Neutralizing Acid Rain Group 6: Derek Chai, Josh Zeng, Terry Zhao, Patrick Zhang

Research Question What effects do additives used by florists and botanists have on the pH of soil affected by acid rain?

Background Acid rain – rain more acidic than normal rainwater (less than 5.6 pH) – sulfuric acid or nitric acid pH of a solution is a measure of how many hydrogen ions are within the solution Acidic = 0-6 Neutral = 7 Basic = 8-14 Effect of acidic soil – causes soil erosion, ”leaching"

Variables Independent: Amount of and type of additives in the soil Dependent: Resulting pH level of acid rain-affected soil Controlled: Concentration of acid, amount of soil, amount of additives, type of soil, temperature of solution

Materials Solution of sulfuric acid at 5 pH 500 mL beakers pH meter Soil Additives (fertilizer, crushed egg shells, fungicide, manure, worm castings)

Procedure Gather all materials Fill a 500 mL beaker with 400g of soil, so that the beaker + the soil is 400g Place the pH meter into the middle of the soil Record the pH until the pH stabilizes (Logger Pro, reading every other second) Repeat step 2 Spread fertilizer throughout the soil Pour 50 mL of the sulfuric acid solution evenly throughout the soil Repeat steps 3-4 Repeat steps 2-8 for a total of three trials Repeat steps 5-9 for each additive

Data Collection Mass of beaker + soil: 400g pH of control: 5.29

Data Collection

Data Collection

Data Collection

Data Collection

Data Collection

Data Analysis Fertilizer: pH increased by 4.6 Fungicide: pH increased by 1.4 Eggshell: pH increased by 4.4 Manure: pH increased by 4.2 Worm Castings: pH increased by 4.3

Conclusion Higher increase in pH = better at neutralizing acid rain Fertilizer Eggshells Worm Castings Manure Fungicide

Evaluation pH meter was unreliable Could use universal indicator solution Calibrate more often Additives were not evenly spread throughout soil Use a stirring rod to mix it more evenly Solution was not distributed evenly Use a watering can Water had impurities Boiled our own water, used purer water More / larger trials (so impact of uncertainty will be smaller)

Bibliography Gilbert, Natasha. "Acid Soil Threatens Chinese Farms." Nature News. Nature Publishing Group, 11 Feb. 2010. Web. 01 June 2017 "What Is Acid Rain?" EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 01 Mar. 2017. Web. 01 June 2017. WikiHow. "How to Calibrate and Use a PH Meter." WikiHow. WikiHow, 30 May 2017. Web. 01 June 2017.