Remove Microplastics From Water With Bioremediation _ Science Project

In this science project you will investigate a way to use yeast to remove microplastics from contaminated water. Plastic pollution is a major issue worldwide. Nearly half of plastic pollution can float and it ends up in the oceans or washed up on beaches. Part of this plastic pollution is microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic that are five millimeters or smaller, which can be consumed by a range of marine organisms including fish, marine mammals, and seabirds. In this science project you will investigate how floating microplastics can be removed from contaminated water. To clean water at a wastewater treatment plant, flocculants are added. Flocculants clump together with particles causing them to sink and settle to the bottom of the water, making it easier to remove the particles. This process is called flocculation. To help make sure that flocculants do not harm organisms using the water, scientists are investigating using microorganisms instead of chemicals during flocculation. Using microorganisms in this way to remove environmental pollutants is called bioremediation. In this science project you will investigate how baker's yeast can be used as a flocculant to clump and settle floating glitter, a type of microplastic that's contaminating water. The materials list and instructions for the science project are linked in the description. To get started with your experiment, you'll want to first prepare your jars. On a digital scale, weigh out three grams of glitter and add it to a small canning jar. Repeat this so you have four jars each with three grams of glitter. Next, you'll add yeast to the jars. Weigh out and add 0.5 grams, 1.0 grams, or 2.0 grams of yeast to each jar. To the fourth jar, add no yeast. Then add 200 milliliters of water to each jar, which should fill each nearly to the top. Securely screw the caps onto each jar and then shake each jar at high speed for two minutes. Have a helper shake two of the jars, one in each hand, so all jars are similarly shaken and start at the same time. Shaking vigorously will help mix the yeast and glitter. Then shake each jar at a lower speed for an additional five minutes to further mix the yeast and glitter. Set all jars next to each other somewhere out of the way where they will not be moved or bumped for the next hour. Without touching the jars, make observations over the next 60 minutes. At the beginning, how does the glitter look in each jar? In the jar without yeast, the glitter should be floating at the top. How does the jar without yeast compare to the jars with yeast added? Where is the yeast in the jars? Where is the glitter? After 60 minutes, carefully remove the lid from each jar and perform final observations. Where is the glitter in each jar now? Is it different in the different jars? Where is the yeast in the jars with yeast? To measure the amount of remaining suspended or floating glitter, place a coffee filter in a strainer and place the strainer over a large container to collect the liquid that flows through the filter. Slowly pour the liquid into the strainer from each jar, but be sure to stop pouring before any settled glitter is disturbed. Let each coffee filter dry completely and then weigh the amount of glitter captured on the coffee filter for each jar. Which jar had the most glitter still floating or suspended after 60 minutes? Which jar had the most settled glitter? What did your results tell you about potential bioremediation strategies for microplastics? There are many other things you can try for this experiment, so for more ideas and written instructions, make sure you check out the link in the video description. For over a thousand other projects in all areas of science and engineering, check out our website at www.sciencebuddies.org.