What if a sewage plant could use the wastewater as a fuel source and create pure water?
Vincent A. Zampellispent nearly a year creating microbial fuel cells and running dailytests on his creation to make this possible.
The fuel cells have earned him a handful of awards at engineering and science fairs around the country.
And he hasn't even started college yet.
Zampelli, 18, a 2009 Conrad Weiser graduate from South HeidelbergTownship, says his science fair project has the potential to change theworld.
He said more than a third of the world's population is without cleandrinking water, and his invention offers the promise of an inexpensiveway to purify wastewater and produce electricity.
Zampelli called his project "a novel synthesis of microbial fuel cellson the reduction of chemical oxygen demand in wastewater treatmentplants."
While he won over the judges, the concept was a little confusing forsome of his fellow agricultural science students at Conrad Weiser, hesaid.
"People hear these big words and they lose focus right away, but it'sreally simple," Zampelli said. "It's just a matter of bacteria doingwhat they do."
The project started when he stumbled upon microbial fuel cells while studying nanotechnology.
Former teachers Steve Miller and Raymond Edwards, who have sinceretired, preached the importance of students talking to collegeprofessors about science.
So Zampelli contacted several professors and was invited to theInternational Microbial Fuel Cells symposium in State College last year.
To start, he got a wastewater sample from the Robesonia-WernersvilleMunicipal Authority, built a series of 2.5-by-3.5-inch single-chamberfuel cells and set up a space in the high school ag science area. Heran tests every day to measure the purity of the water.
He hoped to produce 0.2 volt of electricity and remove 70 percent ofthe waste. The cells produced 0.5 volt and removed 90 percent to 95percent of the waste.
With enough fuel cells, that amount of energy could be enough to run a wastewater treatment plant, Zampelli said.
The project won second place in the Reading-Berks Science &Engineering Fair, earning him a spot at the Intel International Scienceand Engineering Fair in Reno, Nev.
At Intel, Zampelli competed against 1,500 of the nation's brightest. Hewon fourth place and $500 in the environmental management division,where about 300 students competed.
He said he enjoyed the caliber and intensity of the competition.
He also submitted his project into U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize, a competition for water-related science projects.
Zampelli won the state competition and a trip to the nationalcompetition in Alaska in June. Zampelli and Weiser teacher Adam Serfasswent to the competition. Their trip was sponsored by the WaterEnvironment Federation.
In Anchorage, the microbial fuel cells competed against 50 other projects. The project finished in the top 10.
While the competitions are over, Zampelli said he won't abandon hisresearch when he enters James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
"I know that there's a lot more to be accomplished with these fuelcells and that hopefully I can be part of it and help the world andmake good money off of it," he said.
Contact Erin Negley: 610-371-5047 or enegley@readingeagle.com.
Posted on July 20th