Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

I am reaserching for trash to gas project. IS cowmanure considered microorganisms? do I need to fill forms before doing expt and get approval? Please advice

Hi!
Here is a very convenient checklist for you to go through to see what types of forms/approval you might need for your project:

http://apps.societyforscience.org/isef/ ... /index.asp

Otherwise, while cow manure is not a microorganism by itself, it may CONTAIN microorganisms such as bacteria. It is very important to carry out all the safety precautions when working with samples because anything that contains microorganisms can be very dangerous. Best of luck with your project!

Hi,

Staryl13 has given you good information for getting approval for your project. Animal manure contains some potentially pathogenic organisms, so biosafety level 2 precautions are required when doing science fair projects with this type of sample:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level

I think this is the project you are thinking about doing and it is a great one:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p027.shtml

The greatest challenge in doing this experiment in the wintertime will be to keep the samples warm enough so the anaerobic bacteria can grow fast enough to produce gas. Also, you will need fresh samples of manure from ruminant animals. What are you going to use as a control for this project?

Donna Hardy