I will now give you a clear, step-by-step guide to perform your experiment
using your own method. This is based on the image you shared.
Step-by-Step Laboratory Procedure for Your Experiment
What You Will Need
Materials
Item Quantity Notes
Glass jars with airtight lids 12 Mason jars or similar, 500 mL to 1 L
capacity
Your soil sample About 5 kg Air dried and sieved
Recycled concrete About 2 kg Crushed to fine powder (<2 mm)
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) 500 mL 1.0 M solution
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) 500 mL 0.5 M solution
Phenolphthalein indicator 1 small bottle
Methyl orange indicator 1 small bottle
Small glass vials or beakers 12 50 mL capacity, to fit inside jars
Distilled or deionized water 5 L
Weighing scale 1 Accurate to 0.1 g
Sieve (2 mm mesh) 1 To sieve soil and concrete
Burette and stand 1 For titration
Conical flasks (Erlenmeyer) Several 250 mL for titration
Pipette (10 mL or 20 mL) 1 To measure NaOH solution
Glass stirring rod 1
Marker pen 1 For labeling
Notebook 1 For recording data
Step 1: Prepare Your Materials
1.1 Prepare Your Soil
1.2
1. Collect your soil sample from your chosen location
2. Spread the soil on a tray and air dry for 3 to 5 days
3. Remove any stones, roots, or visible organic material
4. Sieve the soil through a 2 mm sieve
5. Store the sieved soil in a clean container
1.3 Prepare Your Recycled Concrete
1.4
1. Obtain a piece of concrete from a demolition site or old concrete block
2. Wrap the concrete in a cloth and break it into smaller pieces using a
hammer
3. Crush the pieces into a fine powder
4. Sieve the crushed concrete through a 2 mm sieve
5. Store the concrete powder in a clean container
1.3 Prepare Your Chemicals
Prepare 1.0 M NaOH Solution
· Weigh 40 g of sodium hydroxide pellets
· Carefully dissolve in about 800 mL of distilled water
· Stir until completely dissolved
· Add distilled water to make final volume 1 liter
· Store in a plastic bottle (NaOH attacks glass over time)
Prepare 0.5 M HCl Solution
· Measure 42 mL of concentrated HCl (12 M)
· Carefully add to about 800 mL of distilled water (always add acid to
water, never water to acid)
· Stir gently
· Add distilled water to make final volume 1 liter
Prepare Indicators
· Phenolphthalein: Already in solution form, ready to use
· Methyl orange: Already in solution form, ready to use
Step 2: Set Up Your Treatments
2.1 Label Your Jars
Label 12 glass jars as follows:
Jar Number Treatment Label
1, 2, 3 Control (soil only) C1, C2, C3
4, 5, 6 Soil + 1% concrete T1A, T1B, T1C
7, 8, 9 Soil + 3% concrete T2A, T2B, T2C
10, 11, 12 Soil + 5% concrete T3A, T3B, T3C
2.2 Prepare Soil Mixtures
Control (Soil Only)
· Weigh 100 g of sieved soil
· Place directly into the jar
T1 (1% Concrete)
· Weigh 99 g of sieved soil
· Weigh 1 g of concrete powder
· Mix thoroughly in a clean container
· Place mixture into the jar
T2 (3% Concrete)
· Weigh 97 g of sieved soil
· Weigh 3 g of concrete powder
· Mix thoroughly
· Place mixture into the jar
T3 (5% Concrete)
· Weigh 95 g of sieved soil
· Weigh 5 g of concrete powder
· Mix thoroughly
· Place mixture into the jar
Step 3: Set Up the Alkali Traps
3.1 Prepare NaOH Vials
1. Take 12 small glass vials or beakers (50 mL capacity)
2. Label each vial to match its jar (C1, C2, C3, T1A, T1B, etc.)
3. Measure 20 mL of 1.0 M NaOH solution into each vial using a pipette
4. Carefully place each vial inside its corresponding jar
3.2 Seal the Jars
1. Place the vial of NaOH inside the jar, standing upright
2. Ensure the vial does not tip over
3. Close the jar lid tightly to create an airtight seal
4. Check that the seal is secure
Step 4: Run the Experiment
4.1 Incubation
1. Place all 12 jars in a room at room temperature (20-25°C)
2. Keep them away from direct sunlight
3. Do not open the jars during the incubation period except for sampling
4.2 Sampling Schedule
You will sample every 7 days for 30 days (total of 4 sampling times)
Sampling Event Day Action
Week 1 Day 7 Remove NaOH vial from 3 jars (one from each treatment)
Week 2 Day 14 Remove NaOH vial from 3 more jars
Week 3 Day 21 Remove NaOH vial from 3 more jars
Week 4 Day 30 Remove NaOH vial from last 3 jars and collect soil
Important: You will need 3 jars for each sampling time, not all jars at once.
This means you will have 3 replicates per treatment, and you will sample
one replicate from each treatment every week.
4.3 Sampling Procedure
At Each Sampling Time (Day 7, 14, 21, 30)
1. Select 3 jars (one from each treatment: C, T1, T2, T3)
2. Carefully open the jar
3. Remove the NaOH vial
4. Immediately close the jar again if soil is not being collected yet
5. Take the NaOH vial to the laboratory bench for titration
6. Record the jar number and sampling day in your notebook
At Final Sampling (Day 30 Only)
1. After removing the NaOH vial, also collect the soil from the jar
2. Place the soil in a labeled container
3. Store for the Acid Neutralization Test
Step 5: Perform Titration (Alkali Trap Analysis)
This measures how much CO₂ was captured by the NaOH.
5.1 Prepare the Sample
1. Pour the 20 mL NaOH solution from the vial into a 250 mL conical flask
2. Rinse the vial with a small amount of distilled water and add to the flask
3. Add 2 to 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator
· The solution will turn pink (phenolphthalein is pink in alkaline solution)
5.2 First Titration (Phenolphthalein Endpoint)
1. Fill your burette with 0.5 M HCl
2. Record the initial burette reading
3. Slowly add HCl to the flask while swirling gently
4. Continue until the pink color disappears (solution becomes colorless)
5. Record the final burette reading
6. Calculate the volume of HCl used: V1 = Final reading – Initial reading
5.3 Second Titration (Methyl Orange Endpoint)
1. Add 2 to 3 drops of methyl orange indicator to the same flask
· The solution will turn yellow (methyl orange is yellow in alkaline
solution)
2. Continue adding HCl slowly while swirling
3. Continue until the color changes from yellow to orange-red
4. Record the final burette reading
5. Calculate the volume of HCl used for this stage: V2 = Final reading –
Previous reading
5.4 Calculate CO₂ Captured
The calculation for CO₂ captured uses both titration volumes.
Formula:
If V1 is the volume of HCl used in the first titration (phenolphthalein) and
V2 is the volume used in the second titration (methyl orange), then:
· If V1 > V2: CO₂ captured (g) = (V1 – V2) × Molarity of HCl × 0.022 ×
44.01
· If V1 = V2: All carbonate is present as Na₂CO₃
· If V1 = 0: All carbonate is present as NaHCO₃
Simplified Calculation:
For most samples where V1 > V2:
CO₂ (grams) = (V1 – V2) × 0.5 × 44.01 ÷ 1000
Where:
· V1 and V2 are in mL
· 0.5 is the molarity of HCl
· 44.01 is the molecular weight of CO₂
· 1000 converts mL to L
Step 6: Perform Acid Neutralization Test (Soil Analysis)
This measures how much calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) formed in the soil.
6.1 Prepare Soil Sample
1. Take the soil sample from the jar (collected at day 30)
2. Air dry the soil for 2 to 3 days
3. Sieve through 2 mm sieve
6.2 Add Known Amount of Acid
1. Weigh 10 g of dried soil into a conical flask
2. Add 50 mL of 0.5 M HCl using a pipette
3. Swirl gently to mix
4. Let it react for 30 minutes, swirling occasionally
5. CaCO₃ in the soil will react with HCl: CaCO₃ + 2HCl → CaCl₂ + H₂O +
CO₂
6.3 Back-Titration
1. Add 2 to 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the flask
2. Fill your burette with 0.5 M NaOH
3. Titrate the remaining acid (the acid that did not react with CaCO₃)
4. Record the volume of NaOH used
6.4 Calculate CaCO₃ Formed
Formula:
Total HCl added (mmol) = 50 mL × 0.5 M = 25 mmol
HCl remaining (mmol) = Volume of NaOH used (mL) × 0.5 M
HCl consumed by CaCO₃ (mmol) = Total HCl – HCl remaining
Moles of CaCO₃ = (HCl consumed) ÷ 2 (because 2 HCl react with 1 CaCO₃)
Mass of CaCO₃ (g) = Moles of CaCO₃ × 100.09 (molecular weight of
CaCO₃)
Step 7: Organize Your Data
7.1 Create Data Tables
Table 1: Alkali Trap Titration Data
Jar Treatment Week V1 (mL) V2 (mL) CO₂ Captured (g)
C1 Control 1
T1A 1% 1
T2A 3% 1
T3A 5% 1
C2 Control 2
... ... ... ... ... ...
Table 2: Acid Neutralization Test Data
Jar Treatment NaOH Used (mL) HCl Remaining (mmol) HCl Consumed
(mmol) CaCO₃ Formed (g)
C4 Control
T1C 1%
T2C 3%
T3C 5%
Step 8: Analyze Your Results
8.1 Compare Treatments
· Calculate average CO₂ captured for each treatment
· Calculate average CaCO₃ formed for each treatment
· Compare which treatment captured the most CO₂
8.2 Look at Kinetics
· Plot CO₂ captured over time for each treatment
· See if CO₂ capture is faster in the first week and slows down
· Compare rates between treatments
8.3 Draw Conclusions
· Did concrete dust capture CO₂? (Compare T1, T2, T3 with control)
· Did more concrete capture more CO₂? (Compare T1, T2, T3)
· Did carbonation occur? (Look at CaCO₃ formation)
Summary Timeline
Day Activity
Day 1 Prepare soil, crush concrete, set up all 12 jars
Day 7 Sample 3 jars (C1, T1A, T2A, T3A), titrate NaOH
Day 14 Sample 3 jars (C2, T1B, T2B, T3B), titrate NaOH
Day 21 Sample 3 jars (C3, T1C, T2C, T3C), titrate NaOH
Day 30 Sample last 3 jars, titrate NaOH, collect soil
Day 31-35 Perform Acid Neutralization Test on all soil samples
This is the complete step-by-step guide for your experiment using your
own method. Would you like me to now rewrite your thesis chapters based
on this procedure?