ChemPet
By Gabriella Vasquez, Izagani Aquino, and Wesley Fink
Content
Substrates- The reactants of an enzyme-induced reaction that binds to the enzyme. Solution- A mixture of solutes and solvents in an eventual liquid form. Solute- A substance that is dissolved into a solvent. Solvent- A substance that dissolves a solute. Solubility- How well, under certain conditions, a solute dissolves in a solvent. To calculate solubility, the formula is (grams of solute/grams of solvent). Polarity- The phenomenon of different regions of a molecule having different charge. Water is an example of this, with its positively charged hydrogen atoms and a negatively charged oxygen atom. Active Site- An enzyme competent that bonds to substrates in order to kick start a chemical reaction. Enzyme Concentration- The abundance of enzymes within an area where a reaction is taking place. Ionic bonds- Ionic bonds are bonds between cations and anions, where the differing positive and negative charges in both causes a transfer of electrons, leading to their eventual bonding. Molecular bonds- Molecular bonds are bonds between a metal and a nonmetal. Electron pairs are shared between the atoms in the compounds used in this type of chemical bond. Polarity- A type of covalent bond where the electrons between the two parts are not equally shared. This leads to the presence of negatively charged and positively charged ends. PET Plastics- Plastics formed from the resin of polyester bonded together through chemical bonds. Enzymes- Proteins that act as a biological catalysts that speed up the rate at which reactions occur. Ideonella Sakaiensis- A bacteria that breaks down PET plastics, by way of the enzyme PETase, as a source of energy. Bioreactor- A type of tank that uses a chemical solution to dissolve substances. Definitions pulled from dictionary.com |
This project asked for us to take into consideration any type of water related project and engineer a solution related to chemistry. This assignment was aimed at demonstrating how our natural water can be treated with chemistry for our benefit. Our group took a unique turn and created the ChemPet project, which you will learn all about.
ChemPet is a way to battle the world's problem of fatberg buildups in sewer systems, which can cost millions of dollars annually as well as harm the ecosystem with toxic runoff. This is all caused by non-flushables clogging sewer lines which requires man labor to rid of. Our solution starts in the pipes to prevent these clogs from beginning, and ends in the dump with barely any waste. We created a hypothetical plan for Novato through the help of researchers at the Sanitary District. To create this plan, we had to do a ton of researching and brainstorming. We started by deciding that the biggest problem in these fatbergs are non-flushable wipes. We then did extensive research to find a chemical way to break down these wipes, and came across the enzyme PETase. Next, we decided to use a bioreactor to put these enzymes in place. To ensure this would work, we created a hypothetical lab and contacted professionals to see their opinions on our plans. With their help, we found the best placement for these bioreactors, and decided to use layers of mesh to sort the flushables from non-flushables. With all these variables decided, we were able to create the stellar presentation to the left. Reflection
I enjoyed this project quite a lot, due to the independence we were given throughout the whole process and the creativeness of our final product and business plan. Communication was used very well in this project, splitting up work and segments over the weeks as well as during the long presentation. With the amount of individual research we had to do, we made sure to make up for it in communication while brainstorming. Another positive asset was critical thinking. This design took a lot of "outside of the box" thinking to complete, especially since it all had to be hypothetical. This type of thinking is a step in the right direction for establishing stem students apart from the masses. An item that needs work is work ethic. We spent most of our time in the beginning off task, rushing our project together toward the end. We still managed to finish and complete our goals for the product, but there were a few very stressful days at the end. Creating a chart of expectations each day can help with this problem. One other problem I could work on next semester could be my participation in presentation. There tends to always be a dominant speaker in a group, and in this case, I was the opposite of that. I can take on more slides or more important parts of the presentation to help my public speaking role. The following buttons are links to my teammates pages
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