Over the past week, Ami and I have been preparing the sand for our models of the biosand filters (BSF) we're going to make. We wanted to make it as close as we could to what is found in Nicaragua so we ran a sieve analysis to get the correct size & gradation of the sand. We also washed the sand and have been drying it in the sun all week.
To reduce costs, we are trying to use the materials available in the environmental lab here at Santa Clara University. We had planned on using two glass columns (glass is inert and won't react with anything in the water) that we found in the lab. Turns out, they were designed to be used for something completely different than what we were trying to do. I believe they are for chemical purposes because there was a ceramic layer in the column that would not even allow water to go through! The pore sizes must be rather small. We got the OK from our adviser to go ahead and drill through the ceramic part of the glass column so that we can use it for our purposes. I'll throw up some pictures tomorrow when we drill to show you exactly what I'm talking about. It's hard to explain!
Mikell
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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
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
Help us get to Nicaragua!
Hi everyone! Here's the link to our fund-raising page!
You can also do "offline" donations if you would rather not use the website. I will update the number!
Mikell
You can also do "offline" donations if you would rather not use the website. I will update the number!
Mikell
Friday, January 21, 2011
Senior Design Project
Welcome!
My partner and I would like to start the blog by explaining its purpose: to walk you through our senior design project. As civil engineering students at Santa Clara University, we are required to undertake a large-scale senior design project in our area of interest in order to graduate. We are supposed to dedicate 300-400 hours of our senior year to the project...so, it's kind of a big deal. Also, we wanted to allow people to follow our design process and learn a little bit about some of the common problems experienced by the developing world with regards to water sanitation and purification.
Topic: Improving Current Water Filtration Techniques with the use of Granular Activated Charcoal (GAC, also known as Activated Carbon)
Activated Carbon Filters are similar to the Brita/PUR water filters that many people use everyday. For us, they remove many of the secondary contaminants in the water. You know...we want to make it taste or smell better than tap water. However, it can be a powerful tool in the developing world for removing soluble organic compounds (including commonly used pesticides), as well as improving the taste, smell, and clarity of the water. The biggest problem is: how can we make good quality activated carbon without the same types of materials available in the U.S. That is, we need to maintain a high removal efficiency of the carbon and create a charcoal that will last a decent amount of time without having to be replaced relatively often...using matches, barrels, dirt, and raw organic materials. In the United States, activated carbon goes through a multi-step process including controlled starved-oxygen combustion (See pyrolysis), chemical washing and purity testing. In Nicaragua, we just do not have those types of luxuries. Hence the senior design project!
We are working closely with an NPO called blueEnergy Group. They have established a base along the eastern coast of Nicaragua, in a region called Bluefields. We are focusing our design project on the rural communities in the outskirts of Bluefields. Many of the people get their water from local streams, which unfortunately is downstream of large agricultural areas. Pesticides are commonly present and can cause health problems. blueEnergy has installed Biosand filters in many of the homes in the surrounding areas as well as in Bluefields (Learn more about Biosand Filters). They remove many of the biological contaminants in the water such as bacteria and protozoa, as well as much of the large particulate matter in the water. They do not however, remove the pesticides present in the water sources. Chlorination is also a necessary step in purification of the water, but it must be done after being put through the Biosand filter, because it will destroy the effectiveness of the "bio-layer." The villagers in the communities dislike the taste of the water after chlorination and are therefore less likely to use the chlorine tablets they receive. Using an activated carbon filter prior to Biosand filtration would allow the communities to disinfect the water first using chlorination, then passing the chlorinated water through the activated carbon filter which would take out the excess chlorine as well as the pesticides, THEN running the water through the Biosand filter.
Three Step Purification Process:
1. Chlorination/Disinfection: Removes fecal coliforms and other bad bacteria
2. Activated Carbon Filter: Removes Chlorine and Pesticides (as well as other things)
3. Biosand Filtration
After that...Pure Water!!
Anyway, that's our project in a nutshell. More updates/specifics to come. Please feel free to ask questions!
Mikell & Ami
My partner and I would like to start the blog by explaining its purpose: to walk you through our senior design project. As civil engineering students at Santa Clara University, we are required to undertake a large-scale senior design project in our area of interest in order to graduate. We are supposed to dedicate 300-400 hours of our senior year to the project...so, it's kind of a big deal. Also, we wanted to allow people to follow our design process and learn a little bit about some of the common problems experienced by the developing world with regards to water sanitation and purification.
Topic: Improving Current Water Filtration Techniques with the use of Granular Activated Charcoal (GAC, also known as Activated Carbon)
Activated Carbon Filters are similar to the Brita/PUR water filters that many people use everyday. For us, they remove many of the secondary contaminants in the water. You know...we want to make it taste or smell better than tap water. However, it can be a powerful tool in the developing world for removing soluble organic compounds (including commonly used pesticides), as well as improving the taste, smell, and clarity of the water. The biggest problem is: how can we make good quality activated carbon without the same types of materials available in the U.S. That is, we need to maintain a high removal efficiency of the carbon and create a charcoal that will last a decent amount of time without having to be replaced relatively often...using matches, barrels, dirt, and raw organic materials. In the United States, activated carbon goes through a multi-step process including controlled starved-oxygen combustion (See pyrolysis), chemical washing and purity testing. In Nicaragua, we just do not have those types of luxuries. Hence the senior design project!
We are working closely with an NPO called blueEnergy Group. They have established a base along the eastern coast of Nicaragua, in a region called Bluefields. We are focusing our design project on the rural communities in the outskirts of Bluefields. Many of the people get their water from local streams, which unfortunately is downstream of large agricultural areas. Pesticides are commonly present and can cause health problems. blueEnergy has installed Biosand filters in many of the homes in the surrounding areas as well as in Bluefields (Learn more about Biosand Filters). They remove many of the biological contaminants in the water such as bacteria and protozoa, as well as much of the large particulate matter in the water. They do not however, remove the pesticides present in the water sources. Chlorination is also a necessary step in purification of the water, but it must be done after being put through the Biosand filter, because it will destroy the effectiveness of the "bio-layer." The villagers in the communities dislike the taste of the water after chlorination and are therefore less likely to use the chlorine tablets they receive. Using an activated carbon filter prior to Biosand filtration would allow the communities to disinfect the water first using chlorination, then passing the chlorinated water through the activated carbon filter which would take out the excess chlorine as well as the pesticides, THEN running the water through the Biosand filter.
Three Step Purification Process:
1. Chlorination/Disinfection: Removes fecal coliforms and other bad bacteria
2. Activated Carbon Filter: Removes Chlorine and Pesticides (as well as other things)
3. Biosand Filtration
After that...Pure Water!!
Anyway, that's our project in a nutshell. More updates/specifics to come. Please feel free to ask questions!
Mikell & Ami
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