Comparing the Effect of Varying Concentrations of Polytetrafluoroethylene on the Length and Fresh Weight of Salvinia minima

Talha IslamFollow

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

11th Grade

Presentation Topic

Botany

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

In the past decade, the usage of teflon in kitchens across the United States has risen by 37.7%, resulting in large amounts of aquatic pollution due to improper disposal of these harmful substances (Török et al., 2020). The purpose of this project was to test different concentrations of teflon, also known as PTFE, on the length and fresh weight of Salvinia minima with the goal of determining the differing effects it has on plant health through variables such as fresh weight and plant length. There were three experimental groups: the control group, a group exposed to 75 µg/L of teflon solution, and a group which was exposed to 100 µg/L of teflon solution. It was hypothesized that the experimental group of Salvinia minima that was exposed to 100 µg/L of PTFE solution would measure lowest in plant length and fresh weight after the experimentation period; this hypothesis was rooted in the research that illustrates PTFE causes multiple issues in aquatic environments, and a higher concentration would lead to a decrease in plant health. Following experimentation, a one-way MANOVA test was conducted to analyze statistical significance of the data. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in Salvinia minima plant length and fresh weight based on different concentrations of teflon (F(4, 712) = 21.056, p < .05; Wilk's Λ = 0.800, partial η2 = .106). A Tukey's HSD post-hoc t-test was then conducted which indicated that teflon had a significant effect on plant length (F(2,357)=42.789; p<0.05; partial η2=0.193) but did not have a significant effect on plant weight (F(2,357)=2.061;p>0.05; partial η2=0.011) because the p-value > 0.05 for the weight. The results of this experiment suggest that teflon negatively impacts the length of Salvinia minima plants, resulting in a decrease in quality of health.

Location

RITA 281

Start Date

3-23-2024 10:00 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 23rd, 10:00 AM

Comparing the Effect of Varying Concentrations of Polytetrafluoroethylene on the Length and Fresh Weight of Salvinia minima

RITA 281

In the past decade, the usage of teflon in kitchens across the United States has risen by 37.7%, resulting in large amounts of aquatic pollution due to improper disposal of these harmful substances (Török et al., 2020). The purpose of this project was to test different concentrations of teflon, also known as PTFE, on the length and fresh weight of Salvinia minima with the goal of determining the differing effects it has on plant health through variables such as fresh weight and plant length. There were three experimental groups: the control group, a group exposed to 75 µg/L of teflon solution, and a group which was exposed to 100 µg/L of teflon solution. It was hypothesized that the experimental group of Salvinia minima that was exposed to 100 µg/L of PTFE solution would measure lowest in plant length and fresh weight after the experimentation period; this hypothesis was rooted in the research that illustrates PTFE causes multiple issues in aquatic environments, and a higher concentration would lead to a decrease in plant health. Following experimentation, a one-way MANOVA test was conducted to analyze statistical significance of the data. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in Salvinia minima plant length and fresh weight based on different concentrations of teflon (F(4, 712) = 21.056, p < .05; Wilk's Λ = 0.800, partial η2 = .106). A Tukey's HSD post-hoc t-test was then conducted which indicated that teflon had a significant effect on plant length (F(2,357)=42.789; p<0.05; partial η2=0.193) but did not have a significant effect on plant weight (F(2,357)=2.061;p>0.05; partial η2=0.011) because the p-value > 0.05 for the weight. The results of this experiment suggest that teflon negatively impacts the length of Salvinia minima plants, resulting in a decrease in quality of health.