Our Project:
This project focused on the chemistry involved in water and its treatment. More specifically, the guiding question for this project was: "How can we use Chemistry to support the chemical treatment of wastewater and various clean water initiatives?". To answer this question our group had to do research and design a prototype for something that answered this question. Our group chose to investigate grey water and how it can be reused in homes. We did tests and prepared a presentation that we delivered to the Novato Sunrise Rotary.
Concepts:
Many concepts from the science of Chemistry and other disciplines were integral to this project.
Grey Water:
Grey water is lightly used household water that comes from showers, sinks, washing machines, and other household fixtures. Normally homes don't reuse grey water because the plumbing systems in homes can not handle variable pH. Our group tested grey water's pH to make sure that it was compatible with our solution.
Solution:
In chemistry a solution is a mixture of two substances together regardless of the phase of the substances. A solution is made up of a solute and a solvent.
Ionic Solution:
An ionic solution is a solution with ions. Common salt in water is a example of an ionic solution because the positive and negative charge in the water attracts the charged sodium and chloride away. This is called disassociation.
Molecular Solution:
In an ionic solution the components disassociate from each other but in a molecular solution they stay together because the molecule involved is not attracted by the ionic charges.
Polarity:
Generally solvents and solutes with similar polarity are best able to combine into solutions. For instance, water and oil don't combine together because they have different polarities so the water just stays on top.
Solute and Solvent: Solute is what dissolves in the solvent in a solution. For instance, salt dissolves in water. Salt is a solute and water is a solvent in that example. The solvent is what the solute dissolves in.
pH:
The pH scale is a scale of the basicity and the acidity of something. It is a log scale which means that a pH of 7 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 8. More acidic solutions have more hydrogen ions in them. Drinkable water normally ranges from 7 - 8 pH. Our grey water measured at around 8 pH. If water is too acidic or too basic it can be very problematic for a filtration or grey water system. Water that is acidic can react with pipes and leach metals from them which is very dangerous for household use. This is why our system uses PVC pipes that don't have dangerous chemicals.
Testing Conducted:
We conducted a pH test. The pH of the water is the most important factor in our system so that the pipes are safe. The pH of the grey water that we tested was in the safe range.
Reflection:
Like every project this one was a learning experience for me. Over the course of this project I had some high points and low points. At the beginning of the project we used our critical thinking to try to come up with a idea that was simple but unique compared to other ones. While researching did not directly answer the prompt it was a unique interpretation that allowed our group to investigate something that could have a large impact on society. Also, my group and I improved our communication skills through the course of this project. Specifically we made a presentation that we believe is significantly better at communicating our point than in previous projects. However, in this project I still had some weak areas. For instance, my collaboration skills need improvement. In the project Sean and I did most of the work and did not let Peter or Jackson do the work. In the future I plan on letting my group mates help more so that it is a actual "group" project. Additionally, at the beginning of this project our time management was pretty weak. We did not get much done in the first week or so of work time and had to speed up later. These problems were easily preventable and I hope to fix them in the future.
Concepts:
Many concepts from the science of Chemistry and other disciplines were integral to this project.
Grey Water:
Grey water is lightly used household water that comes from showers, sinks, washing machines, and other household fixtures. Normally homes don't reuse grey water because the plumbing systems in homes can not handle variable pH. Our group tested grey water's pH to make sure that it was compatible with our solution.
Solution:
In chemistry a solution is a mixture of two substances together regardless of the phase of the substances. A solution is made up of a solute and a solvent.
Ionic Solution:
An ionic solution is a solution with ions. Common salt in water is a example of an ionic solution because the positive and negative charge in the water attracts the charged sodium and chloride away. This is called disassociation.
Molecular Solution:
In an ionic solution the components disassociate from each other but in a molecular solution they stay together because the molecule involved is not attracted by the ionic charges.
Polarity:
Generally solvents and solutes with similar polarity are best able to combine into solutions. For instance, water and oil don't combine together because they have different polarities so the water just stays on top.
Solute and Solvent: Solute is what dissolves in the solvent in a solution. For instance, salt dissolves in water. Salt is a solute and water is a solvent in that example. The solvent is what the solute dissolves in.
pH:
The pH scale is a scale of the basicity and the acidity of something. It is a log scale which means that a pH of 7 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 8. More acidic solutions have more hydrogen ions in them. Drinkable water normally ranges from 7 - 8 pH. Our grey water measured at around 8 pH. If water is too acidic or too basic it can be very problematic for a filtration or grey water system. Water that is acidic can react with pipes and leach metals from them which is very dangerous for household use. This is why our system uses PVC pipes that don't have dangerous chemicals.
Testing Conducted:
We conducted a pH test. The pH of the water is the most important factor in our system so that the pipes are safe. The pH of the grey water that we tested was in the safe range.
Reflection:
Like every project this one was a learning experience for me. Over the course of this project I had some high points and low points. At the beginning of the project we used our critical thinking to try to come up with a idea that was simple but unique compared to other ones. While researching did not directly answer the prompt it was a unique interpretation that allowed our group to investigate something that could have a large impact on society. Also, my group and I improved our communication skills through the course of this project. Specifically we made a presentation that we believe is significantly better at communicating our point than in previous projects. However, in this project I still had some weak areas. For instance, my collaboration skills need improvement. In the project Sean and I did most of the work and did not let Peter or Jackson do the work. In the future I plan on letting my group mates help more so that it is a actual "group" project. Additionally, at the beginning of this project our time management was pretty weak. We did not get much done in the first week or so of work time and had to speed up later. These problems were easily preventable and I hope to fix them in the future.