Affect of Wildfire Ash on the Environment

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of this experiment was to find out if when different substances are burned, will they have different pH levels, and how will the result of that pH affect the environment after a wildfire. Methods/Materials The materials used were common household items. The substances were plants substances, the measurements were taken by use of teaspoons, and a lighter was used to light the substances on fire. Sometimes a propane torch was used to light the substances. The water used was just regular tap water. The procedures are fairly simple. Make sure you have a metal bin that is clean. Burn the substance you chose in it until it is ash. Carefully put ash into a bag, and thoroughly clean out metal bin. Repeat until all substances are burned. For the second part, take a teaspoon of water and ¼ teaspoon of ash, and mix together in container. Then test the pH level with a pH strip. Repeat until all substances are tested. Results After doing the experiment, I found that the substances were bases and that the most likely affect that they would have on the environment is a negative one. Conclusions/Discussion My hypothesis was partially supported by this experiment. I thought that the pH level of the substances would be in the acidic range, but in fact they were in the base range. Some of the substances had the same pH level, but all of the substances were bases. From my research, the alkaline from these ashes would still have a negative affect on the environment by releasing too much alkaline into the soil.

Competition history

• CSEF 2004 Earth Sciences/ Planetary Sciences/ Physical Environments · Entry S0609

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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