Designing an Activated Carbon Filter to Reduce Water Contamination from Fire Water Runoff

Overview

During many industrial fires, the chemicals released from the incineration of materials inside the building and ones commonly used by firefighters to extinguish the fire are often picked up by water and transported to the nearest storm drain. Fire water runoff (FWR) entering the water supply has been shown to cause significant harm to aquatic ecosystems and human health. The most dangerous of these chemicals are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Exposure to PFAS is linked to reproductive effects, developmental effects, and cancer. Firefighters commonly use aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) to extinguish fires at sites like airports, military bases, chemical plants, and refineries. It is shown to contain PFAS and is in the process of being regulated, but it is still used in many states in the United States, including North Carolina. Due to a significant portion of FWR entering the water supply through storm drains, I am designing a filter, which is a woven cotton sock filled with granular activated carbon (GAC) to adsorb pollutants, including PFAS. It will be designed to quickly deploy around a storm drain during a firefighting emergency for FWR to flow through. My hope is that this project has future applications for use by firefighters to protect our water supply and keep marine life and humans safe from toxic pollutants. Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model for the Effects of Stress on Transgenerational Psychological Disorders Pelagia Martin North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC Generational trauma is generally viewed as a social and psychological issue, but prior research shows that there could be a biological component as well. This experiment observed the link between stress, the presence of depression risk genes, and depression symptoms. Three strains of C. elegans were used, two that express depression risk genes mod-5 and sad-1, and a wildtype. Ethanol was used as a stressor, and the expression of serotonin sensitivity and suicide phenotypes were measured in unstressed and stressed groups of each strain. Phenotypic expression in non-stressed offspring was observed to see if they inherited the phenotypes and behaviors displayed by the parent generation. A positive but non-significant correlation exists between having parents expressing a suicide and serotonin sensitivity phenotype due to ethanol exposure and offspring expressing this same phenotype, especially in groups expressing depression risk genes that were predisposed to showing behaviors associated with major depressive disorder. This research provides a new understanding of the causes and inheritability of major depressive disorder, has applications in the treatment of psychological disorders such as major depressive disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and alcoholism, provides new ideas about predisposition to mental health issues, and suggests there is a biological aspect to generational trauma. Flexible Hybrid PVTTENG: Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric-Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Self-powered Systems and Blue Energy Khang Pham Northside High School, Jacksonville, NC With carbon emissions and energy demands at an all-time high, recovering wasted energy at a low cost has become increasingly significant. Renewable nanogenerators currently being researched include piezoelectric, thermoelectric, triboelectric, photovoltaic, etc. Given the human body’s potential to harvest up to 67 watts of energy, self-powered systems can be integrated into wearable electronics and other implants to remove the need for small batteries. Rather than a material science approach, this study focuses on optimizing a hybrid system that simultaneously harvests energy from different mechanisms. Photovoltaics convert photons into energy relatively effectively but are weather dependent. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) convert temperature differences into energy, however, are known to be relatively inefficient, non-flexible and toxic as most contain dopped bismuth telluride (Bi2T e3). Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) convert mechanical energy into electricity, but they are not continuous. In this study, two effective paper-based hybrid photovoltaic- thermoelectric-triboelectric nanogenerators (PVTTENGs) are fabricated to optimize the advantages of the three energy systems: Photovoltaic effect, Seebeck effect, Electrostatic induction/Triboelectricity. Engineering goals include fabricating a device that is low-cost, non-toxic, printable, and flexible. One method creates a multilayer printable PVTTENG (PEDOT:PSS/Graphite) that achieves all engineering goals. While the other represents a single layer “commercial” PVTTENG with a greater voltage potential. It is concluded that both designs for the PVTTENG are more effective than single-energy systems. Additionally, from the results, it is implied that the multilayer PVTTENG could be more applicable to industrial blue energy applications, while the single layer could be applied to wearable electronics in self powered systems.

Competition history

• JSHS 2023 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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