Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi, I am doing a science project on oil spills and phytoremediation. I got the idea from an abstract project from science buddies. I have done a lot research on bioremediation and narrowed it down to phytoremediation. But I am having a hard to picking the specific topic and the actual question for my project. I have to have the actual question in by April 15. Can someone help me? Thanks.

Hello Reddi,

Congratulations on choosing such an interesting topic for your science project! To get ideas about questions you might ask, I googled "science project phytoremeditation" and here is I think a link that will help you:
http://www.juliantrubin.com/fairproject ... ation.html

Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions, and how your project is going!

Heloise

Thank you so much for the link. I am deciding to use "Microbial population biostimulation for oil spill bioremediation optimization" as a science experiment. I have a question though. This project gives you how to do it, step by step. Should I use those steps or should think of my own way of doing the experiment?

Hi Reddi,

Based on the information you provided, it sounds like you are doing this project: http://www.odec.ca/projects/2004/hard4e ... /home.html, which is entitled "The Effects of Essential Elements on Bioremediation."

In general, it's a good idea to follow procedures closely because things are more likely to work. That said, it is also important to answer your own question. What made you choose this particular experiment? What question are you trying to answer; in other words, what is your hypothesis? When you decide what it is that you are trying to find out, then we can advise you whether and how to alter your procedures.

Heather

Hi,

I chose this topic to find out if there is a special "recipe" in speeding up the process of biostimulation (but isn't this the whole point of the project). I guess my hypothesis is: If feeding the microorganisms a wide amount of nutrients depends on the enhancement of biostimulation, the highest amount of remediation will occur when microorganisms are fed with the right type and amount of nutrients, which will ultimately lead to reproducing faster and performing better.

Hi Reddi,

It looks like you have picked the right project. My advice is to follow the experimental procedures of the project you found, but to come up with your own predictions about what nutrients will be most important. With so many different nutrients, there may not be one single "recipe" that works, but may be a variety of combinations that lead to optimal growth.

Let us know if you have more questions!

Heather

Hi Heather,

I don't get it. Is there a reason that the project used those specific elements. And how do I know what type of elements to use?

Hi Reddi,

It's all about your background research. Did you read all of the background references for the project you found? Did you search for some of your own?

When scientists form hypotheses, they do so on the basis of the research that has been done previously. You'll want to see what other scientists have said about what elements help (or hinder) the growth of microorganisms used in bioremediation. You may want to come up with a few elements of your own to test, instead of using the exact recipe from the other project. It's really up to you! The best projects are based on a LOT of background reading, and come up with a question that takes things one step further than what has already been done.

Bioremediation is not my specific area of expertise, but I know a lot of scientists do study it. Try reading the Background Research section of the project (http://www.odec.ca/projects/2004/hard4e ... ckres.html), and looking at the Bibliography to help you get started with your own hypothesis about which elements are most important.

Heather

Hi Heather,

Thank you for the help. I have one more question. Will this experiment be considered "copying" or unoriginal since it has already been done?

If I have any questions, I'll be sure to ask you.

Thanks

Hi Reddi,

Although the project has been done, there is reason to expect that you might not get the exact same results. One of the reasons scientists are so specific about their materials and methods is so that their experiments can be replicated. As I mentioned, changing just one or two elements or even the amounts will make your project different. So I would not worry too much about it being considered unoriginal. Just make sure that you base your methods (the amounts and types of elements you test) on your background reading, so you can explain to the judges why you chose those materials.

Does this make sense?

Heather

Yes it does! Thank you so much. I'll make sure to ask you if I have anymore questions.

Hey,

I was looking at how the previous person did this experiment (here's the link: http://www.odec.ca/projects/2004/hard4e ... tproc.html) and I didn't get why he included fertilizer information in this. He had 2 experiments. One was the one on fertilizer and the other one was on elements. I had no idea on why he used the fertilizer and in the results he didn't mention anything about the fertilizers. I am confused... Can you help me.

Hi Reddi,

Based on what is posted on the website, it is not immediately clear to me why the person used fertilizer. Perhaps fertilizer was an easy way to obtain a mix of biostimulating nutrients, and the person started with the fertilizer experiment as a stand-alone experiment. Once that appeared to work, the person may have moved on to examining individual elements.

Since your initial interest was in determining which elements matter, I suggest skipping to the individual elements. Perhaps you can look at different mixtures of elements in addition to what was already done, to make the experiment your own.

I hope that helps!
Heather

Okay,

Thanks a lot!!

Hey,

I am having trouble figuring out how to make those elements for my science experiment. Exactly how do you make those elements that I have to test and is there a place where I can find them?

Thanks

Hey,

Can someone please reply a post to my question please? I really need help! I don't know how to make the elements.. Please look at the link posted on one of the posts that has the ingredients. It will not be directly on that page, but will be on the link that says "Materials". That should take you to it.

Thanks a lot!

I don't have the experise to help (probably), but you will speed things up for whoever can help if you provide the
URL where the list of ingredients can be found. I searched our site for Phytoremediation and many posts, so it's not obvious which one(s) you are referencing. If you don't know what I mean by URL, it's just the line of stuff in the top window of your browser when you are looking at the page. For example, the URL of the Science Buddies home page is "https://www.sciencebuddies.org/".

You should get a more helpful reply in a day or sooner -- hopefully much sooner.

Hi Reddi,

Sorry for the late reply. I have been traveling and did not have access to the internet.

Your best bet to gain access to specific elements is to get in touch with a local chemistry lab. You can try a local community college or university, or even your high school. Scientists can go online (e.g., Fisher Scientific) to order pure elements or compounds containing elements, but it would be expensive for you to purchase all of them. I highly recommend getting in touch with a research lab, and asking whether someone would be willing to give you small amounts of the materials you need.

I hope that helps!

Heather

Hey,

Thanks for that information. I also had another question. In the Materials and Procedure page, the experiment calls for aerating the the containers. I don't quite understand how this is useful. Can you help me?

Thanks!

Hi,

The project outlines the procedure for bio-remediation which revolves, in its basic form, around the idea that living organisms/things can remove pollutants. Being as that you aren't using plants, you are using seawater, the project can be envisioned as your bacteria from the sea water "digesting" the pollutants. Some pollutants are not as easily taken up by the microorganisms and require substances to stimulate the process. This is where your fertilizer comes in because it contains substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, etc. So if you consider that you are using bacteria from the seawater, you must ensure it's survival and optimal performance. Aerating the containers renews the availability of oxygen and allows the bacteria to continue life, growth and this optimum performance of "digestion." The containers are kept closed for the duration of the experiment to prevent contamination.

I hope this helps.

Becky

Hey,

When it says to filter out the contents in the Materials and Procedure page, what does it mean? After the 7 days, you filter the samples out onto a piece of cheese cloth. And then you leaveit for 12 hours so the oil and water can separate. The filtration part is confusing me. Can you guys explain it to me?

Thanks!