Engineering Methods for Biosystems Engineering

The final project in this class was to create a water filter only from "found materials." In this project, our goal was to design and build a water filter that could reduce turbidity to less than 10 NTUs using only materials that were easily obtainable or recycled. 

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Through our research, we knew what our basic design would include, but deciding the right proportions and arrangement of materials took a significant amount of trial and error. Each design that we tested contained some or all of the following elements: a gallon jug, an underdrain, sand, gravel, cotton balls, a t-shirt, and coffee filters. We originally believed that having thicker layers of sand and gravel would produce the best results, but we learned that this was a tradeoff between filtration quality and flow rate. During our testing, we struggled to find a solution that would balance both effectiveness and efficiency. To improve performance, we adjusted the order and density of the filter layers and compared the results of each trial to guide future improvements. 

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This project helped me develop a stronger understanding of the engineering process, especially in the value of iteration and adapting plans based on testing, rather than relying on the first design. It also strengthened my confidence and skill level in problem-solving, 3D renderings, and technical writing. Overall, I learned that successful engineering depends on continuously testing, adjusting. and improving a design rather than expecting the first solution to be the best one.