Well...There Goes Another Engineering Project at McMaster...
A LinkedIn post by Sammy Tourani, . Post 84 of 90, newest first.
Well...There Goes Another Engineering Project at McMaster...
Another engineering project in the books! 📚⚙️ This term, my team and I tackled one of the biggest environmental and public health challenges: antibiotic contamination in wastewater. Specifically, we designed a filtration system for ciprofloxacin removal at a hospital wastewater treatment plant in Byron Bay, Australia. 🌊🏥
The Problem?
Ciprofloxacin, a widely used antibiotic, doesn’t break down easily in water. It seeps into natural ecosystems, accelerates antibiotic resistance 🦠, and poses serious health risks. The existing filtration methods? Not cutting it. Australia’s strict regulations demand ciprofloxacin levels be below 0.4 μg/L, and hospitals need a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable solution.
Our Solution: A Polyester-Based Filtration System
After extensive material selection, eco-audits, and porosity calculations, we landed on polyester as the optimal filtration material.
Here’s why:
✅ Best Cost-Effectiveness – 40% cheaper than alternatives like CFRP. 💰
✅ Sustainability Win – Lowest CO2 footprint, 10x lower than CFRP. 🌱
✅ Performance Approved – Can capture 5–10 μm contaminants while maintaining structural integrity. 💪
✅ Modular & Adaptable – Designed for easy installation, replacement, and maintenance. 🔄
Challenges & Takeaways
From balancing cost, efficiency, and sustainability to making sure our filter meets regulations, this project was a crash course in real-world engineering problem-solving. We had to justify every decision, fine-tune our calculations, and iterate on designs—because in engineering, good enough is never good enough.
The Tech Behind It 🔬
This project wasn’t just about picking the right material—it required data-driven engineering:
🟡 Material Performance Indices (MPIs) – To compare cost, strength, and durability.
🟡 Porosity Calculations – Ensuring the right pore size for effective filtration.
🟡 Eco-Audit Analysis – Evaluating the carbon footprint and sustainability of each material.
🟡 Finite Element Analysis (FEA) – Testing structural integrity under real-world conditions.
What’s Next? 🚀
While our design checks all the boxes, future improvements could include real-time monitoring systems and advanced filtration techniques to boost efficiency even further.
Special Thanks: Carter Geens, Briana Cha, Maia Antolic
For now, another McMaster engineering project down—many more to go! 🔥 #Engineering #McMaster #Sustainability #WastewaterTreatment #STEM #FutureTech #Innovation #EngineeringSolutions #CleanWater
Photos in this post:
- Sammy taking a selfie with his three design project teammates by a window.
- Title slide that reads Ciprofloxacin Water Filtration, with the team's names.
- A materials selection chart plotting Young's modulus against density times price.
- Report cover for Design Project 2, Wastewater Ciprofloxacin Filtration, for ENGINEER 1P13.
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