Liquid Conductivity

The creating and testing of a conductivity meter.

TEAM IPedro Guerrero

Roc-Quelle BarksdaleJamia Pugh

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.

Making our Conductivity Meter

We built our own conductivity meter.

•Our meter: under $50

•Store bought: around $450

•Our meter is cheaper and portable.A B

Vernier Meter- $450 Our 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!

A B

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.

Ion Concentration Affects Conductivity

AlCl3

CaCl2NaCl

Temperature affects the conductivity.

When temperature increases, conductivity increases.

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:

Because our devices were portable

• Whipple Dam

Spring Creek

Shavers Creek

RESULTS……….

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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.

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.

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TESTING

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

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.

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

Questions?