Shit Happened! So what?

Shit happens! That's the consolatory phrase we say to ourselves after making a mistake. It is also what they say to us, nudging us to move on, to leave the past behind, to focus, or to stay alive. 

TSP: When it catches fire, fire on to catch it.

Of course, shit happened to me in the lab this week. No, I didn't have an acid burn. And yes, it was during an experiment. Once I knew that the samples I had previously prepared might not be enough for instrumental analysis, I decided after suggestions from my mentor to make new and more samples. Like everyone else, I did not like to start again. But sometimes, we only have to keep gazing at the end in mind so we do not slowly and eventually throw in the trowel. After all, it is my PhD not theirs. 

Many want the success but hate the process, and if this is processed how can they make progress?

I had initially prepared two samples of biochar activated with (i) steam and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) (ii) water, calcium chloride and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Having to start again, I pulverized untreated biochar and sieved to 420 μm. I divided the samples into three for modification, instead of two. First mistake. I was lost in thought of something I could not later remember when I added water to all three biochar samples, instead of adding only the contents in (i) and (ii). 

Once I noticed this, the thoughts of "what do I do now?" began dancing around my head. I slowly realized I could adjust the project topic to something like: "Amendment of Soil Polluted with Heavy Metal Matrix using Biochar-modified Phosphate Prepared under different Preparatory Conditions".

Then to make this title make sense, the first biochar sample was activated with deionized water and KH2PO4; second with deionized water + heat + KH2PO4; third with deionized water + KH2PO4 + calcium chloride. 

Let's see how it goes. While I am working on this, I would later check what results might ensue with steam activation. 

Remember, for this part of the project, I am looking at finding answers to the questions: 

1. Could/Would biochar treated with phosphate immobilize soil contaminated with Cd, As, and     Pb matrix?

2. Would this happen by either creating larger surface area or larger size pores, or creating         more charged surfaces for complexation or precipitation?

3. Which of the samples would yield optimal result?

4. Which of the samples could improve the remediation mechanism of adsorbent materials?

The result of this project which elapses by December 31st 2021 will be used as a baseline for examining the amendment potential of phosphate-modified biochar in phosphate deficient soils contaminated with heavy metals, and the effects on plant health.

As I write, I decided to look up one of the mistakes that changed history and the most fascinating to me is that of Alexander Fleming. In 1928 he through a mistake had an eureka moment when he discovered penicillin. In his own words, he said, “I did not discover penicillin. Nature did that. I only discovered it by accident“. 

Well, accidentally you discovered it. Coincidentally, you won a Nobel Prize.

N.B: On Tuesday, I will be sharing a post I wrote from a News Article I read on Research Misconduct.

By the way, Daylight Saving Time ends on November 7.