1. Unscrew the two ends of the compression fitting.

2. Use sandpaper to roughen the endcaps of the compression fitting.

2. Take some sandpaper and roughen 1 side of two of the plastic containers (the sides that will face each other). Doing this makes a rough patch that will help join all of the parts together.

3. Take a permanent marker and make a mark in the center of the rough side of one of the plastic containers, using a ruler to measure.

4. Make sure that the marks are in the same place and facing each other.

5. Drill a hole that is 2 millimeters (in diameter) on top of two of the plastic container lids.

6. Brush off any plastic debris from the lids.

7. Using a spade drill bit, drill a hole on the permanent marker marks on the sides of the plastic containers. plastic debris.

8. Do this with all the containers making sure they are all in pairs.

9. Take acrylic cement and put it around one of the drill bit holes.

10. Squeeze acrylic cement around the flat part of one compression fitting end cap.

11. Center the end cap over the hole on one of the plastic containers that you just put cement around.

12. Fit the two pieces together.

13. Hold the two together for 30 seconds.

14. Squeeze some additional cement around the outside of the endcap where it joins with the container.

15. Let the assembly dry for 10 hours.

16. Once dry, screw in the tube as tightly as possible.

17. Now screw the second roughened endcap into the tube. Make sure to tighten the end cap firmly.

18. Lay the second container on its side with the drill bit hole face up.

19. Squeeze acrylic cement around the hole, making sure not to get any in the hole or on your fingers.

20. Squeeze some acrylic cement on the second end cap on the assembly. Position the endcap and assembly over the drill bit hole in the second container.

21. Make sure that it is centered.

22. Hold the entire assembly together for 30 seconds. Squeeze some acrylic cement around the outside of the endcap where it joins with the second container.

23. Let the entire assembly (the two containers with connecting compression fitting), dry for 10 hours.

24. After 10 hours have elapsed, check to see if the two joints are watertight.

25. Fill the containers with water past the holes/joints.

26. Wait for 5 minutes.

27. If there is no water leaking out, then proceed to the next section. If there is excess water coming out of a joint, empty the containers and dry them off completely with paper towels. Carefully squeeze acrylic cement around the endcap joint that leaked. Squeeze out enough cement that you make a seal, but not so much that it becomes messy or that you seal the tube. Wait for 10 hours and retest the watertightness. Try again if this doesn't work. If it still doesn't work, remake the assembly with fresh parts.

28. Once the parts are watertight, carefully unscrew the tube from the endcaps. Set the tube aside.

29. Repeat all steps.

30. You should end this section with sets of an anode and cathode chamber ( I made 6 sets).

Making the Electrodes

1. With scissors, cut the carbon cloth into 12 equal squares. Each square should be around 5 cm by 5 cm.

2. Take 12 pieces of 18-inch copper wire and with the wire strippers, strip off 6 inches of the insulator on one end of each piece.

3. Then Strip off 1 centimeter from the other end of each wire.

4. Shape the section of stripped wire into a flat square that will outline the sides of the carbon cloth.

5. Prepare the nickel epoxy.

6. Epoxy the 6 inches of bare copper wire to the carbon cloth along the edges of the square.

7. Repeat with the other carbon cloths.

8. Let the epoxy harden for 10 hours.

9. Once the epoxy has hardened, test the connection between the carbon cloth square and the copper wire with the digital multimeter.

10. Turn the digital multimeter to the resistor/resistance mode.

11. Place one lead on the carbon cloth and the other lead on the free bare end of the copper wire. There should be no or very low resistance (1–3 ohms). If there is a large resistance, then remake the electrode.

12. You need to make 2 electrodes per 1 anode-cathode pair.

Making the Salt Bridges

1. Place some plastic wrap along the bottom of a petri dish so that the ends of the plastic wrap are overlapping the edges of the petri dish.

2. Set the dish aside.

3. Cover one end of the tube section from the compression fitting securely with aluminum foil.

4. Repeat with the tubes from all of the compression fittings.

5. Place all tubes, open end up, vertically on the petri dish and then set it aside.

6. Measure 300 milliliters (mL) of water and pour it into the pot.

7. Using the scale, measure out 30 g of agar.

8. Set the measured agar aside.

9. Now measure out 6 g of salt.

10. Place the pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.

11. When the water is boiling, add the agar and stir it with the glass rod until it is dissolved.

12. Once the agar is dissolved, take the pot off of the heat and add 6 g of salt.

13. Stir with a spoon until the salt is dissolved.

14. While the solution is still warm, carefully pour the solution into the tubes in the petri dish.

15. If the tubes leak, tighten the foil and refill them. Once the tubes are filled and stable for 10 minutes, carefully move the petri dish to the refrigerator.

16. Let the tubes sit in the refrigerator overnight. These tubes are the salt bridges.

17. The next day, come back and place the salt bridges into a 1-qt. plastic baggie and seal it. This prevents the salt bridges from drying out.

18. Take the bridges out when you are ready to use them.

Obtaining the samples

1. Gather 2 gallons of water.

2. Using a shovel scoop the mud into your bucket.

3. Gather enough mud to fill all of your chambers (estimate).

4. When finished collecting the water samples put the cap back on.

5. When finished collecting the mud samples wrap the saran wrap over the top of the bucket.

6. Take the saran wrap and tape it to the bucket so that it does not slide or come off.

Putting it all together

1. Screw on salt bridges.

2. Create a salt solution with the water: Measure out 12 cups of the waste water. Add 6 tbsp of salt and stir until dissolved.

3. Pour salt solution into the cathode chamber.

4. Scoop mud into the anode chamber.

5. Set the carbon cloth device on top of the solution.

6. Close the tops (With the cloth device coming out of the hole).

7. Attach the wires to the resistor.

8. Connect air tubes from the containers to the air compressor.

9. Start the air compressor.

10. Begin testing by using a meter to measure the voltage.

11. Test voltage everyday at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

12. Records readings.