Marl Philip Tirador, Lowella Villanueva, Karen Kay Salveron (April 1998)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Water purifying properties of crushed Leucaenia leucocephala (Ipil-Ipil) leaves were tested on turbid water samples from the Iloilo River. There were five parameters used to serve as standards in determining the water quality of the samples before and after treatment. They are as follows: pH, the amount of dissolved oxygen, total filterable and dissolves solids and microbial content.
Crushed Ipil-Ipil leaves were added to two groups of water samples distinguished from each other by the length of time the treatment was applied. A 24-hour and 48-hour group was formed. Initial readings of parameters was taken. Then the treatment was applied according to the specified time duration after the said time period the parameters were read again.
T-test confirmed that there were significant changes in terms of the pH, dissolved oxygen, total and dissolved solid after the treatment. No statistical computations were done on the microbial content due to instrumental and human limitations required in the counting of bacterial colony present in the water samples, present before and after treatment. However colony growth suggested that water samples from the Iloilo River have a large microbial content.
Crushed Ipil-Ipil leaves has shown water purifying properties based on the parameters used.