Introduction
For this project, my group had to create something revolving around water and relate it to chemistry. We decided to develop a water filtration device, and then explain through chemistry how it is able to clean water. We wanted this filter to be accessible in impoverished places, so the driving goal we kept in mind while designing our filter was to make it effective yet cheap. As a result, my group's filter focused on accessibility and cost.
Our design process was split into three main categories: research, construction, and testing. In the beginning of this project, my group first researched current filters being used and how they worked. We then planned our design based off our research, implementing items such as activated charcoal which we found to be widely used in filter products. Next, we constructed our prototype filter. Due to our goal of an accessible and cheap filter, we planned to make a two-part design which could accommodate any container of water a person might have present. Our design including a particle filter that remove small debris and other larger containments from water, and then a distilling tube which could be attached to a container to boil and recollect water. After designing our prototype, we then tested its effectiveness. Across multiple trials we examined how well our filter was able to clean debris, if it brought the pH of the water closer to ideal ranges, and if it lowered the ppm of particles present in the water.
Our data can be found in the slideshow below, and scientific terms used in our project can be found in the content section as well.
Our design process was split into three main categories: research, construction, and testing. In the beginning of this project, my group first researched current filters being used and how they worked. We then planned our design based off our research, implementing items such as activated charcoal which we found to be widely used in filter products. Next, we constructed our prototype filter. Due to our goal of an accessible and cheap filter, we planned to make a two-part design which could accommodate any container of water a person might have present. Our design including a particle filter that remove small debris and other larger containments from water, and then a distilling tube which could be attached to a container to boil and recollect water. After designing our prototype, we then tested its effectiveness. Across multiple trials we examined how well our filter was able to clean debris, if it brought the pH of the water closer to ideal ranges, and if it lowered the ppm of particles present in the water.
Our data can be found in the slideshow below, and scientific terms used in our project can be found in the content section as well.
Content
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Reflection Overall, I felt that I learned a lot from this project. Specifically, in class I learned about the chemistry involving solutions, acids, bases, polarity, and more. Through research for the filtration project, I learned more about the chemical and physical process of adsorption, a trait exhibited by activated carbon that makes it such a good filter.
One area where I believe I did well was research and data gathering. Although we learned a lot about the general concepts of solutions and related topics in class, my group had to do a lot of actual testing to create our filter. I enjoyed this change from theoretical concepts to real world practice because it was more involved and hands on. I got to use a microscope to examine the pond water we were filtering for containments and bacteria, and also had to run various tests such as pH indicators. Another area where I feel I did well was presenting. Normally, I am no fan of presenting, but for this project my group really prepared and I felt it went very well. Overall, I feel like we delivered a polished presentation that showcased our design and what we learned from it. An area where my group could have improved was time management. During this project, AP exams were taking place, so parts of my group were constantly missing class to take exams. This resulted in us being disorganized and loosing valuable time since we were missing team members. For future projects, it would be helpful for me to plan ahead of any such inconveniences and know what needs to be done on certain days. |