1. Liquid Conductivity The creating and testing of a conductivity meter. TEAM I Pedro Guerrero Roc-Quelle Barksdale Jamia Pugh

2. INTRODUCTION Conductivity measures a materials ability to conduct an electrical current. Its measured in µS/cm Conductivity is used to measure the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits a maximum of 500ppm of TDS for drinking water.

3. Making our Conductivity Meter We built our own conductivity meter. Our meter: under $50 Store bought: around $450 Our meter is cheaper and portable. AB

4. Vernier Meter- $450Our Meter- $50 Our purpose was to build an inexpensive, portable, working conductivity meter, without the expensive price. Our meter is 1/9 the price of a store bought meter! AB

5. Testing Our Meters… Conductivity of pure water = 0 Things that affect conductivity  Ion Concentration A molecule does not have same amount of protons as electrons, giving it a positive or negative charge.

6. Ion Concentration Affects Conductivity AlCl3 CaCl2 NaCl

7. Temperature affects the conductivity. When temperature increases, conductivity increases.

8. WATER QUALITY Samples of water were collected around the Penn State area and were tested with our conductivity meters We took a field trip to the following water sources:

9. Because our devices were portable Whipple Dam Spring Creek Shavers Creek

10. RESULTS………. A

11. Calculating TDS Conductivity can be calculated from the reading on our meters using Ohm’s Law. We calculated Spring Creek to have a conductivity of 533µS/cm. Then, by multiplying the conductivity by 0.75, then you can calculate total dissolved solids. This means the TDS is 400ppm. Below EPA ‘s limit.

12. BRITA FILTER Every Brita Filter contains charcoal and ion exchange resin (zeolites). Charcoal is used to remove the chlorine ions and some organic compounds. Zeolites are used to remove metal cations copper, zinc, mercury, and cadmium. AB

13. TESTING To test the zeolites and charcoal, we used an aluminum chloride solution.

14. Conclusion We built an inexpensive, portable, working conductivity meter. The meter is a good tool to use when trying to see if certain types of water meets EPA standards. It can also be used in high school labs because of the low cost and portability.

15. Special Thanks to… Eberly College of Science Dr. Jackie Bortiatynski Dr. Dan Sykes Jody Markley Derek James Josh Harper Cole McDonald Sean Haggerty Matt Johnson UBMS Staff

16. Questions?