Evidence of Work
For this project, I worked with Jackson, Peter, and Heston. Our task was to come up with a way to either save water or purify it, and then make a water table to present our solution to judges. My group and I chose to investigate ways to make use of grey water. Grey water is lightly used household water that comes from your dishwasher, sinks, and showers. This water is often wasted despite still being able to be used. We wanted to show how grey water could be used in toilets.
At the end of our project, we had a presentation that detailed the chemistry of grey water, why it could and should be put to use, and some prototype blueprints. Our presentation went decently, but we could have focused more on the chemistry aspect of the project.
For this project, I worked with Jackson, Peter, and Heston. Our task was to come up with a way to either save water or purify it, and then make a water table to present our solution to judges. My group and I chose to investigate ways to make use of grey water. Grey water is lightly used household water that comes from your dishwasher, sinks, and showers. This water is often wasted despite still being able to be used. We wanted to show how grey water could be used in toilets.
At the end of our project, we had a presentation that detailed the chemistry of grey water, why it could and should be put to use, and some prototype blueprints. Our presentation went decently, but we could have focused more on the chemistry aspect of the project.
Content
Grey Water: Grey water is lightly used household water that comes from showers, sinks, washing machines, and other household systems. We wanted to reuse grey water because it is a waste to let it go. However, sometimes household pipes will degrade due to the varying pH of grey water.
Solution: In chemistry a solution is a mixture of two substances together regardless of the phase of the substances. Grey water is a solution because multiple substances and compounds are dissolved in water.
Ionic Solution: An ionic solution is a solution involving ions. Salt (Sodium chloride) in water (H2O) is a common example of an ionic solution because the positive and negative charge in the water attracts the charged sodium while pushing the chloride away. This is a process 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: Solute is what dissolves in the solvent in a solution. Laundry detergent dissolves in the water, creating a solution.
Solvent: Solvents dissolve solutes to create solutions. Lemon juice is the solvent in which sugar dissolves to create the solution we know as lemonade.
pH: The pH scale is a scale of the basicity and the acidity of something. The scale is log-based, which means that steps up the scale vary exponentially from one another. For example, if one sample of water has a pH of 6 and another has a pH of 7, the the water with pH 7 is 10x as acidic as the pH 6. More acidic solutions have more hydrogen ions in them. Tap 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, like in Flint, Michigan. Our system involves PVC pipes, so they wouldn't react with grey water of any pH.
Reflection
This project was a bit of a struggle for me personally. My group and I were behind almost from the start because we couldn't decide what we wanted to do for our water table. Everyone wanted different things, and our arguments took up project work time. This is an example of poor collaboration. For the next project, I need to be more willing to compromise and accept the ideas of my group mates. Another thing I need to work on next project is my work ethic. This project offered a lot of freedom, which I had a tough time working with. I often found myself off task, wasting time. This was a big issue because this project came down to the wire for us and I felt we could have done better. Next project I need to lock in and remember that the project comes first.
Of course, there were positives. Although our solution technically already existed, I did not know this coming in to the project and I thought of the idea to use grey water in toilets myself. I felt that this was a good example of creativity. I want to bring this to my next project so I can continue to bring new ideas and solutions. Critical thinking was another strength for my group and I. We faced multiple problems such as the acidity of grey water wearing down pipes and grey water not being able to sit still in a tank for 24 hours. I came up with the idea to have our tank drain on a timer so that the grey water would never have a chance to grow bacteria. Next project, I hope I can continue to think critically to help my group.
Grey Water: Grey water is lightly used household water that comes from showers, sinks, washing machines, and other household systems. We wanted to reuse grey water because it is a waste to let it go. However, sometimes household pipes will degrade due to the varying pH of grey water.
Solution: In chemistry a solution is a mixture of two substances together regardless of the phase of the substances. Grey water is a solution because multiple substances and compounds are dissolved in water.
Ionic Solution: An ionic solution is a solution involving ions. Salt (Sodium chloride) in water (H2O) is a common example of an ionic solution because the positive and negative charge in the water attracts the charged sodium while pushing the chloride away. This is a process 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: Solute is what dissolves in the solvent in a solution. Laundry detergent dissolves in the water, creating a solution.
Solvent: Solvents dissolve solutes to create solutions. Lemon juice is the solvent in which sugar dissolves to create the solution we know as lemonade.
pH: The pH scale is a scale of the basicity and the acidity of something. The scale is log-based, which means that steps up the scale vary exponentially from one another. For example, if one sample of water has a pH of 6 and another has a pH of 7, the the water with pH 7 is 10x as acidic as the pH 6. More acidic solutions have more hydrogen ions in them. Tap 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, like in Flint, Michigan. Our system involves PVC pipes, so they wouldn't react with grey water of any pH.
Reflection
This project was a bit of a struggle for me personally. My group and I were behind almost from the start because we couldn't decide what we wanted to do for our water table. Everyone wanted different things, and our arguments took up project work time. This is an example of poor collaboration. For the next project, I need to be more willing to compromise and accept the ideas of my group mates. Another thing I need to work on next project is my work ethic. This project offered a lot of freedom, which I had a tough time working with. I often found myself off task, wasting time. This was a big issue because this project came down to the wire for us and I felt we could have done better. Next project I need to lock in and remember that the project comes first.
Of course, there were positives. Although our solution technically already existed, I did not know this coming in to the project and I thought of the idea to use grey water in toilets myself. I felt that this was a good example of creativity. I want to bring this to my next project so I can continue to bring new ideas and solutions. Critical thinking was another strength for my group and I. We faced multiple problems such as the acidity of grey water wearing down pipes and grey water not being able to sit still in a tank for 24 hours. I came up with the idea to have our tank drain on a timer so that the grey water would never have a chance to grow bacteria. Next project, I hope I can continue to think critically to help my group.