The Effect of Acid Rain on Oil-Degrading Microbes

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my experiment is to determine if certain oil-degrading microbes are affected by acid rain. Methods/Materials Place 60 mL of distilled water, 20 drops of refined oil, 0.5 g of nutrient feritilizer and a density strip in 7 jars. Inoculate 2 jars with 6 mL of Penicillium, 2 jars with 6 mL of Pseudomonas and 2 jars with 6 mL of Bacterial Blend. The seventh jar is the control jar and contains no microbes. Separate the experimental jars into 2 groups, leaving one group at pH7.5 and lowering the other group to pH 5 to mimic acid rain. Incubate the jars at 30 degrees Celsius for two weeks. Measure the turbidity of the jars with the density strips and the rate of oil degradation with the oil-degradation scale daily. Results The Bacterial Blend degraded 80% of the oil at pH 7.5 and 50% at pH 5. Pseudomonas degraded 70% of the oil at pH 7.5 and 30% at pH 5. Penicillium degraded 50% of the oil at pH 7.5 and 20% at pH 5. The control jar showed no evidence of oil degradation. The colors of the jars at pH 7.5 were quite turbid compared to the control, indicating microbial population growth and activity. The colors of the jars at pH 5 were slightly darker than the control, indicating less microbial activity and growth than the pH 7.5 jars. The oil was fragmented into tiny droplets in the pH 7.5 jars but not in the pH 5.0 jars. Conclusions/Discussion The data supports my hypothesis that acid rain negatively affects the activiity of oil degrading microbes because the microbes become inactive or die due to the acidity of the environment. The results show that bioremediation is an effective method for cleaning oil spills in non-acidic environments.

Awards (1)

• Category Award

Competition history

• CSEF 2002 Environmental Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0935

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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