Introduction
Science and technology have always been motivated by a desire to address social problems. As a result, science would be meaningless if it did not have a relationship with humans. Thus, we sought advice from experts based on the demands of our projects.
Integrated Human Practices
Our main project goal is to develop a bacteria that decomposes textile dyes in wastewater, such as methylene blue. We want to see if our project is ultimately good for the world, and how it may impact the communities in Hong Kong. Through our human practices activities, we can understand more about those, and we can improve our project holistically to better address the real issues that society faces.
Expert Interview
Our team arranged an interview with an expert, Mr Pun Siu Wo, an engineer working in the Drainage Services Department of Hong Kong. To deepen our knowledge about dyes, to get insights and comments, we organized an interview with Mr Pun through online calls.
The interview began with Mr Pun giving us a brief introduction to what the Drainage Services Department does. We then asked Mr Pun whether there are any special treatment methods for dye pollutants. Mr Pun then explains that they mostly filter or treat wastewater of regular households, which rarely has any textile dye in it, so they nearly do not have any special treatment methods. We then discussed with Mr Pun whether our bacteria that decomposes methylene blue has any use in treating wastewater. Mr Pun further explained that despite the Drainage Services Department not necessarily needing this bacteria, most dye factories or dye wastewater treatment plants do need it. All the factories or treatment plants that release dyed water need to have a license from the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong. Methylene blue is a common textile dye used in various dye industries, with the help of this bacteria, methylene blue can be easily dissolved, and the factories not only can keep their license but also spend less resources to treat the dyed wastewater.
