Photo by V. Miller
Jan. 12, 2005
Pollutant Extraction from Contaminated Soil
Quantitative Analysis of Phytoremediation on Pollutant Extraction from Contaminated Soil
Daniella Sinay, 14, Trumbull, Conn.
Chana Leora Rich, 14, Fairfield, Conn.
Finalists, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2004
Project background: Living near endangered wetlands, Daniella and Chana learned that nearby abandoned factories were leeching toxic metals into the ground. They heard about phytoremediation—using plants to extract toxins from soil—and wanted to see how it worked.
Tactics and results: Daniella and Chana grew wheat and other grasses in potting soil and in contaminated soil. They added various chelating agents, which help pull the metals out of the soil, and acetic acid, which enhances the effectiveness of chelating agents. They then tested all soil and plant tissue samples for heavy metals.
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| Photo by V. Miller |
Daniella and Chana found that soy was the most effective phytoremediator, pulling nearly 100 per cent of toxic metals from their soil samples.
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