Update

Hi everyone,

Time for an update! It's been a busy past week and a half, but a lot has happened. Ami and I will be making our pilot testing systems this week. We have received information on how the filters are made in Nicaragua, and we are going to mimic them to the best of our ability. Also, we are trying to raise money to fund our trip to Nicaragua! I'll be talking about that as well in a bit.

Project: 

So, I'm going to try and explain this in non-engineering jargon so everyone can understand it. We've run into a little bit of a problem in the past week or so...in our original idea, we would filter water with chlorine first, then through activated carbon, and then through the biosand filter (BSF). However, we began to worry about whether or not the BSF would function properly if the water was "too pure" after going through chlorine and activated carbon first. It's easy to understand if you think about it, BSFs work by developing a biological system inside. Over time, with dirty water going through the filter, "good bacteria" begin to form inside the filter. These bacteria are what destroy all the "bad stuff" in the water. When water is chlorinated and run through activated carbon prior to the BSF, what does the biological system have to eat to stay alive? That is the problem we are working on right now.

We have decided to test 3 different systems:

1. For those who don't have a BSF, we will see what the water looks like after just being chlorinated and run through the activated carbon.

2. For those who DO have a BSF, we will try the original setup: Chlorine, Activated Carbon, then BSF. We will test whether or not the biological system inside the filter can still develop under these conditions.

3. The other setup with those who DO have a BSF: BSF, Chlorine, then Activated Carbon. This way we know the BSF will function properly. The only downside to this is the hassle. A user has to do a three step process, and in Nicaragua, they are more likely to skip some of the steps if it requires too much effort.

We will test the effluent and all these and weigh the benefits and costs of each system.

Fundraising:

Our total project costs approximately $5000. This includes material costs here in Santa Clara for testing purposes, travel to and lodging in Nicaragua, and administrative support for our nonprofit, blueEnergy. We have already received a grant from the School of Engineering here at Santa Clara University for $3500 (no easy task; if I can toot my own horn!), and we are trying to raise the extra $1500. Anything left over we will end up covering ourselves.

When working on projects in the third world, it is imperative to visit the project site to truly understand everything that's going on. Of course we can hear testimonials of those who have been there, but without truly immersing ourselves in their problems and roadblocks (not to mention their wonderful culture), we will never be able to develop a system for these people that will work well in the area, and that they will accept into their daily lives.

We are working with a website that partners with nonprofit organizations to raise money. Money that we raise for blueEnergy through the website will go directly to the cost of staying in Nicaragua with them. blueEnergy has been supporting us with information over the past few months and will provide us with food, safe lodging, and on-site logistical support once in Nicaragua. They are a nonprofit that is definitely worth supporting, but you don't have to think about it like that! Think about how you'll be helping us go on an experience of a lifetime. A trip like this can change our lives! Our fund-raising website is: http://cocofiltro.blogspot.com/. I've also attached a widget on the post below where you can track our progress! I'm new to this blog stuff so that was pretty cool for me!

Please feel free to ask us any questions about the project, the fund-raising... anything! We are excited and we hope to get you excited as well.

Thanks for reading!


Mikell & Ami