The effect of acesulfame potassium on the photosynthesis of Spirogyra grevilleana when present at the concentrations of 5, 10, 20, and 30 μg/L
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Environmental Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Acesulfame potassium is an artificial sweetener that can pass through the human body and wastewater treatment systems non-degraded. As a result, its presence in bodies of water is growing. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the presence of acesulfame potassium would have any effect on aquatic environments by testing to see if it would affect the photosynthesis of the alga Spirogyra grevilleana. It was hypothesized that as the concentration of the acesulfame potassium in the water increases, the concentrations of dissolved oxygen would slightly decrease. Therefore, the concentrations of 20 and 30 μg/L would have the most effect on the algae photosynthesis. In the experiment, the Spirogyra was placed in Erlenmeyer flasks with 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 μg/L solutions of acesulfame potassium. The quality of the Spirogyra photosynthesis was then quantified by using Vernier Dissolved Oxygen Probes. The data recorded were statistically analyzed at alpha equal to 0.05 with an ANOVA [F(4, 60)=14.09, p=<0.0001]. A post-hoc Tukey test was also conducted. It was found that the concentration of 0 μg/L of acesulfame potassium produced concentrations of dissolved oxygen that were significantly different to the ones produced by the other concentrations of acesulfame potassium. This suggests that the concentration of acesulfame potassium in bodies of water causes the Spirogyra to produce more oxygen. This could either be very beneficial to the environment, or it could be harmful to the algae itself.
Recommended Citation
Legaspi, Micah Nerielle J., "The effect of acesulfame potassium on the photosynthesis of Spirogyra grevilleana when present at the concentrations of 5, 10, 20, and 30 μg/L" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 202.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/202
Start Date
4-11-2015 11:30 AM
End Date
4-11-2015 11:45 AM
The effect of acesulfame potassium on the photosynthesis of Spirogyra grevilleana when present at the concentrations of 5, 10, 20, and 30 μg/L
Acesulfame potassium is an artificial sweetener that can pass through the human body and wastewater treatment systems non-degraded. As a result, its presence in bodies of water is growing. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the presence of acesulfame potassium would have any effect on aquatic environments by testing to see if it would affect the photosynthesis of the alga Spirogyra grevilleana. It was hypothesized that as the concentration of the acesulfame potassium in the water increases, the concentrations of dissolved oxygen would slightly decrease. Therefore, the concentrations of 20 and 30 μg/L would have the most effect on the algae photosynthesis. In the experiment, the Spirogyra was placed in Erlenmeyer flasks with 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 μg/L solutions of acesulfame potassium. The quality of the Spirogyra photosynthesis was then quantified by using Vernier Dissolved Oxygen Probes. The data recorded were statistically analyzed at alpha equal to 0.05 with an ANOVA [F(4, 60)=14.09, p=<0.0001]. A post-hoc Tukey test was also conducted. It was found that the concentration of 0 μg/L of acesulfame potassium produced concentrations of dissolved oxygen that were significantly different to the ones produced by the other concentrations of acesulfame potassium. This suggests that the concentration of acesulfame potassium in bodies of water causes the Spirogyra to produce more oxygen. This could either be very beneficial to the environment, or it could be harmful to the algae itself.
