BREAKTHROUGHS

1.        Solar Power Battery Availability:  
• Using solar energy allows water purification to be renewable, and accessible to people without electrical infrastructure  
• We are using a solar battery because the sun is not always reliable, and would need extra energy stored for a “rainy day”  
• We will require advancment in solar batteries because we need affordable, chargeable energy that is eco-friendly
• We believe that as the world works to solve global warming, newer renewable energies will become available and less expensive  
2.       Ideonella Sakaiensis Advancment:  
• We will use Ideonella sakaiensis because it is a microbe that eats microplastics  
• Destroying the micro plastics within the water allows the waste to be used a fertilizer without harming microbial communities  
• There must be an advancment in Ideonella sakaiensis that makes is work faster because studies have shown that it can be slow in the degrading of plastics  
• We believe that breakthroughs will occur based on how useful Ideonella sakaiensis, but haven’t yet occurred because of how recently it was discovered  
3.        Natural Coagulants:  
• We require a sustainable natural coagulant that is available to people in rural areas
• Breakthroughs are needed because most of the use of coagulants has been of chemical coagulants, rather than organic coagulants  
• We intend to use Polyamine and PolyDADMAC as our coagulants, but it is necessary that they advance as PolyDADMAC reacts to chlorine creating a biproduct that causes cancer in humans and animals