For my prototyping, I wanted to start with prototypes tangentially connected to my final project, then get closer and closer to a direct prototype in the later phases. Because of this, this week’s phase was almost like a case study.
To start with the most underwhelming, for Look/Feel I built a little cardboard and office supply model of how I imagine the final project would be laid out.
You can see the drum and windmill on the right, minus a drive belt connecting the two. On the left, the little section of tubing represents the biofilter, which I didnt think would be super helpful to recreate on the small scale. The tray everything is sitting on is the “pond” where water will be stored. As the drum turns (covered in cloth) it will pick up water, then the wind/sun gets rid of it.
For the technical prototype, I did some research on what exactly needs to be cleaned up from the average greywater, in this case, dishwater. I found that the main contaminants were particulate, ammonia and an increase in ph. I also found that I can use Sphagnum Moss, an acidic marsh moss, to correct ph. My only issue is that I was using an aquarium testing kit, so it’s possible I’m missing something harmful to people but doesn’t hurt fish.
Low Range Ph Test
In the end, my dishwater sample had the following results:
For Role, I wanted to dip my foot in the water(lol) of bio filters. To do this, I followed the below YouTube tutorial and built an aquarium biofilter that I can hopefully use as a starter for the final project’s filter.
The filter consists of a milk jug, with the bottom 2 or 3 inches filled with sand, sphagnum moss and high surface area aquarium material.
This prototype is currently running in my kitchen, but it can take a few weeks for the culture to take good root, so I’ll have to wait and see the results down the road.