The BioWheel
Summary
The world is a rapidly changing place where we the inhabitants do not pay attention to the
damage done to the ocean. Eutrophication from fertilizer runoff has caused many dead zones around the
world, and the BioWheel is an adequate solution to this pollution problem. The BioWheel is an
improved version of the overlooked systems of algae scrubbers, which utilize microalgae in order to
absorb excess nutrients from the water. The BioWheel is a filtration system designed as a water wheel
that contains farms of microalgae that absorb polluting nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous from
the water. The BioWheel has several advantages over the conventional Algal Turf Scrubbers: it is more
convenient allowing for easy removal of algae, more adhesive thanks to the interlocking weaving of
microfiber mesh, and energy efficient as it is capable of creating its own electricity through the attached
generator. The rotating motion of the BioWheel allows for evenly distributed aeration and exposure to
sunlight as well as allowing passage of aquatic organisms. The BioWheel will be tested through the
emulation of a polluted river, to prove its effectiveness in treating point-source pollution. An aquarium
with powerheads will be the simulated polluted river, along with additives to spike nitrogen, potassium
and phosphorus levels.
Idea
Problem
There has been an increasing amount of awareness of the dangers regarding the degradation of
our water quality and marine ecosystems. Recent efforts have been made to cap carbon emissions and
limit chlorofluorocarbons in order to reduce carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. These efforts were made
because of the immediate danger posed to our everyday lives: the hole in the ozone layer and eventual
global warming seemed much more immediate to the everyday man than any other environmental
problem. However, many overlook the great risk of disasters in the form of ocean bleaching, pollution,
and most importantly, eutrophication. The term refers to the process by which a body of water acquires a
high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates, according to the USGS.
Eutrophication occurs when fertilizer runoff from agricultural farms or industrial waste from factories
contaminate the oceans, rivers, and lakes. Naturally, all bodies of water next to developing civilizations
are at risk. Eutrophication has spread in many parts of the globe and now affects major bodies of water
such as the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico.
When eutrophication occurs, the excess nitrogen and other nutrients are consumed by algae,
which grow to create an algal bloom. The algae in the water die off from overcompetition, and the decay
of the dead algal matter (microbial consumption of dead algae) leads to hypoxic zones (defined by the
lack of oxygen in the water) and eventually dead zones. Dead zones are exactly what they sound like—
they create patches of water that are devoid of life—this leads to economic failure of neighboring
economies that depend on the sea for their food. Louisiana and neighboring states are victims of this
phenomenon. However, this is more of a problem in developing countries such as India, China, or many
South American and African countries. Countries such as India and Niger, all developing countries,
have a high population growth rate, and with high population growth rate comes the demand for
intensive agriculture which leads to excessive use of chemical fertilizers that runoff into the rivers and
oceans. The most effective way to stop eutrophication would be to stop using fertilizers altogether,
However, this is impractical; developing countries put few restrictions on fertilizer uses. This is a
growing problem that needs to be solved: no wants to limit the growth and prosperity of peoples in
developing countries, but no one wants the eutrophication of our oceans and water supply either.
Solution
The best solution would be an invention that reduces eutrophication and also contributes to
development. My solution involves an invention that will implement nature’s way of removing
waterborne pollutants: algae. Algae have existed almost as long as the oceans have and use sunlight and
chemical nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to grow. These chemicals are found in
excess supply as a result of fertilizer pollution. Microalgae especially, such as diatoms, cyanobacteria,
and dinoflagellates, are very effective at removing pollutants from the water as part of their growth.
My solution to the problem is an invention which grows algae to collect pollutants, removes the
algae from the water before they can grow into destructive algal blooms, and harvests energy from the
system in the form of hydroelectric power and algae converted to biofuel.
I call it the BioWheel, a water wheel which hosts microalgae farms on its paddles. The use of
natural microalgae has already been implemented in the aquarium hobby in the form of algae scrubbers,
and as algal turf scrubbers (ATS) near industrial plants. My BioWheel improves on these designs to
create three benefits: convenience, environmental impact, and energy production.
(A) Convenience: The conventional algae turf scrubbers (ATS) on the market today have
several problems of practicality. First, conventional ATS's are designed for huge bodies of water
which make them expensive and too large in scale to implement for different uses. My BioWheel
requires a fraction of the cost, and because of its simplicity of design, allows customizable scale
for different applications in bodies of water of various size. Second, conventional ATS’s make it
difficult to remove algae; for example, one commercially available ATS requires an algae
vacuum harvester, a marine motor vehicle the size of a van. However, my BioWheel allows easy
removal of algae with easy sliding pads which does not require the use of a one-ton waterborne
vehicle. The removable sliding algae
pads can be taken right out of the water
by hand for convenient harvest back at a
plant
or
office.
The
BioWheel’s
convenience will make it the most
practical and inexpensive algal scrubber
in the market today.
(B) Environmental Impact: The BioWheel reduces the human impact on the environment
in many ways. First, the BioWheel’s algae farms reduce pollution through algal absorption of
excess nitrogen and phosphorous from the water, which cleans the water supply.
As an
incidental benefit, mass growth of algae also reduces ocean acidification caused by taking up
excess carbon dioxide which entered the water from excess levels in the atmosphere. Second, the
BioWheel can prevent algal blooms. The algae are held in place by a system of adhesive algae
pads, microfibers of 1 mm thickness interlocking with each other similar to a Velcro design.
These adhesive pads collect free-floating algae. Eventually this pad develops into a thick coat of
periphytons—assortment of algae and cyanobacteria that attach onto surfaces—which will allow
the BioWheel to further collect almost all algae. Once the pads fill up with algae, simply remove
the pads and harvest the algae to prevent a large buildup that leads to a destructive algal bloom.
Third, the rotation of the BioWheel insures that aquatic organisms such as fish will not be
trapped and killed like they are in the static filter design of conventional ATS systems.
(C) Energy Creation: The rotation of the BioWheel produces benefits that non-rotating
conventional algal turf scrubbers do not. First, the rotation of the water wheel aerates the algae
evenly, providing for maximum growth and nutrient intake because microalgae demands even
distribution of sunlight and oxygen among different cells. These large masses of algae, especially
the lipid-rich species of Botryococcus braunii, Dunaliella, and Chlorella, will be harvested to
make biofuel, a usable form of energy. Second, the rotation of the BioWheel provides an
incidental benefit: hydroelectric power. The BioWheel,
while aerating the algae farms, will be able to generate
electricity through connection to a generator. This
makes it very beneficial for the private or governmental
installer as it can be utilized to either power a nearby
factory or to feed energy into the local grid.
Plan
Approach
1. Purchase: The purchase of the necessary materials will mark the first stage of my project. One of
the first things to be purchased will be acrylic panes for the construction of the actual water
wheel. This will be accompanied by the disassembly of the hand crank generator which will be
modified to fit the design of the rotating water wheel. Furthermore, the water test kits, the
different chemicals, and other materials such as the microfiber cloth will be purchased. During
these processes, the nuisance microalgae will be growing in my home aquarium to be ready to be
seeded once the experiment starts.
2. Setup: The setup will consist of three different stages: the building of the water wheel, the
assembly of a mock river which will be emulated by a huge fish tank, and the planting of
microalgae. The water wheel will be made from clear acrylic, with 8 spokes and a central pole
that will be connected to the disassembled hand crank. The mock river will be built using a 100
gallon aquarium: the water will be heated to emulate the average temperature of semi-tropical
oceans (about 22 degrees Celsius) and the powerheads will be installed to mimic the current of
the real ocean and to keep the water wheel flowing. Then once the water wheel is firmly
attached to the rim of the aquarium, the microalgae will be planted on the microfibers on the
sliding mechanisms on the wheel. Last but not least, Potassium nitrate and Trisodium phosphate
will be added to the water to simulate the heightened levels of various pollutants (specifically
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) in the water.
3. Test Run: The test run will require the preliminary testing phase that will insure smooth
experiments. First of all, the powerheads will be tested along with the water wheel to see if the
BioWheel will be able to spin continuously. Secondly, the algae pads will be tested to insure that
no algae drift off of the BioWheel.
4. Experimentation and Evaluation: The official experimentation will start off with the measuring
of the different parameters of the water in the tank. As the BioWheel will be removing nutrients
from the water, the water will be measured for its levels of ammonia (um), nitrite and nitrate
(three primary constituents of all nitrogen-including ions in the water), phosphate, potassium,
along with the additional pH and the specific gravity of the water. Then the algal growth on the
tank will be measured to later be compared to the results of the experiment. Once everything is
measured, the experiment will start. Every 5 days, several things will be recorded: first the water
parameters to test the adequate removal of nutrients, then the growth and algae, and finally the
amount of electricity generated via the BioWheel. When the experiment is over (a span of 1
month), the weight of the algae will be determined and compared to the initial weight.
Resources
The main resources I need for this invention are equipment and a source of engineering
knowledge. For equipment, I plan to use some I already own and purchase some with budget funds. As
for knowledge, I plan to receive help from many sources. My high school’s biology teacher Mr. Nakaue,
who also advises my academic science teams, will be my main mentor. In addition, I plan to receive
help from my chemistry teacher, Mr. Antrim, who advises my science fair projects. Furthermore, I plan
to receive advice from Professor Oh, a mechanical engineering professor at the local California State
University Fullerton whom I am currently a research assistant for.
Goals
1. Reduce the following nutrient levels by the end of the experiment, measured using the water
parameter kits.
Nitrogen
Initial
Goal
100 ppm
5 ppm
Potassium
700 ppm
200 ppm
Phosphorus
20 ppm
undetectable
2. Generate 10W per day, measured using a battery.
3. 500% Algae growth measured using surface area.
Risks

Implementation Risk #1: Conditions are not right for algae growth.
o Solution: test water parameters, and alter if applicable.

Implementation Risk #2: Algae does not remain stuck to adhesive plates.
o Solution: alter algae pad design to make sure the algae adhere.

Implementation Risk #3: Rotation too fast for algae growth but too slow for electrical generation.
o Solution: sacrifice electrical generation to maximize the algae growth.
Timeline
Date range
Documentation
Purchases
2/05/13-2/10/13
Receipt
Setup
2/15/13-2/20/13
Videos and Photographs of working setup
Test Run
2/22/13-2/28/13
Videos and Photographs
photos of algae over a week
Main Phase 3/01/13-5/28/13
Need for Funding
Videos and Photographs
Table of initial N, P, and O2 levels and the charts and
graphs of N, P, O2, and algae surface area.
I’ve thought about this project for a long time, but I could never find a way to pay for the costs
and receive real-world advice for the engineering portions. My high school runs from public funds and
does not provide any of this equipment or any school club funding for marine biology engineering. With
MIT Think’s funding budget, I will finally be able to purchase all the equipment that I need to create the
invention. In terms of expertise, I know I will run into many challenges during implementation. Having
the advice and mentorship of the world-class professors and engineers from MIT will help me succeed
in this challenge. Without your funding or expertise, I would not be able to make a true version of the
BioWheel that I have envisioned.
Projected Budget
Item
Amount Total Cost
Water wheel (Will be made of Acrylic panes)
1
$200
Algae
~
$0
Microfiber Mesh (adhesive for algae population)
~
$50
Acrylic Sliding Plates (removable algae storage)
8
$50
100 Gallon Aquarium (to simulate an ocean or river)
1
$1100
Powerheads (simulate currents)
2
$160
Water Heater (maintain conditions for algae survival) 1
$100
Potassium Nitrate (simulated pollutant)
3 lbs.
$25
Trisodium Phosphate (simulated pollutant)
1.5 lbs.
$25
Water Test Kits (pollution levels)
4
$140
Crank Generator (hydroelectric power)
1
$80
Metal Rod (connecting generator to wheel)
1
$50
Total:
$1980
Personal
Interest:
I first became interested in marine ecosystems when I built my first aquarium for dwarf
seahorses. In my current aquarium, I have a thriving clownfish, yellow watchman goby, and a candy
cane pistol shrimp. I have been fascinated with the aquarium’s marine ecosystem which requires a
delicate balance—of pH
levels, specific gravity of the water, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels,
iron/calcium/phosphate levels, and algae control—to maintain a healthy environment.
Following this interest, I joined Science Ocean Bowl, a national competition in which I have
studied marine biology in order to compete in nerve-wrecking, adrenaline-rushing, and enjoyable
Jeopardy-like contests. I continue to enjoy learning about the ocean, this mysterious vast ecosystem that,
in my opinion, remains a rather untapped body of knowledge.
Last summer, I joined a summer research program at UCSD called The Ocean and the
Environment. I researched Algal Turf Scrubbers, a method of growing algae using photobioreactors to
control algae overgrowth in a body of water by reducing the nutrients available in the water. I wrote a
paper titled “Removal of Excess Nutrients Expelled by Fertilizer Runoff Using Algal Turf Scrubbers
and Anaerobic Denitrifying Bacteria.”
As an entrant into the Orange County science fair competitions, I’ve researched battery
expenditure of audio files including compression formats like MP3. Last year, I researched the growth
of nitrifying bacteria on rocks. My research last summer has fascinated me so much that this year, I’m
entering the science fair with an experiment that researches the effects of eutrophication on invasive
macroalgae.
In my research into eutrophication, I started to wonder what the best methods of controlling
water system pollution from mass-scale farming and industrial factories. Most “solutions” were to
reduce the use of fertilizers or more advocacy, vague cleanup efforts, and advocacy for new
environmental policies. I agree that these solutions would help, but I wondered if there could be a more
direct solution that involved an invention that could clean the water of pollutants and also create
practical incentives for application as well. That’s when I came up with the idea of an invention that
could both clean the water supply and produce energy at the same time.
Qualifications:
My qualifications stem from my extensive involvement in math and science projects. As the
captain of my high school’s Science Olympiad team, I led our members to build a fully functional robot
arm with controls that mimic the intuitive movement of the human arm--the design and the functionality
made sense, and I wondered what it’d be like if all of our devices worked so naturally and intuitively.
From the regional events in which our team won 4th place and from the California state competition in
which our team won 8th place, I learned the limitless potential of robotics in everyday life as well as the
extraordinary amount of ingenuity that goes into functional design.
As the President of our Peer Engineer Club, I entered our team into the Mini Urban Challenge.
There, I built a sensory rover which navigated a model city. I helped design the rover to search for
navigable roads and detected obstacles to avoid. As part of the design, the rover also parked on its own.
I regularly enter the American Math Competition, in which over the years I’ve excelled in
AMC8, AMC10, and AMC12 and received a Certificate of Achievement. Last year, I reached the next
qualifying level which was AIME, and I hope to do so this year as well.
In the High School Math Modeling Contest, I received an opportunity to apply math to the real
world. Last year my group tackled a search problem. Through trigonometry and data analysis, we were
able to come up with an algorithm for the best method of recovering keys lost in a park. This model
allowed us to calculate the optimal path to take, which of course be applied to other search scenarios as
well. This year, we modeled a financial problem: the fluctuations of gas prices. Through our data
analysis in which we used residuals and trendlines, we devised a six-part equation that allowed the
prediction of gas prices at any week in any year (our model predicts that in the next year, May will
present the lowest gas prices).
In terms of simulating functional designs with software, I’ve worked with SolidWorks and
MatLAB. Using SolidWorks, a 3D modeling software program similar to AutoCAD, I created an oven
grill, door knobs, and hinges in 3D graphics. Then, I simulated these objects’ mechanical movements,
their reactions to stress, and their expansions under heat. At an internship with a local mechanical
engineering professor, I’ve also worked with MatLAB.
As for the skills I need in order to succeed in this project, I hope to learn some as part of my
research or to receive help from my high school mentor or a local university mechanical engineering
professor. I hope to learn how to connect the BioWheel to a crank generator to generate electricity from
the flow of water. I will also need to learn which adhesive material would work best for anchoring algae
onto the BioWheel, knowledge I hope to learn during experimentation. Lastly, I hope to learn project
management and budgeting skills to handle the milestones and costs that I will need to meet in order to
succeed at a project of this size.
Personal Benefit
I am definitely sure that I will pursue an engineering major in college. I hope to study
engineering to create inventions that are directly applicable to our current challenges. In particular, I am
intrigued by the design phase of engineering (I’m an avid artist). After an undergraduate degree in
engineering, I may pursue a master’s or PhD to specialize in my area of interest. After my education, I
hope to work on problems that move our country toward renewable energy, and so I am currently
interested in working with government agencies such as the Department of Energy. I will benefit a lot
from this program because this project directly relates to renewable energy and what I plan to pursue in
my studies in the future. Last but certainly not least, I love to spend my time designing and building
machines that innovate in some way, and so this project will be a lot of fun.