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Quantifying Nature’s Ability to Clean Up Soil Contamination 20 Years after a Major Factory Burning

JSHS · 2022

Riley Johnson, Julia Givens, Dr. Bailey · Charles D. Owen High School, Black Mountain, NC

Overview

Twenty years ago in our town of Swannanoa, North Carolina, Beacon Blankets, a blanket factory that ran for more than 100 years and employed generations of people in the Swannanoa and Black Mountain area, was subject to arson and completely burned down. It has been left abandoned. A study was conducted to learn how nature has recovered from this incident by testing the soil and comparing it to local untreated soil in a similar environment. First, soil was acquired by mapping the Beacon factory land in fourteen different quadrants and obtaining soil from three-six inches deep. Next, local soil was acquired at the same altitude that was also untreated and in an open field. The soil was assessed for pH using a soil pH test. Then, the soil was tested for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash using a soil test kit. These compounds were tested because high levels are needed for plant growth and healthy ecosystems. The results showed an average of 6.89 pH which is healthy, but compared to the control, all quadrants of soil from the factory had low nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash levels. With these results, it was determined that without human intervention for 20 years, nature has been unable to produce healthy soil after a catastrophic burning event.

Competition history

  • JSHS 2022 Category not listed

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