Chapter

9 Methods of Separation
in Everyday Life

साधु ऐसा चाहिए जैसा सपू सभु ाय ।

सार सार को गहि रहै थोथा दई उड़ाय ।।
 —कबीर
Just like winnowing makes the husk blow away
while retaining the grains, similarly, sages let
the virtues stay while discarding the vices.
—Kabir

Malli and his sister Valli are excited for their summer
vacations. Their parents have planned a trip to visit their
relatives and friends living across India. They always stay
in touch with their relatives and friends. Do you also keep
in touch with your loved ones?
Their first halt is at their Nani’s (maternal grandmother’s)
house in Haryana. It is surrounded by large fields. Malli
and Valli are fascinated by the variety of grains piled up
in the courtyard. Their Mami (maternal aunt) and Mama
(maternal uncle), along with other community members,
are busy separating small stones and husk from the grains
with their hands.

Malli and Valli are curious to know why this is being

done. Their Nani notices their curiosity and explains, “We are
removing these stones so that the grains are fit for cooking.”

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 They go around the house to see the fields and the
cattle. To keep them busy, Nani gives them a challenge of
handpicking small stones from grains while keeping their
eyes closed.
The method of picking by hand from a mixture (when
two or more substances are mixed) such as small stones and
husk from wheat and rice is called handpicking. It is done
on the basis of differences in size, colour and
shape of the particles. If the particles to be
removed are present in small quantities and
can easily be picked by hand, handpicking
proves to be a convenient method.
At lunch, Malli and Valli are served
steaming hot vegetable pulao. While
eating the pulao, Nani observes that
Malli is separating whole black peppers
from the pulao and is placing them
Fig. 9.1: Handpicking aside on his plate (Fig. 9.1). Valli playfully teases,
“Wow! This is a handpicking method, nice one!”
Nani tells them about the benefits of black pepper and
encourages Malli to eat it.
Later in the day, their Mama takes them to the fields
where they observe bundles of harvested
wheat stalks lying in the fields. Some
stalks are spread in the sun for drying.
Both of them pick up a stalk each and
notice numerous grains attached to it. A
group of farmers are beating the stalks
on a large wooden log. Curiously, Valli
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

asks Mama, “Why are they doing this?”

Mama explains, “They are beating
the stalks to separate the grains” (Fig.
9.2). This process of separating grains
Fig. 9.2: Threshing from the stalks is known as
threshing. Farmers work hard,
yet they enjoy their work. From time to time,
they sing folk songs while working.
Have fun
Explore folk songs of your region and try to while
sing along with your friends.
you learn
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 The separated grains get mixed with A small amount of
piles of husk. puffed rice is mixed
Valli whispers to Malli, “Will the farmers with chana dal.

?
handpick the grains to remove them from Can you think of
separating the mixture
so much husk?” She wonders, “How much
by any method other
time will the farmers take to separate than handpicking?
these?”
Let us perform an activity to find out
the answer to the questions raised by Valli.

Activity 9.1: Let us explore

‹‹ Take a handful of roasted peanuts and rub them
between your palms. What happens?
‹‹ Is it possible to separate the removed skin and the
peanuts?
‹‹ Now, try blowing it. What do you observe?
Which of these components—removed peanut skins or
peanuts are blown away?
You observe that blowing air separates the heavier and
the lighter components.
How do you think farmers separate so many grains
from husk?
Traditionally, a soop (bamboo tray) is used for separating
heavier and lighter components of a mixture (Fig. 9.3).
Next day, their Nana takes
them to the fields to show
this process at work.
Malli and Valli observe a
farmer standing on a raised
platform. The farmer is
moving the bamboo tray
which contains threshed Fig. 9.3: Bamboo tray
Methods of Separation

wheat grains in the direction

of air or wind (Fig. 9.4).
in Everyday Life

What do you infer from Fig. 9.4? Do both the components,

wheat grains and husk, fall at the same place? Which of the
two components get blown away? Can the wind separate
the two components?
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 Direction of air or wind

Soop (bamboo tray)

Husk

Grains

Fig. 9.4: Winnowing

?
Valli is unable to This method of separating heavier and lighter
separate husk components of a mixture by wind or by blowing
from rice in a air is called winnowing. Have you seen any
closed room. How
similar kind of activity being done at your home?
can you help her?

Technological developments have

resulted in developing of threshing
machines called threshers. These
machines are used for separating
grains from the stalks and husk. They
perform both the tasks of threshing and
More to
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

winnowing simultaneously.
know!

Next day, Malli and Valli board a train to Ahmedabad to

visit their father’s friend Ghanshyam bhai. Before leaving,
Valli requests her Mami to prepare meethi puri (sweet Indian
bread made from wheat flour) for their journey.
Valli: Shall I help you knead the wheat flour?
Mami: To prepare a dish with flour, first we need to
remove bran that may be present in the flour.
Valli: How do we do it?
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 Mami: We use a sieve for this purpose.
Sieving allows the fine flour particles to
pass through the holes of the sieve as shown
in Fig. 9.5. The bigger particles such as bran
and small stones remain on the sieve.
Carefully observe a sieve. Are all
the holes of the sieve the same size?
Will sieving work if the holes of the
sieve are larger than the substances?
Is there any difference in the size between Fig. 9.5: Sieving
the particles that pass through the sieve
and the particles that remain on the sieve?
Sieving is used when components of a
solid–solid mixture have different sizes. Have you ever observed

?
Upon reaching Ahmedabad, they visit sieves being used at
Sabarmati Ashram along with Ghanshyam construction sites to
bhai where they learn about the Namak separate pebbles and
Satyagrah (Dandi March). stones from the sand?

What is Sabarmati Ashram famous for?

Draw a poster showing Dandi March and
More to discuss why it was organised.
do!

Malli asks, “Where is namak (common salt) obtained

from?”
“From seawater”, replies
Ghanshyam bhai.
Seawater is a mixture
of salts and some other
Methods of Separation

substances dissolved in
water. To obtain salt,
in Everyday Life

the seawater is kept in

shallow pits and exposed
to sunlight and air. In
a few days, the water
Fig. 9.6: Obtaining salt from seawater
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 evaporates completely, leaving behind the solid mixture
(Fig. 9.6). Common salt is then obtained from this mixture
by further purification.

Find out about some water bodies in

India that contain common salt. One such
source is Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan. More to
do!

Let us explore how salt can be separated from a salt solution.

Activity 9.2: Let us observe and create

‹‹ Take a bowl or any container and fill it half with

Have you ever water.

?
observed white
patches on the
‹‹ Add 2–3 teaspoons of salt into it and stir till the
dark coloured salt dissolves to form a solution.
clothes you ‹‹ Take a small piece of black or dark coloured
wear during hot thick paper and spread a few drops of the salt
summers? How solution on it (Fig. 9.7a).
are these patches ‹‹ You can also create any art of your choice with
formed?
this salt solution.
‹‹ Allow it to dry and then observe it (Fig. 9.7b
and Fig. 9.7c).
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

(a) Before drying (b) After drying (c) Art created

Fig. 9.7: A few drops of salt solution spread on thick black paper

Do you observe some patches on the paper? What do you

think is left on the paper? You can feel the presence of salt
by touching the paper. Where has the water disappeared?
Recall the chapter ‘A Journey through States of Water’.
Let us probe further to get the answer.
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 In the traditional Indian system of holistic health and medicine
called Ayurveda, the herbs or parts of plants are prescribed as
remedies. These ingredients like roots, leaves, flowers or seeds
of various medicinal plants are often dried in the shade. This
practice facilitates the evaporation of excess water, leaving Do you
behind the important part of the medicine. know?

Activity 9.3: Let us investigate

This activity may be demonstrated by the
teacher. China dish

‹‹ Take some salt solution (prepared in Wire

gauze
Activity 9.2) in a china dish. If a china
dish is not available, another suitable
vessel may be used.
‹‹ Heat and let the water Spirit lamp
boil away as shown in
Fig. 9.8.
Fig. 9.8: Heating of china dish
Caution
Be careful
‹‹ Allow the china dish containing salt solution

while heating to cool down.

the china dish. ‹‹ What do you observe? What is left in
the china dish?
Did you get the salt back? You can feel the presence of salt
in the china dish by touching the salt with your fingers.

?
Observe the
Is there any figure. Does
method through it answer the
which I can get question? Can
back both salt you name the
and water? process involved?
Methods of Separation

It is now time for Malli and Valli to visit Dada and Dadi
in Everyday Life

(paternal grandparents) residing in Puducherry, located

in southern India. They are excited to meet their old
neighbourhood friend, Balan. After reaching Puducherry,
they start talking about the old times and do not realise that
it is already evening, Dadi’s tea time.
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 Dada: I shall prepare tea for you.
Tea Children: We will also help you.
leaves As Dada makes the tea, he shares tips on how to make a
cup of tea.
Balan: After preparing tea, how do you remove the tea
leaves?
Dada: Obviously, with a strainer. You know if we do not
have a strainer, we can still remove most of the tea leaves.
Valli: How?
Fig. 9.9: Decantation Dada: Leave the sauce pan (vessel) containing tea
undisturbed for some time and gently pour the tea in a cup
(Fig. 9.9).
Valli: Oh Yes! And then the tea leaves will be settled at the
bottom.
Oh! The process of settling down of heavier insoluble
Decantation component at the bottom of a liquid is called sedimentation.
is also used in When the water (liquid) is removed by tilting the vessel,
washing and the process is called decantation.
cleaning of rice
and pulses.
In the chapter ‘Materials Around Us’, you have studied

?
that oil does not mix with water and forms a separate
layer when left undisturbed for some time. Which
method of separation would you use to separate oil
and water?

Dada: But I can still get a few tea leaves in my mouth

because decantation does not completely separate all the
tea leaves from the tea.
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

Balan: Oh! It means it is not a proper method of separation.

Dada: Yes, you are right. The tea is ready now.
Malli picks up the tea-strainer from the shelf and gives it
to his Dada.
Dada: Let me pour the tea through this strainer. You can
see all the tea leaves collected in the strainer.
This process of separating tea leaves from tea is called
filtration.
Balan asks Malli if he could use a tea strainer to filter
muddy water. Let us try and find out.
Dada: Also, try to filter the muddy water through a piece
170
of cloth and observe the difference.

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 How
many layers
Malli: Why should we use a piece of cloth? of cloth do I need
to use to get clear
Dada: In a piece of cloth, there are very small holes
water?
or pores between the woven threads. These pores in the
cloth can be used as a filter. People in ancient times also
followed this practice.
But if the water is still muddy, impurities can be
separated using a filter with even smaller holes or
pores. A filter paper is one such filter that has very fine
pores in it.

Activity 9.4: Let us experiment

‹‹ Try to fold the filter paper yourself and make a cone as

shown in Fig. 9.10.

A filter paper One-fold Two-folds Cone

Fig. 9.10: Folding a filter paper to form a cone

‹‹ Place it inside a funnel kept on a conical flask and pour

muddy water into it (Fig. 9.11).

Filter paper
Muddy
water
Funnel Tripod
stand
Conical
flask
Methods of Separation

Fig. 9.11: Filtration

in Everyday Life

‹‹ What do you observe? Do the mud particles pass through

the filter paper?
‹‹ The water coming from the funnel will be collected in
the conical flask.
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 ‹‹ You will get mud as a residue on the filter paper and
clear water as filtrate in the conical flask.

Other than the filter paper, many materials such as

cotton, charcoal, and sand can be used as filters. The
More to choice of filter depends upon the size of the particles of
the materials to be removed.
know!

Activity 9.5: Let us design and create

Valli goes for a nature walk with her Dadi and collects
some water from a pond in a container. She observes some
unwanted substances in it. Design and create a working
model of water filter using low-cost materials.

Tea bags were initially made of soft cloth, like

silk, because it could hold the tea leaves and let
water pass through. Silk was strong and did not
fall apart when it touched hot water. Later, people
started using gauze or muslin. Eventually they began
using filter paper, which is what most tea bags are made
Do you of today.
know?

Malli and Valli go on a

boat ride in a nearby river
with their Dada and his
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

friend, Otukkam. Otukkam

is a fisherman. As they cast
the fishing net, water drains
out through the mesh. Valli
recalls the filtration method
she had learnt and realises
that this method of catching
the fish is somewhat similar.
Malli is taken aback when he sees plastic bags, broken
bottles, a large fish with a straw stuck in its mouth, and food
wrappers along with the other fish trapped in the net.
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 Let us raise awareness about the issues related to
river and ocean pollution by composing a poem.
A few lines have been written here, add more lines—
Piece of plastic in my neck,
As in pain I cry,
Koilas, Koilas…where are you dear?
Papa fish cries and Mama fish has tears.

Aware of the harm, yet they let it flow,

Koilas faintly hears mother’s sorrow,

Stop plastic pollution at source,

Rivers are our huge resource.

Discuss with your parents

A bowl of milk in your home has gone sour. Discuss
with your parents how you can use it in another way.
Also, which method of separation will you use in the
process?

Malli and Valli take blessings from their

Dada and Dadi, bid goodbye to Balan and
travel to Madhya Pradesh.
The train reaches Bhopal in Madhya
Pradesh. The sun is rising and it is getting
hot. On their way to Maasi’s (maternal
aunt’s) home, they drink chhach
Methods of Separation

(buttermilk) in the dhaba (roadside

in Everyday Life

eatery). Malli asks the shopkeeper about

the big painting, hanging on the wall of
the dhaba. The shopkeeper explains that
the picture shows a lady performing Churning

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 the process of churning curd
Can you name one using a big mathni (churner)
kitchen appliance to separate butter. In this
which runs on process, the butter being
electricity that is lighter floats at the top, while
used to prepare
the buttermilk is left behind.
buttermilk?
Their stay at Maasi’s place
has become enjoyable and
they are looking forward to
share all their memories with their friends upon returning
home. Now, it is time for them to reach their final destination
of the trip, Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.
On their arrival at their Bua’s (paternal aunt’s) house in
Shillong, they notice a carpenter making a wooden door.
While working, he accidentally drops a few iron nails in the
sawdust.
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

Fig. 9.12: Magnetic separation

The carpenter starts handpicking the iron nails. The

children tell the carpenter to wait. They get a magnet from
their Bua. They ask the carpenter to move the magnet
through the sawdust. All the nails get attracted to it (Fig. 9.12).
Which method of separation did the carpenter use? Recall
the chapter ‘Exploring Magnets’.
The substances which are attracted towards a magnet
are called magnetic substances. Iron is a common example
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 of a magnetic substance. Separation of magnetic and
non-magnetic substances by using a magnet is called
magnetic separation.

Nowadays, recyclers use magnets to separate

iron articles from a heap of waste.
In many industries, the waste material
often contains scrap iron. This is
separated from the heap of waste
materials using magnets fitted to a
crane.
The scrap iron can be recycled and
More to
reused. Magnetic separation
know!

Malli and Valli had delightful holidays and the ‘Bharat ki

Yatra’ (tour of India) filled with fun will be an ever lasting
memory for them.
They not only enjoyed exploring different regions of India
but also gained a lot of knowledge about various methods of
separation of substances.

Activity 9.6: Let us play

Write the following phrases on small slips of paper—
1. Separating small stones from pulses.
2. Churning curd to obtain butter.
3. Taking out green chillies from cooked dalia (dish made
of broken wheat) or poha (dish made of flattened rice).
4. Taking out seeds from watermelon.
5. Sorting piles of sawdust and iron nails from a mixed
heap of building material.
6. Picking marigold flowers from a heap of other flowers
Methods of Separation

to make a garland.
in Everyday Life

7. Separating pebbles from sand.

8. Separating coconut pieces from rice flour.
9. Separating oil from water.
10. Separating salt from salt solution.
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 Now, take two baskets, each representing one of the two
purposes for which we separate substances. Form two teams
and see who will get the maximum correct entries.

Think and start

ny one of the te t w o di f f e
o ve a co m ara re
r em t is n ot us ef u ep
a po s f u l c o mpo n nt
To t h l n e To t use en
bu ts

nt
s

This activity helps in assessing your understanding as to

why we separate substances.

Keywords

Churning Mixture Create

Decantation Sedimentation Design

Evaporation Sieving Experiment

Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

Filtration Threshing Explore

Handpicking Winnowing Infer

Magnetic separation Investigate

Observe

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 Summary

‹‹ Handpicking is used for separating solid materials on the

basis of differences in size, colour and shape from a mixture.
‹‹ The process in which the stalks are beaten to separate grains
from them is called threshing.
‹‹ The method of separating lighter husk from heavier grains
by wind or blowing air is called winnowing.
‹‹ The process of separating solids from a mixture based on
variations in particle size using a sieve is called sieving.
‹‹ Evaporation is the process in which a liquid gets converted
into its vapour. It can be used to separate a solid dissolved
in a liquid.
‹‹ The process of settling down of heavier insoluble component
at the bottom of a liquid is called sedimentation. When the
liquid is removed by tilting the vessel, the process is called
decantation.
‹‹ Filtration can be used to separate insoluble solid components
from a liquid.
‹‹ Churning is used to extract butter from curd.
‹‹ Separation of magnetic and non-magnetic substances by
using a magnet is called magnetic separation.
Play a Game—WISE FISH
Prepare your own fishing rod with locally available eco-friendly
materials. Tie a thread to one end of the rod and a magnet to the
free end of the thread. The Tank 1 has red cardboard fish and
Tank 2 has blue cardboard slips attached to iron clips. Fish out
a red fish representing the method of separation first and then
fish out one blue slip related to the red one.
Methods of Separation

Watch out for your friends. Are they fishing out correctly?
in Everyday Life

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 Catch me first!

Tank 1

Filtration Decantation Condensation Handpicking

Churning Evaporation Winnowing

Sedimentation Sieving Threshing Magnetic

separation

Then me!

Tank 2
difference in siz
e of solid particle
s
rties
prope
ma gnetic
ence in
differ d water extrac
own of oil an t butte
r from
le d mixture curd
s sett
rp a rticle
h eavie
remove grains
from seaw
ater beating stalks to
lt
separate sa

into
ater vapour insoluble particles get filtered as residue
on of w
conversi a te
st
its liquid
ed lighter compo
dpick nent of mixtu
s ar e han by blowing ai re is separate
d
article r
rp
large
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

Let us enhance our learning

1. What purpose does handpicking serve in the process of

separation?
(i) Filtration (ii) Sorting
(iii) Evaporation (iv) Decantation
2. Which of the following substances are commonly separated
using the churning method?
(i) Oil from water (ii) Sand from water
(iii) Cream from milk (iv) Oxygen from air
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 3. Which factor is usually essential for the filtration?
(i) Apparatus size (ii) Presence of air
(iii) Pore size (iv) Temperature of the
mixture
4. State with reason(s) whether the following statements are
True [T] or False [F]. Also, correct the False statement(s).
(i) Salt can be separated from salt solution by
keeping it under the Sun. [ ]
(ii) Handpicking should be used only when the
quantity of one component is less. [ ]
(iii) A mixture of puffed rice and rice grains can be
separated by threshing. [ ]
(iv) A mixture of mustard oil and lemon water can
be separated by decantation. [ ]
(v) Sieving is used to separate a mixture of
rice flour and water. [ ]
5. Match the mixtures in Column I with their method of
separation in Column II.

Column I Column II

(i) Gram flour mixed with (a) Handpicking

black gram (b) Magnetic separation
(ii) Chalk powder mixed with (c) Decantation
water
(d) Sieving
(iii) Corn mixed with potatoes
(e) Filtration
(iv) Iron powder mixed with
sawdust
(v) Oil mixed with water

6. In what situations would you use decantation instead of

Methods of Separation

filtration to separate solids from liquids?

in Everyday Life

7. Can you relate the presence of nasal hair to any separation

process?
8. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all of us wore masks.
Generally, what material are they made of? What is the role
of these masks?
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 9. A mixture containing potatoes, salt and sawdust has been
given to you. Outline a stepwise procedure for separating
each component from this mixture.
10. Read the following story titled ‘Intelligent Leela’ and tick the
most appropriate options. Provide a suitable title of your
choice for the paragraph.
Leela was working in the farm with her father when she realised
that they left their drinking water at home. Before her father
felt thirsty/hungry, she went to the nearby pond to fetch some
water/grains. After obtaining some water in the container, she
noticed that the water was muddy and fit/unfit for drinking. To
purify the water, she kept it for some time and then she filtered/
churned the muddy water using a piece of paper/muslin cloth.
Leela, then, cooled/boiled the water for about 10 minutes in
a covered pan. After cooling/boiling, she filtered/churned it
again and made it fit/unfit for drinking. She served this water to
her father while having food, who blessed her and appreciated
her efforts.

Learning further

‹‹ Fun with parents: We are proud of our Indian heritage.

Under supervision of your elders, try to prepare some herbal
remedies using various parts of plants. For example—tulsi
kadha. Which methods of separation will you use while
preparing herbal kadha?
‹‹ Stage play: Imagine you and your friend are Malli and Valli.
Write dialogues of a play presenting their entire ‘Bharat ki
Yatra’, highlighting the different methods of separation of
Curiosity | Textbook of Science | Grade 6

substances that they observed. Enact the play in your school

assembly.
‹‹ Group activity: Observe and list separation methods you
employed and noticed in your surroundings throughout a
week. Explain the reasons behind using these methods and
compile the ones you utilised or observed the most. Compare
your observations with your group members.
‹‹ Be a stalwart of your community: Interview a ragpicker(s)
and prepare a case study about the method(s) of separation
he/she uses in his/her daily life. Encourage children of your
community below the age of 14 to join a neighbourhood
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 ‹‹ Be a reporter: (i) Gather newspaper clippings and articles
related to various methods of separation implemented in
your society, such as in agricultural fields or at construction
sites. (ii) Conduct interviews with local farmers to explore
the latest agricultural separation methods that they use.

‹‹ Think like a scientist: You are provided with a mixture

of iron nails, sand, black pepper, stones, common salt
and water. Which steps will you follow to separate each
component of a mixture?
The given steps may help you to think like a scientist.

Reflection Steps

I observe . I wonder .

You might have wondered about questions such as—

„„ Which component should I separate first?
„„ What method of separation should I use first?
„„ How can we separate these components effectively?
„„ Will some of the components be soluble in water?
„„ What properties of the components can help us in
their separation?
„„ What is the most appropriate sequence?

Activity Steps

‹‹ Some possible answers to the questions which occurred in

my mind are

‹‹ I performed the following methods of separation—

Methods of Separation

‹‹ My findings are .
in Everyday Life

Hint: A mixture that has more than two components requires a combination
of several methods of separation.

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 Notes

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