Lake Water Filtration for Excess Algae Removal

Presenter Information

Sarah Green, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Meghann Chiodo, Minnesota State University, MankatoFollow
Rebecca Welch, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Yllka Patoku, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Cassandra Orcutt, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

9-4-2012 10:00 AM

End Date

9-4-2012 11:30 AM

Student's Major

Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Stephen Druschel

Mentor's Department

Mechanical and Civil Engineering

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Description

Last summer, many fresh water lakes began their mornings with the stench of hundreds of dead fish. The cause was an overgrowth of algae in lakes. Bacteria ate the algae and when this happened, oxygen was taken out of the water. When there was too much algae, there was not enough oxygen for the fish, and they died, in large quantities. Unnaturally large amounts of algae in lakes have become a common problem in America. The goal of our project was to create a device that can remove algae quickly and easily, and do so without disturbing each lake’s fragile ecological system, to save our lakes and our fish. Using natural water collected from a pond, we created an environment ideal for algae growth. We used special cloth filters normally used in landscaping, and sent samples of our pond water through a variety of filter types and sizes. We tested each filter to determine which one was most efficient in removing algae. The filters we used were created to be environmentally friendly, so we know the best results of our project will also be the best for protecting the wildlife in our lakes.