For this project, we were asked to create some sort of project that filters either waste or drinking water. I, along with my group, decided to create a project that would help people get clean, safe-to-drink water in the event of an emergency. We created the LifeLine® Water Survival Kit, LifeLine Survival® being the name of our company. For this project, I filtered out the riff raff and teamed up with Kaleb Ryan, Kian Namiranian and Jack Mulligan.
The LifeLine® Water Survival Kit
Above is the slideshow presentation that we gave to our STEM class and teacher as well as 3 members of the Novato Rotary Club. The judges were there to evaluate our STEM class's presentation and were a great help in contributing to our knowledge of chemistry.
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My group and I did a lot of research about what we should put in our survival kit. We eventually decided to fill our backpack with Iodine Tablets, a mini water filter, a collapsible bucket, a plastic bag, a water bottle, a pamphlet detailing survival methods, and attach a refillable water bladder to a backpack. We chose to include iodine tablets in our kit because iodine tablets are extremely good at getting rid of bacteria and diseases in water. This is the only product in our bag that does this, so it is very important. We chose to add a portable water filter because it filters out particles and dirt from the water. This is also essential to having safe water. We included the bucket so that water can be collected in large amounts. The water bottle and bladder served similar purposes because they both provide easy ways to drink water, with the water bladder being hands-free. The plastic bag serves an important function because it provides a way to secure water from plants in areas where standing water is unavailable. Finally, we included the pamphlet which is our all-inclusive guide to water in nature. We made a prototype of our kit which can be viewed below. The pamphlet can be read on the doc to the left.
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Tests
This project heavily centered around providing clean, safe-to-drink water for people in an emergency. We felt a great responsibility to make sure the materials we were distributing met our high standards. We tested each method of filtration and were able to sign off on each item. We tested for many things including pH, chlorine, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. To the left are some images of the results of our tests.
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Concepts
Solution: a liquid mixture in which the solute is dissolved into the solvent.
Solute: The component when dissolved into the solvent creates a solution.
Solvent: The component when having a solute dissolved into it creates a solution.
Ionic vs. Molecular: The ionic component of our project was the Iodine Tablets. When the iodine tablets dissolved into our water, the chemical sodium dichloroisocyanurate is released which purifies the water and kills bacteria and disease. The molecular component to this project was the Portable Water Filter. The portable filter has 0.1 micron filtration that filters out 99.99999% of bacteria and protozoa and 100% of micro-plastics. It contains a high number of tiny ‘U’ shaped hollow fiber micro-tubes that trap contaminants while allowing decontaminated water to freely pass through at a high flow rate.
Polarity: a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end.
Solubility: The ability to be dissolved.
Dissolving ions in solution: We dissolved ions in our solution with the iodine tablets.
Bacteria & Virus: The main thing we were trying to get rid of in our water is the disease giardia, which is extremely painful and the most common water-borne disease.
pH: a scale used to specify how acidic or basic a water-based solution is. pH stands for power of Hydrogen.
Drink-ability range: a range in which water can be safely drunk.
Solute: The component when dissolved into the solvent creates a solution.
Solvent: The component when having a solute dissolved into it creates a solution.
Ionic vs. Molecular: The ionic component of our project was the Iodine Tablets. When the iodine tablets dissolved into our water, the chemical sodium dichloroisocyanurate is released which purifies the water and kills bacteria and disease. The molecular component to this project was the Portable Water Filter. The portable filter has 0.1 micron filtration that filters out 99.99999% of bacteria and protozoa and 100% of micro-plastics. It contains a high number of tiny ‘U’ shaped hollow fiber micro-tubes that trap contaminants while allowing decontaminated water to freely pass through at a high flow rate.
Polarity: a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end.
Solubility: The ability to be dissolved.
Dissolving ions in solution: We dissolved ions in our solution with the iodine tablets.
Bacteria & Virus: The main thing we were trying to get rid of in our water is the disease giardia, which is extremely painful and the most common water-borne disease.
pH: a scale used to specify how acidic or basic a water-based solution is. pH stands for power of Hydrogen.
Drink-ability range: a range in which water can be safely drunk.
Reflection
Looking back on the project, it was very educational as well as enjoyable. The building portion of the project went well. We were able to acquire and test all of our materials that were in our survival kit. This part of the project taught me many things. I learned how to use purify water with different methods, I learned how to test water for pH, chlorine, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, and I learned about purification methods for water. However, there were definitely a few bumps in the road. During the middle of the project, a lot of my group did not want to work on the project and were playing games on their Chromebooks or talking with their friends. This caused me to take initiative and intervene. I told my group members the importance of the project and assigned them tasks. But they still wouldn't work! Eventually, after my constant nagging, they got to work. This taught me about leadership. Another peak was the presentation to the Rotary Club. We delivered the presentation successfully, in our opinion. I believe the judges understood what we said and we were able to answer their questions. Our interactive presentation seemed to engage the audience. This part of the project taught me about public speaking and helped me understand professional viewpoints on chemistry and water filtration. Another pit was when we had to get the water bladder for our backpack. The person in charge of bringing the bladder, I won't say who, kept forgetting to bring it. This went on so long that by the time he brought the bladder, it was the day of the presentation! This part of the project taught me about responsibility. There are still things that I think I need to do better though. I feel like I still need to improve on my communication skills. I need to work on conveying my ideas to other people in such a way that I don't come off bossy. The Wat-er We Drinking? project taught me many things and was a fun and educational way to close out the first semester.
Looking back on the project, it was very educational as well as enjoyable. The building portion of the project went well. We were able to acquire and test all of our materials that were in our survival kit. This part of the project taught me many things. I learned how to use purify water with different methods, I learned how to test water for pH, chlorine, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, and I learned about purification methods for water. However, there were definitely a few bumps in the road. During the middle of the project, a lot of my group did not want to work on the project and were playing games on their Chromebooks or talking with their friends. This caused me to take initiative and intervene. I told my group members the importance of the project and assigned them tasks. But they still wouldn't work! Eventually, after my constant nagging, they got to work. This taught me about leadership. Another peak was the presentation to the Rotary Club. We delivered the presentation successfully, in our opinion. I believe the judges understood what we said and we were able to answer their questions. Our interactive presentation seemed to engage the audience. This part of the project taught me about public speaking and helped me understand professional viewpoints on chemistry and water filtration. Another pit was when we had to get the water bladder for our backpack. The person in charge of bringing the bladder, I won't say who, kept forgetting to bring it. This went on so long that by the time he brought the bladder, it was the day of the presentation! This part of the project taught me about responsibility. There are still things that I think I need to do better though. I feel like I still need to improve on my communication skills. I need to work on conveying my ideas to other people in such a way that I don't come off bossy. The Wat-er We Drinking? project taught me many things and was a fun and educational way to close out the first semester.