Conducting the Experiment

In this experiment we used agar plates that contained samples of tap water (since we do not live close to an ocean) as well as also using water from our prototype. After doing this we placed the agar plates in an incubator for roughly 48 hours. Once we finished this process we were able to see bacteria colonies on the plates (see above) which we then counted for our data.

Conclusion

After testing our UV prototype and comparing it to normal tap water, we found that it had a 54.57% bacteria removal rate (based on the difference in colonies).

Our goal is to reach a 90% bacteria colony removal rate based on colonies by the end of 2024, and a 99.9% removal rate by March 2025, which would be considered safe. We also aim to include a functionality for salt desalination to allow ocean explorers to have safe drinking water from the ocean. Once we have this feature, we will be running tests soon after.

# of Bacteria Colonies