Water Filter Challenge

juliee2019

                                                Define:

Our problem was that we had to design a filter that would filter the waste water we were given so that it would be suitable for life in the Pitt River. We had to do this with the materials provided and we had to clean the water by filtration, meaning we weren’t allowed to boil the waste water or use any other techniques. We also had to construct our filter in the space of a 2 liter pop bottle.

Discover:

I used the sites below to learn more and add context to our problem. The first source gave me information about how agricultural runoff can be polluted. This was helpful because it gave me an idea of what could be in our waste water that we must find a way to filter out.From this site I determined that there could be sedimentation, pesticides and excess nutrients in the waste water. The second site provided information on how sand and gravel filters can work. This was helpful because sand and gravel were both on our list of supplies. The third site informed me how to remove chemical pollutants, specifically ammonia. At first this site didn’t seem helpful as the ways to remove chemicals it provided did not work with our list of materials, but it gave me ideas of how to improve my filter if I didn’t have restrictions.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/ag_runoff_fact_sheet.pdf 

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wastewater/FLASH_OMS_WSHH_Guidance_note4_20100729_17092010.pdf 

http://www.purewateroccasional.net/wtiammonia.html

Dream:

Our final design for our filter

My group came up with a few ideas of how we could solve our problem. We first came up with an idea of what materials we wanted to include in our filter. The first material we all agreed we wanted was to use activated carbon. We also had the idea to put a sponge in the spout of the pop bottle. My group decided we wanted to put the objects in our filter from coarsest to finest, so that as the water moved down the materials would get smaller and smaller. Our group was afraid that the sponge might come out of the spout because of the weight of the materials above it, so we used a cheesecloth to secure it in place. Our first prototype, from top to bottom, consisted of gravel, polyester floss, sand, activated carbon, filter paper, sponge and cheesecloth. Later on in the process we changed the gravel to lucite beads, and added cotton balls at the top. Our final design, from top to bottom, was cotton balls, lucite beads, polyester floss, sand, activated carbon, filter paper, sponge and cheesecloth

Deliver:

Using our final design from our brainstorming, we constructed our filter with the materials provided from our teacher. Our teacher also provided us with a sample of waste water.

Water before filtration

Before filtration the waste water sample had the consistency of water. It was a murky yellow mixture containing what appeared to be dirt. The waste water smelled of vinegar and ammonia. It was also acidic and had a pH of 4.

 

 

Water being filtered

When we filtered the waste water we noticed that dirt and large debris were being filtered by the cotton balls. The water that came out of our filter was clear.

Water after filtration

 

 

 

After we filtered it the water was clear although it was slightly cloudy. The water still smelled like vinegar and ammonia. The waters pH did not change and was a pH of 4.  

 

Debrief:

Areas of success:

I think our filter was quite successful when you take all the factors and limited materials into place. Our filter removed all of the dirt and debris in our waste water. Our filter was also able to remove the yellow colour and the majority of the murkiness. I think the colour and murkiness was caused by fine particulate matter, commonly known as sediment.

Challenges encountered:

While we were successful in some areas there were some things that our filter was not able to remove. Our filter was unable to remove the odor of the wastewater. Our filter was also unable to remove chemicals because of the fact that it was a mechanical filter and not a chemical filter. We were also unable to change the pH level. I also think that any pathogens in our waste water would not have been removed.

 

Ways to improve:

Through the research and observations I have made, I think we could make the following improvements to our filter. I think that the smell of the waste water was caused by ammonia. Although my group was unable to test for this, ammonia is commonly found in agricultural runoff. Ammonia cannot be removed by any of the materials we were provided with, however, ammonia can be removed by chlorination. If I were to create a new version of my filter, I would add chlorine tablets between the polyester floss and the sand. The chlorine tablets would remove the ammonia, and the resulting product would be filtered out by the activated carbon. I would also add more activated carbon in my filter as we were limited by the amount of supplies we had in class.

Chemical Change Lab

juliee2019

Purpose: To find what substances are produced in a chemical reaction.

Procedure: Refer to 3-3C Observing changes in matter

Changes made include: 

Reactants Strontium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate

Flame Test uses solid powders on innoculation loop

Amount of Strontium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate changed from 25ml to 10ml

Data and Observations:

Observations:

Strontium Chloride: Clear, liquid

Sodium Carbonate: Clear, liquid

Observations of Changes:

When the liquids were combined they became an opaque liquid. When we put the liquid through a filter we were left with a white powder in the filter and a clear liquid.

Flame Test Results:

Sodium Carbonate: The flame turned orange

Strontium Chloride: The flame turned red

Product of reaction: The flame turned orange

Analysis:

When we mixed the two liquids it caused a chemical change. The chemical change caused Strontium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate to change into Sodium Chloride and Strontium Carbonate.

 

Conclusion:

  Using my results I can determine that the substances that were produced from the chemical change are Sodium Chloride and Strontium Carbonate. When we filtered the two substances, the Sodium Chloride was a solid powder, while the Strontium Carbonate was the liquid. I can determine this from the results of the flame test. The flame test results show that sodium turns flames orange and strontium turns flames red. When we put the solid powder in our filter through the flame the flame turned orange. This means that the powder is sodium chloride and the liquid is strontium carbonate.

Short video of solution being filtered

TOKTW 2019

juliee2019

Name of your host: Mark Einarson

Relationship to you: Father

The Interview: (ask your host these questions)

What is your job title?

Sr. Product Manager at Commercial Trucks

What is your job description?

Develops products by identifying potential products; conducting market research; generating product requirements; determining specifications, production timetables, pricing, and time-integrated plans for product introduction; developing marketing strategies

What are the duties and/or tasks you perform at your job?

– Train and Mange Salespeople

– Build strategy / Technical support for Sales team

– Set Production Configuration and standardize products

– Introduce new products and manage pricing strategy

What qualifications do you have for this job in the following areas:

a) training?

– Industry courses

b) education?

– BCIT Mechanical Manufacturing

c) experience?

– 20 Years of Distribution Sales and Management

d) skills and attributes (personal qualities)?

– Organization

– Communication

– Relationship building

– Technical Knowledge

– Negotiation

  1. What are some of the things you like about the job?

– Something new and different to learn about every day

  1. What are some of the things you dislike about this job?

– Sometimes stressful when dealing with deadlines and customers

  1. How do you anticipate this job changing in the next 5 years or so?

– The integration of electric trucks will be challenging

– Transitioning from a regional to a national sales force

Student Reflections:

Give three reasons why you would like this job (be specific):

a) Interaction with other employees

b) I found it interesting to price out the equipment using excel

c) I enjoyed creating instruction documents with Adobe Acrobat

Give three reasons why you would not like this job (be specific):

a) Early commute to work

b) I am not sure I would enjoy talking on the phone with frustrated people

c) There seemed to be a lot of Math involved

Is this job for you? Why or why not?

While I found this job interesting I am maybe not as interested in trucks as my Dad.

  1. Explain the value of the TOKTW experience in relation to your ideas about your post secondary (after high school) plans (education?, training?, travel?, work?

TOKTW day is very valuable because it exposes students to a working environment. It also allows students to get a better grasp on things such as daily commutes, deadlines and time management are important. TOKTW day is helpful to show students how employees interact with each other and how there are many different jobs that people must do.

Climate/Infofluency Blog

juliee2019

What can townhouse residents do to relieve the impact of climate change?

Sub questions:

What are the benefits of living in a town house?

What makes town homes different from other types of housing?

How does recycling help the environment?

What causes Climate Change?

How can we reduce climate change?

Why do solar panels help the environment?

What is the definition of a town house?

What is a rain barrel?

How do rain barrels help the environment?

How do solar panels work?

How does carpooling help the environment?

How does composting work?

How does composting help the environment?

Are town houses more energy efficient than single family homes?

 

Solution 1 – Recycling, Composting and Rain Barrels

One of the ways to reduce the impacts of climate change within a townhouse complex is to set up recycling, compost and rain barrels throughout the complex. Recycling can be done very easily as the townhouse complex would simply have to distribute recycling bins. Then organize for a recycling waste management company to properly recycle the recyclable items. Recycling helps the environment by causing less waste to end up in landfills. Landfills produce methane gas, and according to statistics Canada, 25% of our methane gas emissions are caused by landfills. Recycling can also reduce deforestation. This is because recycling means that we need to use less raw materials. Instead of cutting down more trees to make substances such as cardboard and paper, we can use recycled paper and cardboard, saving trees from being cut down. Recycling is also cheaper than using new materials so we save money. Also, lots of energy is required for making substances out of raw materials, so by recycling we can save energy. By recycling we can also preserve resources for the future, that way future generations still have raw materials. Another way townhouses can reduce the impact of climate change is by setting up compost bins. This is easy to do because rather than each household having there own individual compost bin, townhomes can have shared compost bins throughout the complex. The compost bins can then be used for fertilizing, making the soil in gardens more healthy. Soil also holds carbon dioxide, so by composting you are also helping the soil absorb carbon dioxide. Townhouses can also reduce the impacts of climate change by installing rain barrels. Rain barrels collect water out of your drain spout and typically hold about 190 liters of water, although they can be smaller or bigger. Rain barrels help reduce the effects of climate change by reducing polluted runoff ending up in streams and oceans. It also conserves water, because the rainwater caught in rain barrels can be used for gardening and washing your car. That means that instead of using treated drinking water you can use rain water, which conserves water and helps the environment. Town house complexes can fit rain barrels to drain spouts, and the water collected can be shared with the community or saved for personal use.

Solution 2 – Solar Panels

Another way to reduce the impacts of climate change within a townhouse complex is to install solar panels. Solar panels work by converting energy form the sun into electricity. They do this by photons knocking electrons free from atoms, which causes electricity. It would be easier for townhouses to switch to solar energy compared to single family homes. This is because townhomes have shared roof space so you would be able to have large solar panels powering two or possibly three homes compared to each house having its own individual solar panels. Solar panels help the environment by using the suns energy instead of fossil fuels, this means there is less demand for fossil fuels, so less fossil fuels get burned. Solar energy is a clean energy, which means it does not pollute so it is a good way to be environmentally friendly. One condo in Victoria switched to solar power, and has fitted 60 solar panels onto its roof. According to Bruce Mackenzie, president of the strata counsel for the condo, the solar panels will reduce electricity bills because they feed into the strata’s electrical panel. This shows that it is possible for housing to switch to solar power. I think that solar panels are very practical, especially for a townhouse complex, because shared roofs will make it more cost-effective, and because electricity prices are rising and solar panels costs are falling.

Solution 3 – Carpooling and Other Ways to Conserve

The last way to reduce the impacts of climate change within a townhouse complex would be to carpool and conserve energy. One of the things that makes townhomes different from other housing is because of the fact that they share walls and live close together. Townhouse complexes often know each other and often have to cooperate when it comes to many things, so it is easier to have a closer relationship with neighbors than in a single family home. I think it would be easy to arrange carpooling in townhouse complexes, there could be a bulletin board in a shared space of the community that people could offer rides to work or school. Then a person who wished to have a ride could contact the driver and they could carpool to work. This could also be done in neighborhoods but it would be harder as unlike townhomes, there is no shared space to offer a ride. Carpooling is a simple but good way to conserve fuel and reduce pollution and I think it would be especially efficient in townhouse complexes. Other ways townhouse complexes can conserve energy are switching to LED lights and making sure not to leave lights on while going out. It is also worth pointing out that a benefit of having shared walls is the fact that there is less heat loss. This means that townhomes conserve some energy in heating and have a slightly less heating bill.

Reflection:

1- What questions did you need to research in order to research your topic?

I had to ask lots of questions to research his topic. The first questions I asked myself were about what exactly townhouses were and what separated them from other types of housing, such as single family homes. Then after that I began asking myself questions such as “What is climate change” and “What are some ways to reduce the effects of climate change”. Once I had answered those questions I started to figure out what my solutions would be. I then researched my solutions and lastly thought about how living in a townhome would make the solutions easier or harder.

2 – What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?

I used google to do the majority of my research. this is a familiar tool as I have used it many times. I also used Easy Bib to cite my sources. This is a new tool and I found it easy to use and very helpful because I just had to put ion the website that I used, and then it would show me the citation.

3 – What was the process you used to investigate the topic?

I used the Information Fluency process to investigate the topic. This meant that I had to ask lots of questions, answer my questions, analyze the information and make sure it didn’t contradict any of my other information and asses the process.

4 – How did you verify and cite the information you found?

I verified my information by trying to use reliable sources and comparing information to other information to make sure it made sense. I cited my information using Easy Bib.

5 – How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?

I think the process of completing this challenge went alright. I had a couple challenges finding information and figuring out how to write about my findings, but I persevered and figured everything out. I think  I could have used more of a variety of sources because I mainly used google and I didn’t use many other sources. In the future I would like to try to use more resources such as Destiny.

Sources:

“Recycling in Canada.” EnviroStats: Recycling in Canada, 15 Mar. 2008, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/16-002-x/2007001/article/10174-eng.htm. 

“Recycling Is Important.” Recycling Guide, 14 Feb. 2008, www.recycling-guide.org.uk/importance.html. 

“Easy Climate Change Solutions.” Freshwater Future, 10 Sept. 2015, freshwaterfuture.org/services/publications/freshwater-voices-newsletter-archive/freshwater-voices-2014-series-issue-four/easy-climate-change-solutions/.

Freudenrich, Craig. “How Composting Works.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 2 Apr. 2001, home.howstuffworks.com/composting.htm.

Matasci, Sara. “2019 Health & Environmental Benefits of Solar: EnergySage.” Solar News, EnergySage, 10 Sept. 2019, news.energysage.com/health-environmental-benefits-of-solar-energy/.

“Rain Barrels.” Environment, environment.arlingtonva.us/stormwater-watersheds/stormwater-at-home/rain-barrels/.

“Victoria Condo Powers up with Strata-Initiated Solar Project.” BC Sustainable Energy Association, 17 June 2015, www.bcsea.org/victoria-condo-powers-up-with-strata-initiated-solar-project.

“5 Advantages of Living in a Townhouse.” Caliber Homes – New Homes in Kleinburg, Nobleton, Mississauga & the Greater Toronto Area, 24 Aug. 2016, caliberhomes.ca/blog/5-advantages-of-living-in-a-townhouse/.

Belvalkar, Mrunal. “Why Is Carpooling Good for the Environment.” WheelZine, WheelZine, 19 Mar. 2018, wheelzine.com/why-is-carpooling-good-for-environment.

“How Do Solar Panels Work?” LiveScience, Purch, www.livescience.com/41995-how-do-solar-panels-work.html.

Matasci, Sara. “2019 Health & Environmental Benefits of Solar: EnergySage.” Solar News, EnergySage, 10 Sept. 2019, news.energysage.com/health-environmental-benefits-of-solar-energy/.

“The Causes of Climate Change.” NASA, NASA, 30 Sept. 2019, climate.nasa.gov/causes/.

“How Do We Know That Humans Are the Major Cause of Global Warming?” Union of Concerned Scientists, www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/human-contribution-to-gw-faq.html.

Office of Housing and Construction Standards. “Strata Housing.” Province of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia, 26 Sept. 2017, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing.

“TOWNHOUSE: Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/townhouse.

“Climate Change: The Basics.” Climate Atlas of Canada, climateatlas.ca/climate-change-basics.

Denchak, Melissa. “How You Can Stop Global Warming.” NRDC, 22 Aug. 2019, www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming.

“The Energy Footprint of Apartments, Rowhouses and Houses.” Community Architect, archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-energy-footprint-of-apartments.html.

“Is It Too Late to Prevent Climate Change? – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.” NASA, NASA, climate.nasa.gov/faq/16/is-it-too-late-to-prevent-climate-change/.

“Causes and Effects of Climate Change: National Geographic.” VDYoutube, www.vdyoutube.com/watch?v=G4H1N_yXBiA.

West, Sarah. “Compost: Secret Weapon Against Climate Change?” Nature’s Path, Nature’s Path, 20 Sept. 2018, www.naturespath.com/en-ca/blog/compost-secret-weapon-climate-change/.

Aquatic Field Studies

juliee2019

For our spheres unit, we decided to find out the water quality of the Coquitlam river and the oxbow pond behind our school and compare them. One of the first things we did to compare the river to the pond was measure the temperature both in the water and the air. In order to measure the water temperature, some of my classmates put on chest waders and hold a thermometer in the water for two minutes. This was done in two different sections of the river, two different sections of the pond, once in the air around the river, and once in the air around the pond. After we had measured the temperature, we had to learn how to identify invertebrates and what they can tell us about water quality. We spent several days learning about them, and which species were sensitive to certain conditions. Once we had learned about invertebrates, we were ready to go into the water and find them.  

To find invertebrates in the river, we divided into groups and one person per group got to wear chest waders and go into the water to look for invertebrates, while everyone else waited on shore. The people in the water had to then find a spot in the water to find invertebrates. The method they used for finding invertebrates was to prop a net underwater positioned slightly behind them and then use a scrubber to scrub rocks in front of them in a 30cm by 30cm area. I was not the person in my group that went in the river, so I do not know quite exactly how hard this process was, but I think it would be quite cold as you had to scrub the rocks underwater, meaning your hands would be submerged in the river the entire time. Once the scrubbing of rocks was complete, the net (which had caught all the invertebrates that had been scrubbed of the rocks) was brought to shore and emptied into a bucket filled with water. Each group then identified the invertebrates they had found and released the invertebrates back into the river (except for a few species who couldn’t be identified, which were brought back to our class to view under the microscope). 

In order to find invertebrates in the pond we had to use a different strategy. Since the rivers bottom was made of rocks, we were able to scrub the rocks to find invertebrates, however the ponds bottom is made of mud and dirt, so there are not any rocks to scrub. Instead we had to use our nets to get scrape dirt off the side and bottom of the pond. This process felt less scientific, as instead of scrubbing rocks in a specific area, you were essentially putting small amounts of dirt in your net. but still attempting to stay in a specific area. Once this process was complete the contents of the net were put in the bucket, and you then looked for invertebrates and identified them. 

My group found several different invertebrates. We found four invertebrates, all from the river. Unfortunately, my group was unable to find any invertebrates in the pond. I believe this is because most groups searched for invertebrates in the same area, so by the time our group got there most of the invertebrates had been already found. In the river we found two mayfly larvae, one cranefly larvae, and one dragonfly nymph. Other groups found cadisfly larvae, snails, watermites, and leeches as well as more mayfly larvae. Mayfly larvae, cadisfly larvae and stonefly nymphs are all category one invertebrates, which means they are pollution sensitive and can only live in water with excellent quality. From this information we can determine that the coquitlam river must have very good water quality. 

To find the ponds water quality was more difficult for my group, since we were unable to find any invertebrates. Luckily, the rest of the class had found a variety of different invertebrates, so when the class combined all of our findings, we were still able to determine water quality. There were many invertebrates the class found, such as dragonfly nymphs, sowbugs, watermites, and alderflies. My group then found that there were no category one invertebrates, meaning that the water quality was not good enough for them to survive there. However, there were category two invertebrates, meaning that the water quality was somewhere in the middle range between excellent water quality and poor water quality. 

After this we used water samples we had collected from both the river and the pond to determine the pH of the water. Lastly, using information provided to us by the teacher and data we had collected we found the overall water quality of the coquitlam river and the oxbow pond. Our group calculated that both the oxbow pond (74.14%) and the coquitlam river (82.26%) had overall good water quality. This lines up with what the invertebrates said about the water quality, with the coquitlam river having better water quality than the oxbow pond, but them both having good water quality overall. 

I really enjoyed doing this study on water quality, as I thought it was a good balance of hands on work and learning about different aspects of water. I feel as though I have learned a lot about how important water quality is and what impacts it has on invertebrate life. I wish that we could have learned more about what impacts invertebrates have other life forms, as I find it fascinating to learn about how small things can have big impacts on the environment because of how everything is connected. I also wish that instead of the butterfly nets we used we could have had nets that were designed to go in the water, but I understand that because of school budgets this was not possible. Overall, I learned many things from this water quality study, and I look forward to doing more things like this in the future.