This project consisted of working with a group of aspiring engineers to create a filtration system for a wastewater treatment plant located in the Philippines. They need a filter that can remove all contaminants specifically algae from their wastewater as it is poisoning nearby livestock leading to death.
Each team member contributed to developing the filtration models, calculating porosity for ideal filtration, selecting materials to create the best media for the filtration, and conducting Eco Audits to assess the product's carbon footprint.
This project lasted from January 10th, 2025, until February 14th, 2025
Our team was tasked to create a filter that would not only filter out what is needed by the client in the Philippines but also follow and meet the required regulations of the country, so that not only is the water suitable for the environment but also for the country.
Our group!
The teams work on this project was essentially creating a product and the entire plan, marketing it to allow for it to eventually be built upon.
The group began by working through mentioning what every member was good at and mentioning which roles each member would like to pursue in this group.
Following this the group created an objective tree to decide the important aspects of what this filter needed to accomplish, as well as its constraints.
Initial Sketch Depiciting a Pot Lid with a hoe for a Spatula
Following this the group created a list of means and functions while also researching for regulations within the Philippines to get an understanding on what the target cleanliness of the water needs to be as well as any other regulations needed.
| Functions | Means | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remove Contaminants | Ozone Filtration Ozone (O3) can break down cyanobacteria cells and neutralize the toxins in the water | Micro strainers. Creating physical filtration systems with small pore like holes which specifically catch the cyanobacteria sized bacteria. | Using chemicals like hydrogen peroxide within the filtration process to remove | Electrocoagulation and electro flotation (ECF) |
| Regulate Flow | Pumps | Check valve (one way valve controlling contaminants) | Pressure of water running through the filter | The width of the hole the water is going through |
| Detecting cyanobacteria levels | Fluorescence sensors | Ultraviolet/photodiode array detectors (UV/PDA). Able to identify different specimens by comparing their UV spectra and retention times. | Water test kit | Remote sensing. Using satellite remote sensing to track and access the cyanobacterial blooms frequency. |
| Prevents the proliferation of the toxic cyanobacteria levels | Limiting sunlight exposure | Low water temperature | Consistent and effective filters through quality material selection and maintenance processes. | The process produces chlorine gases which can help to disinfect the water in the long run |
After this we did MPI calculations based on our objectives and constraints in order to decipher which materials would be most suitable to be used for the media material for the filter.
| Objective | MPI-stiffness | MPI-strength | Justification for this objective | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Minimize carbon footprint from production | E^(1/3)/ρ⋅CO2 | σ^(1/2)/ρ⋅CO2 | The filter is created to remove algae infected water in the Philippines to ensure the livestock in the area can ingest healthy, clean water. The filter is being used to create an environmentally sustainable conditions, it would be important that the filter itself isn’t contributing to increasing the carbon footprint in the area, it shouldn’t contradict its goal. Another important fact would include it being sustainable in general considering the society we live in. The environmental impacts of innovations need to be addressed more than ever because of our worlds rapidly increasing carbon footprint. |
| Secondary | Minimize Cost | E^(1/3)/ρ⋅Cm | σ^(1/2)/ρ⋅Cm | The filter must maintain a low cost to ensure the filter affordable in the long-term. Minimizing cost also allows those with limited resources to benefit from the technology. Additionally, low costs attract investors to fund the technology. In case of malfunctions in the future, a low cost will ensure replacement is straight forward and repairs are obtainable. |
| Constraint | Waterproof (Fresh and salt water) | N/A | N/A | -The filter needs to operate underwater while also being long-lasting. - Fresh water vs. Salt water is not specified which is why the limit accounts for to eventually allow the filter to be applied in various locations. |
| Constraint | Recyclable (Recycle and functional recycle) | N/A | N/A | - The filter needs to be recyclable to ensure low emissions and to ensure -It also ensures that it will minimize pollution as the filter will be made from a sustainable material that can be properly disposed of when it’s near the end of its shelf life |
Each group member then created an Ashby chart based on the equations created and used them to choose the top 5 materials for each objective. We then came to a consensus using a simple decision matrix, which materials were in contention and ranked each one.
| Material 1: Coir Fiber | Material 2: Ceramic Foam | Material 3: Brick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Long Lasting | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Filtration Efficiency | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Maintenance | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| TOTAL | 16 | 17 | 10 |
We then decided to use the specific MPI equation for Youngs Modulus/ Density*CO2 as we believed that this equation would be the most suited for our situation, one that required for the environment to be cleaned up and helped. This helped us decide on our final material chosen which would be ceramic foam. We then used this to do porosity calculations and derive the amount of porosity best suited for our filter.
| Number of Pores | V singular pore= pidimeter of filter pore radius ^2 V singular pore =(0.910^-6)^2(0.00725)pi V Singular pore = 3.8210-13m =(1.8449x10^-14) V filter= pir2h V filter= pi(.00725/2)^2*.015 V filter = 6.19x 10-6 m V filter/V pore =16,216,775 (Max) (355,648,200) Based on calculations and graphing final decisions is to use 10,000,000 pores (207,094,949) |
|---|---|
| Pore Size (m) | Due to the contaminant size being 1-100 μm, the filter will make sure the cyanobacteria cannot pass through; thus, we went with a number less than 1 μm which is 0.9*10-6m (radius) |
Finally, we did an Eco Audit on the filters manufacturing, use, end of life potential, and how it would be disposed which all pointed to ceramic foam to be the best filter media. The porosity calculations, Eco Audit, the specific environmental challenges led us to create a filter using ceramic foam as the media.
As for personal contributions, my major contributions were specifically within porosity calculations and Eco Audits.
This project was mainly completed as a team, but I branched out roughly halfway through to be able to focus on calculations allowing the team to focus on generating reports for submission.
Porosity Calculations
I then used this to replot our index line for our chosen equation on the respective Ashby chart. Mapping out a perfect fit for the number of pores for our material.
Ashby Chart
Following this I performed an Eco Audit on ceramic foam, creating a detailed route allowing for all aspects of its transportation to be mapped and accounted for.
Eco Audit Graph for Ceramic Foam
Eco Audit Table for Ceramic Foam
Image Sources
[1]“Edit image, resize image, crop pictures and appply effect to your images.,” images.game-consoles.shop, 2025. https://images.game-consoles.shop/april.html
[2]Lauren, “What Are Germs & How to Stop Spreading Them -,”
, Feb. 27, 2013. https://healthscopemag.com/health/germs/ (accessed Apr. 09, 2025).
Final Design Report!