PmWiki | EnvBio / AmberTaylorAllisonDanielaFinal

Ask about size of holes in screen!!!

Ask about how much 10g of microbes is!!!

Primary Treatment: Removal of Large Solids

I definitely think we should have a settling tank to start with. I think we should use a soda bottle because it is the cheapest and easiest to cut. I think we should not let all of the liquids pass through-only about 4/5- so as little sludge as possible passes through. We can put a tube with a stopper right around the 4/5 height to get the water out. Then I think it should be filtered through several layers into one container. Maybe a screen with gravel on top and a coffee filter with sand on top? ~Amber

Is the soda bottle going to be closed, or are we going to cut the end off? What I'm thinking is having it flipped upside down with the top,(originally the bottom), cut off so the wastewater is exposed to air. I like the idea about having a stopper around the 4/5 height though, that way we aren't getting a lot of junk. ~Allison

I think that sounds good. We could also use sand to trap unwanted materials (after the filtering) Daniela

With in the first bottle I was thinking that we could have different layers of the different filtering methods we will be using so that by the time the water has gone through the entire first bottle, the filtration is completly done. Daniela

Secondary Treatment: Removal of Organic Wastes

Aeration with microbes! I don't know if we should use a bucket or a bottle-I would say bucket because it has a larger surface area. It'll probably have to sit there for at least two days. ~Amber

About the microbes....an article that I was reading mention trickling the water over a bed of rocks covered with microbes. I personally think that this would add a "nice touch" to our project and make it look nice, especially if the rocks are colorful and such....but seriously though, is this an option? ~Allison

P.S. I like the idea of aerating the water. I also read something about using sand during secondary treatment. You can never have too many filters is my motto!

I was thinking mabey we could use one of those fish tank bubblers because that would add oxygen to the water very quickly(and help circulate the water). Daniela

Tertiary Treatment: Nitrate/Ammonia/Phosphate Reduction

I think duckweed is our best bet for phosphorous-it'll have to sit for a few days too. I know alum treats phosphorous but I'm not sure how or what chemical compounds will be left over. Activated charcoal is fantastic for removing ammonia. If we put some between two coffee filters we'll get a filter just like in my fish tank. The only thing is, in my tank the water passes through it constantly so we may need to filter it a few times. ~Amber

Other comments

I think this is great. We should all come up with a design so that we can rate each design and decide which we will use. Daniela

Yeah pretty good stuff Amber. We should make it all going down as the cycle continues so gravity will power it. One other thing, I was thinking about maybe using one of those aerators as a sort of pump to make the water get aerated and refiltered at the same time using the filter idea that you had.However, we need to look at the cost sheet to see if there may be a cheaper way. The rubric says that the winner will be the most treatment for your money.

~Taylor

Contact

Name	Email	Screen Name
Daniela	dancinda@yahoo.com	brasilgirl1022
Allison	allison.redsoxfan@gmail.com	justcamping10
Amber	-------	-------
Taylor	-------	-------