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Ingenium Canada Science and Technology Museum

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Solar Still

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Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday
Address
1867 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON
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Browse all Visitor Information for Canada Science and Technology Museum
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Solar Still

Solar Still
Download activity PDF

Over 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, yet only 2.5 percent of that is drinkable freshwater. This freshwater can contain contaminants, and still needs to be purified before drinking. However, there’s a very simple way to purify water – using materials already in your kitchen!

What you need

  • Table salt
  • Tap water
  • A deep bowl
  • A teaspoon
  • Dish soap
  • A glass jar that fits inside the bowl
  • Cling wrap
  • Duct tape
  • A measuring cup
  • A small rock or other weight
  • A marker
  • A sunny day

Make it

  1. Clean your jar and bowl with dish soap and water.
  2. Place the jar in the center of the bowl.
  3. Measure the water you will use with a measuring cup. The amount of water should be enough to fill the bowl about 5 cm lower than the brim of the jar.
  4. Pour the water into the bowl around the jar.
  5. Add a few teaspoons of salt into the tap water. Stir to dissolve the salt into the water.
  6. Put your finger in the water and taste it. Can you taste the salt?
  7. Cover the bowl tightly in cling wrap. You may need to use tape to secure the cling wrap.
  8. Put the weight on top of the cling wrap in the center. This should cause it to bend a bit in the middle, over top of the jar.
  9. Move your solar still into the sun and wait for 3 to 5 hours. To help track the time, use a marker to write the time you started at on the cling wrap.

Test it

Return to your solar still after waiting few hours. Did any water collect inside of your jar? Take the jar out and taste the water. Is it still salty? Collect the rest of the salt water back into your measuring cup. How much was lost?

Note: If you try this experiment with dirty water, do not taste it at any point. Small contaminants may still be present which can make you sick.

Explain it

When you leave your solar still out in the sun, it causes the water to heat up. Because of this change in temperature, the water evaporates, changing from a liquid to a gas. However, the salt does not evaporate with it! When the water vapour hits the cling wrap, it condenses (from a gas to a liquid once more). The bend in the cling wrap causes the droplets of water to move toward the center, and drip into the jar. This leaves you with clean water free of salt.

Observe It

In many areas of the world, access to clean water is still a major concern for people. Originally, it was thought that solar stills could not purify contaminated water at a fast enough rate to be useful. Engineers are working on developing cost-efficient, fast-working solar stills to be distributed to areas where drinking water is scarce.

Go further

The solar still you made wouldn’t work fast enough to sustain a person on its own. How would you improve the design in order to make it more efficient? Come up with a few ideas, like changing the bowl color or size. Test it out again, and see if you collect more water this time!

photo of materials required
a bowl
a bowl with saran-wrap on top and an eraser

Program Details

SCITECH
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Duration
300 minutes
Difficulty Level:
Medium
Program Location
Online
  • View all programs at the Canada Science and Technology Museum
  • View other programs related to Food, Health & Wellness

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About Canada Science and Technology Museum

Canada Science and Technology Museum
The Canada Science and Technology Museum tells Canada's innovation story in an immersive, educational, and fun way.
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Contact Us

Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St Laurent Blvd
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
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  • Plan Your Visit
    • Health and Safety
    • Hours
    • Admission
    • Location and Directions
    • Accessibility
    • Browse All Visitor Information
    • Buy Tickets
    • Online Resources for Science at Home
    • About the Museum
  • What's On at the Museum
    • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Spaces and Studios
  • Bookings and Rentals
    • School Programs
    • Birthday Parties
    • Summer Camps
    • Venue Rentals
    • Travelling Exhibitions
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Group Visits
  • Educational Programs
    • School Programs
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Program Location
      • At the Museum
      • At Your School
      • Online
      • Browse all Educational Programs
    • Popular Links
      • 3D Educational Resources
      • Digital Learning Kits
      • Games and Apps
      • Online Resources for Science at Home
      • Tell Me About
      • Try This Out
  • Collection and Research
    • Research Institute
    • Research Projects
    • Collection Resources
      • Ingenium Collection
      • Collection Highlights
      • Conservation and Collection Services
    • Library and Archives
      • Library and Archives Services
      • Library Catalogue
      • Digital Archives
    • Open Access
      • Ingenium APIs
      • Open Data
      • Open Documents
  • Projects and Initiatives
    • Ingenium Channel
    • Curiosity on Stage
    • Women in STEM
    • Aquatic Science Initiatives
    • Climate Science
    • Innovation Storybook