Bangor Science festival is a organised every year to remember Dr Tom Parry Jones, a former Bangor Uni students' contribution to society (the automatic breathalyser). The festival is part funded by the Dr Tom Parry Jones fund and Pontio (Bangor Uni).
Th model vertical flow constructed wetland, set up in the teaching lab just before the pupils arrived
Eco-Science Day is two days of the festival where students and staff alike volunteer to display their exhibitions to local secondary school children. This year a group of 5 wetland Science students were tasked to produce a Wetland display and exhibition for the children in twenty minute slots. After some background extensive background research and emails to various wetland charities, I found myself at a loss as what for the day, until a chance meeting with Mike West (Constructed Wetland extraordinaire) proved a fruitful encounter as I came out with the prototype for the miniature vertical flow contracted wetland system made form a fariy liquid bottle a piece of plastic tubing. Enthused with the idea I began in earnest to try and up-scale the wetland dosing mechanism which acted like a cistern, automatically re-filling with water when emptied. A frantic blitz of the lab lead to the procurement of the tools needed to bring the concept into action.
The team presenting our posters. Note the carnivorous plants in the foreground which the pupils examined under the microscope.
The wetland basin was made out of a upside-down greenhouse seed irrigator with the usual inlet acting as a control valve on an outlet. The planting medium was sand and gravel with some at the surface collected from various "old" experiments on the Brambell building rooftop. The wetland evolved into a many layered system involving water buts, piping and bamboo canes, needing a stepladder to fill with water and was designed to show the pupils how wetlands can clean water.
Carnivorous plats such as the sundew need to be kept hydrated otherwise their trapping mechanism, the sticky droplets will dry out!!
The wetland was planted with hydrophytic plants Phragmites and yellow flag Iris pseudacorus in order to provide a surface area of nitrifying bacteria. Sphagnum moss was also place at the surface for effect of the gravel for effect. A vertical wetland removes ammonium from drinking water as under aerobic conditions, nitrification occurs converting it to nitrates. The dosed flow allows oxygen to re-enter the pore spaces.
Kits for testing soil pH and conductivity
On the day of the festival, I explained the differences in organic and mineral soils to the pupils and gave out samples of each soil with pH and conductivity testing kits for pupils try them selves. Lab coast and gloves were supplied and were fully needed as the vigorous mixing of soil slurries in less than sturdy cups produced some accidents and very unhappy teenagers covered in peat slurry.
Peat and Ruby, the wetland goldfish also enjoyed their day out!
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