Reflection
In retrospect, the thing I wish we could have changed was how much time we wasted on the initial tests. I wish we would have jumped to the testing with the okra flour and salt so that we would have had more time to fine tune that coagulant to be absolutely perfect. The time wasted on the failed prototypes is most certainly my biggest regret throughout the process. I would have also liked to spend more time fine tuning our prototype not only to optimize turbidity reduction, but also to minimize salt usage to minimize the potential briny taste. It also would have been interesting to have spent time observing the total organic carbon reduction and the change in pH of the water before and after coagulation. Looking back, I think that if I had brought dirty water into school and started tests during class and then came back to them after school, I could have completed more tests; however, I could not measure turbidity reduction besides visually looking at it which would not be accurate. If I could start over, I think I would have just invested in a turbidimeter to allow me to do more testing and then I could just try to resale it on ebay. So in summary, I wish I had run many more tests to fine tune our final product.
Another part of the project I wish I could have spent time tweaking was the stirring time. We didn't get to spend a lot of time minimizing this, and it would have been nice if we had because the stirring time is somewhat long and inconvenient. It also would have been nice to run tests using various practical mixers such as a butter churn and our sample mixer so see how different agitation facilitators effect the coagulation.
Another part of the project I wish I could have spent time tweaking was the stirring time. We didn't get to spend a lot of time minimizing this, and it would have been nice if we had because the stirring time is somewhat long and inconvenient. It also would have been nice to run tests using various practical mixers such as a butter churn and our sample mixer so see how different agitation facilitators effect the coagulation.