outstanding for t,e utilization of cleaning

of oil spills7 w,ile t,e performance of t,e ot,er metal oxides7 'ased on t,e time ta"en to

retrieve oil and t,e amount of oil retrieved7 was fairl+ poor. A,ese results ,olisticall+ 'uild up

into t,e final conclusion t,at magnetite E ferric oxide is t,e 'est-fit and most efficient t+pe of

metal oxide in response to t,e aim of t,is experiment.

10.0 Conclusion

Bolel+ 'ased on t,e results of m+ own experiments7 evidence strongl+ proves t,at t,e

metal oxide wit, ,ig,est efficienc+7 in terms of duration of time and amount of oil retrieved7

for cleaning up oil spill is evidentl+ t,e magnetite E ferric oxide. $s t,e result portra+s7

magnetite E ferric oxide was a'le to retrieve 4 mK of oil wit, an average duration of %.#

seconds7 w,ic, is definitel+ a significant ac,ievement and an essential "e+ to save our world

from furt,er water pollution. Ki"e w,at ,as 'een mentioned in t,e introduction7 oil spills

aren9t a simple matter to ignore@ it creates devastating7 deadl+ impacts7 negativel+ influencing

t,e marine ecos+stem7 t,e ,a'itats of numerous animals7 and as well as t,e lives of man+

organisms. A,e surve+ ,as also s,own proof t,at t,e people of m+ own educated communit+

'elieve t,at t,e most urgent pollution pro'lem to solve is t,e constant oil spills7 ,appening all

around t,e world.

$lt,oug, t,e rest of t,e ot,er metal oxides7 including calcium oxide7 magnesium

oxide7 zinc oxide7 and potassium oxide7 ,aven9t s,own an+ effective performance7 suc, result

isn9t futile since t,e experiment was still a'le to uncover t,e positive functions of magnetite

and examine t,e genuine capa'ilities of magnetite E ferric oxide in carr+ing oil towards t,e

magnet. A,is overall concept of magnetite9s E ferric oxide9s a'ilit+ in carr+ing oil can 'e

greatl+ en,anced to ,ave a practical utilization in cleaning t,e actual oil spills on t,e sea.

Instead of using a magnet 'ar7 generators of electromagnetic waves can 'e put into t,e sea7 in

order to control t,e electromagnetic waves9 current and guide all of t,e oil (wit, added

magnetite E ferric oxide) in t,e sea to a certain area w,ere t,e oil can 'e retrieved. $t t,at

point7 filters can 'e used to filtrate t,e seawaters from t,e oil. A,e retrieved oil would 'e

reusa'le and t,e magnetite E ferric oxide could also 'e used again to go t,roug, t,e same process for anot,er oil spill on anot,er distant sea. !+ repeating suc, met,od7 all of t,e oil

spills could definitel+ 'e cleaned in a relativel+ s,ort amount of time7 and t,e amount of oil

availa'le for use would also increase. $dditionall+7 anxieties over t,e toxicit+ of magnetite E

ferric oxide isn9t necessar+ 'ecause magnetite E ferric oxides are a naturall+ occurring

material. A,erefore7 t,e+ are not toxic or ,armful for t,e marine ecos+stem.

$s a +oung scientist and also as a concerned citizen of t,e world9s environment7 I

strongl+ commend t,is met,od in cleaning t,e current oil spills around t,e world7 for t,is is

definitel+ a cornerstone of a ,ealt,+ future. Magnetite E ferric oxide and magnets are t,e "e+s

to not onl+ regaining our world9s sanitation7 'ut also in saving t,e lives of millions7 if not

'illions of organisms on 5art,. 0esults of t,is experiment generall+ conclude t,e fact t,at oil

spills are actuall+ via'le7 we7 as ,uman 'eings7 ,ave regained our c,ance to clean up t,e mess

t,at we ,ave created ourselves.

13



11.0 !aluation

A,roug, an extensive experiment7 t,e results were a'le to reveal t,e fact t,at

magnetite E ferric oxide is t,e most efficient metal oxide for cleaning up oil spills. $lt,oug,

t,e results displa+ed positive data7 w,ic, led to t,e final conclusion of t,e w,ole experiment7

errors still can 'e found wit,in t,e met,od t,at I ,ad utilized for t,e conduction of data. Dirst

of all7 t,e met,od t,at I ,ave created reuires improvements and altercations on man+

different parts. Most importantl+7 it is crucial to "eep all of t,e ot,er controlled varia'les

constant in order to reduce an+ external factors ta"ing impact on t,e result of t,e experiment.

uring t,e process of conducting t,e experiments7 external factors7 suc, as c,anges made into

t,e metal oxides due to t,e exposure into open air7 ma+ ,ave influenced t,e result of t,e data.

$dditionall+7 t,e strengt, of t,e magnet 'ar utilized to attract t,e metal oxides into a certain

area ma+ ,ave 'een comparativel+ wea" in order to ta"e effect on t,e metal oxides 'esides

magnetite E ferric oxide. uring t,e measuring of time ta"en for t,e metal oxides to carr+ t,e

oil towards t,e magnet 'ar7 errors definitel+ ma+ ,ave ,appened due to inaccurate

measurement of time. onsidering t,ese factors7 t,e results ,ave an eual possi'ilit+ to

contain flaws and errors7 'ased on t,e inaccuracies mentioned a'ove.

In order to prevent t,e possi'le errors mentioned a'ove7 realistic improvements are a

necessit+. Dirst of all7 on of t,is experiment met,od9s strengt, is t,e repetition of trials in

order to determine w,et,er t,e results are constantl+ t,e same. However7 in order to furt,er

secure t,e results of t,e experiment7 more trials (a'out trials) could 'e done in order to

reduce an+ unparalleled results and to find out t,e 'est fit7 or average result of t,e total trials.

Dor t,e materials used in t,e experiments7 external factors influencing t,e state of t,ematerials7 especiall+ c,emical materials7 can 'e reduced '+ alwa+s "eeping t,e materials in its

rig,tful containers7 and '+ closing its lids in order to prevent an+ t+pe of reaction or

interaction wit, ot,er su'stances7 creating ,ig,er possi'ilities of c,anging t,e materials itself.

uring t,e measurement of time7 it would definitel+ 'e more efficient to ,ave more t,an

people measure t,e duration ta"en to retrieve all t,e oil in a single trial. !+ doing so7 t,e time

measured can 'e averaged out7 narrowing down t,e possi'ilities of errors. Kastl+7 it9s alwa+s

crucial to dou'le c,ec" w,et,er t,e materials used are t,e correct materials7 as well as t,e

given uantit+ for use7 stated on t,e met,odolog+. !+ utilizing t,e rig,tful tools7 scientists

s,ould alwa+s 'e certain of t,e amount of materials t,e+ are using. !+ following t,ese

c,anges7 improvements can definitel+ 'e made and errors would certainl+ reduce.

onsidering t,ese actual errors and possi'le errors of t,e met,od utilized7 certainl+7man+ improvements can 'e made. !+ appl+ing t,e solutions given a'ove7 t,e experiment

14



would 'e muc, more trustwort,+ and t,e results would 'e more valid. A,is experiment

tac"ling real life pro'lem of t,e 1st centur+7 it is ver+ crucial to reduce t,e errors and t,e

increase t,e amount of validit+ and trust. !+ ac"nowledging t,e errors listed a'ove7 and '+

ma"ing c,anges onto t,e met,od7 t,e experiment would reveal more accurate and trustwort,+

results.

1

Documents

Brian - Oil Spill Solution Lab Report