Analysis of Carbon Sequestration and Ammonia Using Cyanobacteria in Ecosystems

Overview

Cyanobacteria are nitrogen-fixing photosynthetic microorganisms responsible for essential biochemical processes. With global warming, positive feedback mechanisms develop between cyanobacteria, carbon dioxide (CO2), and aquatic acidification. Testing for chemical processes are simulated within expensive bioreactor chambers. As an alternative, cyanobacteria were tested in sequestering CO2 and producing ammonia (inorganic nitrogen) within cheaper examples of bioreactors, without profound alterations to other ecosystemic parameters. Thirty-three soil and ten water samples were collected from three sites: Forge Pond, Atlantic Ocean, and Metedeconk River in Ocean County, NJ. Water samples were transferred into two-liter bottles containing an airstone and grouped by light: no light, 40 watts, and 100 watts. Each chamber received 50 mL of cultured cyanobacteria, exceeding 100 RFU, alongside four controls. Over ten trials, 310 water samples were measured for CO2 (Lamotte titration), bacteria (centrifugation and hemocytometer), temperature (thermometer), and conductivity (probe). On day seven, soil was flushed using KCl, precipitated, and salt-neutralized to extract ammonia, quantified with bromophenol blue reagent and spectrophotometer. Cyanobacterial growth led to decreased CO2, slowly increased ammonia concentrations, and stabilized water parameters. These findings support cyanobacteria as a natural buffer and photosynthetic producer to mitigate acidification, offering a three-prong alternative to traditional methods without vital ecological disturbances.

Competition history

• AJAS 2026 Category not listed

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