The Project
This project was one I truly enjoyed, considering we had an abundance of ideas to choose from to create, develop, and research. With the sole assignment of designing a project relating to water, my group decided to build a water filtration device. Following hours of extensive investigation, we settled on a rather unique solution: cacti. Cactus powder would sift all impurities within the water to the bottom to leave drinkable water at the top. This layering effect is created by the plant's polar mucilage that it naturally creates, attracting and bonding to all the contaminants. This mucilage would pull these heavy metals and bacteria to the bottom of the container to be easily removed, allowing the remaining water to be pure enough to drink. My group knew from the beginning that we wanted our device to be applicable internationally to aid developing countries. Considering cacti is so common around the globe, most would have access to the plant to use in our design. We also hoped to partner with The Drinkable Book, an organization that provides over a billion people with clean water through numerous innovative technologies. Employing a similar design to one that the company is currently using, we would print instructions on how to use the cactus on wafer filtration sheets that would be distributed internationally.
Content
Solute: A molecule that dissolves in a solvent to create a solution. Numerous contaminants, such as salt, are often found in water and must be taken out of water to drink.
Solvent: A liquid which solutes dissolve in. Water is referred to as the "universal solvent" since most solutes dissolve in the liquid due to the same of its molecule and its polarity.
Polarity: polar molecules contain polar bonds due to the electron negativity in the molecule. The molecule has a positive and negatively charged end. The polarity of water causes it be to the universal solvent.
Solubility: the ability to be dissolved. Polar molecules can be dissolved in water due to the molecules' charges' attraction , often creating hydrogen bonds between hydrogen and oxygen ions.
pH: a measurement of the amount of hydrogen and hydroxide ions in a solution. Acidic solutions have more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions, while basic solutions have less. The pH scale is from 1 to 14. The smaller a number, the more acidic. Pure water is theoretically a pH of 7, or at a neutral state. When testing water quality, pH must be considered, because drinkable water must be between a pH of 6 to 8.5.
Particle separation: molecules of a particular substance separate its bond from a solvent. Cacti do this naturally through its use of mucilage to separate water molecules from those of impurities.
Chemicals used to clean water: Chlorine is often used to clean water since it is a halogen and effective at killing bacteria. However, chlorine will also affect the pH of the water and must be used in a safe way.
Carbon: molecules, such as charcoal, that have small, absorptive pores used to take organic materials out of water. It is commonly found in multistage water filters such as the Lifestraw or Brita filters. Using cacti to filter water does not require activated carbon.
The presentation below further details the research and creation process of our filtration device.
Solvent: A liquid which solutes dissolve in. Water is referred to as the "universal solvent" since most solutes dissolve in the liquid due to the same of its molecule and its polarity.
Polarity: polar molecules contain polar bonds due to the electron negativity in the molecule. The molecule has a positive and negatively charged end. The polarity of water causes it be to the universal solvent.
Solubility: the ability to be dissolved. Polar molecules can be dissolved in water due to the molecules' charges' attraction , often creating hydrogen bonds between hydrogen and oxygen ions.
pH: a measurement of the amount of hydrogen and hydroxide ions in a solution. Acidic solutions have more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions, while basic solutions have less. The pH scale is from 1 to 14. The smaller a number, the more acidic. Pure water is theoretically a pH of 7, or at a neutral state. When testing water quality, pH must be considered, because drinkable water must be between a pH of 6 to 8.5.
Particle separation: molecules of a particular substance separate its bond from a solvent. Cacti do this naturally through its use of mucilage to separate water molecules from those of impurities.
Chemicals used to clean water: Chlorine is often used to clean water since it is a halogen and effective at killing bacteria. However, chlorine will also affect the pH of the water and must be used in a safe way.
Carbon: molecules, such as charcoal, that have small, absorptive pores used to take organic materials out of water. It is commonly found in multistage water filters such as the Lifestraw or Brita filters. Using cacti to filter water does not require activated carbon.
The presentation below further details the research and creation process of our filtration device.
Reflection
Overall, I felt this project went rather well and was enjoyed by all members of my group. I loved having the freedom to truly develop an idea that I had created with my peers to address and solve a worldwide crisis. This passion for what we were working on was a peak for my group, as our shared interest in what we were doing spurred a profound sense of motivation and determination to succeed. However, time management proved to be a problem for this same reason, as we became overly ambitious at what we could accomplish in the allotted amount of time to make our dream a reality.
Another pit my group faced was keeping focused. While it was great that all my team members were close to each other and enjoyed one another's company, off-topic conversations and constant distractions made the process fun but rather unproductive and inefficient at times. These close relationships did lead to a peak of collaboration, one of the 6 C's, considering we all were like-minded, comfortable around one another, and communicated well. All members were accepting of one another's ideas and criticisms, making the project truly enjoyable and successful. I am thankful to have had such a wonderful group.
Another pit my group faced was keeping focused. While it was great that all my team members were close to each other and enjoyed one another's company, off-topic conversations and constant distractions made the process fun but rather unproductive and inefficient at times. These close relationships did lead to a peak of collaboration, one of the 6 C's, considering we all were like-minded, comfortable around one another, and communicated well. All members were accepting of one another's ideas and criticisms, making the project truly enjoyable and successful. I am thankful to have had such a wonderful group.