Discussion
In my hypothesis, I stated that if the sponge, spoon, dish soap, and cotton balls are used to clean up an oil spill, then 80% of the spill will be cleaned up. My hypothesis was proved wrong as we cleaned up around 97% of the spill with only residual oil remaining. I stated that we would clean up 80% of the spill because our controlled testing environment would control environmental factors. We ended up cleaning up 97% most likely because we under estimated how effective each material would be at absorbing and containing the oil, and also under estimated the advantages of a controlled environment.
After we made the spill, we first poured in the dish soap. This did not absorb or contain the oil but broke it down making it easier to clean up. Then we cut the sponge into three pieces so we could use it as a boom. We swept it across the tank and it was effective in containing most of the oil. We then used the cotton balls because of their absorbent nature. They absorbed about 90% of the spill. The spoon was used to scoop out the remnants and the sponge was also used to absorb the residual oil. Our independent variable was the method used, our dependent variable was the percentage of oil cleaned up, and our controlled variables were the initial amount of oil and initial amount of water.
Approximately 97% of the oil was cleaned up. The sponge contained 90% of the oil while the spoon contained 10%. 90% of the oil cleaned up was absorbed by the cotton balls, and the remaining 10% was absorbed by the sponge (see results). 17% more oil than expected was cleaned up. This was likely because we under-estimated the amount of oil that the cotton balls would absorb. Also, though it did not absorb or contain any oil, the dish soap broke the oil down making it easier to clean up.
This experiment was valid and successful as it identified materials that work well to clean up oil. If I were to do this experiment again, I would probably do a variety of tests on each material to test the exact effectiveness as well. I would also attempt to measure the amount of oil cleaned up more accurately. Many of these materials probably wouldn't work on a larger scale (the ocean) as there is no spoon big enough to clean up an oil spill and dish soap would upset the pH of the ocean. The sponge and cotton balls, if stuffed in nylon socks, would make excellent containment booms.
After we made the spill, we first poured in the dish soap. This did not absorb or contain the oil but broke it down making it easier to clean up. Then we cut the sponge into three pieces so we could use it as a boom. We swept it across the tank and it was effective in containing most of the oil. We then used the cotton balls because of their absorbent nature. They absorbed about 90% of the spill. The spoon was used to scoop out the remnants and the sponge was also used to absorb the residual oil. Our independent variable was the method used, our dependent variable was the percentage of oil cleaned up, and our controlled variables were the initial amount of oil and initial amount of water.
Approximately 97% of the oil was cleaned up. The sponge contained 90% of the oil while the spoon contained 10%. 90% of the oil cleaned up was absorbed by the cotton balls, and the remaining 10% was absorbed by the sponge (see results). 17% more oil than expected was cleaned up. This was likely because we under-estimated the amount of oil that the cotton balls would absorb. Also, though it did not absorb or contain any oil, the dish soap broke the oil down making it easier to clean up.
This experiment was valid and successful as it identified materials that work well to clean up oil. If I were to do this experiment again, I would probably do a variety of tests on each material to test the exact effectiveness as well. I would also attempt to measure the amount of oil cleaned up more accurately. Many of these materials probably wouldn't work on a larger scale (the ocean) as there is no spoon big enough to clean up an oil spill and dish soap would upset the pH of the ocean. The sponge and cotton balls, if stuffed in nylon socks, would make excellent containment booms.