Student Research Reports
A Novel Approach to Neutralize Cola
Organization(s):FRANTZ HOME SCHOOL
Country:United States of America
Student(s):Stevie Frantz
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Educator(s):Steven Frantz
Contributors:
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:pH, Water Transparency
Presentation Poster:
View Document
Language(s):English
Date Submitted:02/10/2025
The research question is: Can “impurities” in cola be removed through filtration? The
“impurities” I will attempt to filter is the color and level of acidity and bring the cola back to
water (H2O). This research is Important because people need clean water and they will need to
filter all of the impurities, so this research will find out which water filter is the best for filtering
such an acidic beverage like cola. Because cola is so acidic, cola can dissolve a nail, and is very
bad for your teeth. The research hypothesis is the reverse osmosis process will neutralize the
acid in the cola better than filtration straws, water filter, and natural filtration. When preparing
this project, a turbidity tube and pH paper testing strips were used. When testing turbidity, the
filtered cola was poured into the tube and drained it until the secchi disk could be seen. The
results for turbidity were mostly 1 to 3 cm for all filters except for reverse osmosis (RO), which
had a turbidity level greater than 100 cm. When testing pH, the filtered cola would be poured
into a dish and then pH would be tested. The results for pH were Brita and Life Straw filters
getting pH levels of 4 and natural filter getting a pH level of 6 and reverse osmosis getting a pH
level of 7. In conclusion the reverse osmosis process is the best for filtering out acidity in liquid
cola.