Evaluating the Efficiency of Application Methods for Microbe-Based Formulations on Reducing Glyphosate Levels in Soil

Kylie ParkFollow

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

11th Grade

Presentation Topic

Environmental Science

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

Glyphosate, one of the most prominent herbicides globally, produces a harmful byproduct (aminomethylphosphonic acid) (Carretta et al., 2022), with glyphosate contamination beginning to form concerns for ecosystems and human health (Botten et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective method of bioremediating glyphosate using three microbe applications (liquid, granules, and powder) in two moisture levels (40 and 80 mL). It was hypothesized that of the microbe formulations, the liquid form would perform the best in the 40 mL of water and the granular form would perform best in 80 mL of water (due to the fact that the granules would absorb the excess water in the environment to make contact with the glyphosate for remediation). PVC pipes were layered on small-pore filters, mesh, and containers to collect the leachate. The columns were filled with soil, glyphosate, water, and three microbe applications, then a spectrophotometer was used to measure glyphosate absorbance at 570 nm. The results concluded that the liquid formulation was the most suitable for both water environments as shown by a Two-Way ANOVA test and a Tukey HSD. The results indicated a significance for water level, F(1, 232) = 6.24 , p = 0.013, as well as significance for microbe application method, F(3, 232) = 345.38, p = <0.001, and interactions between water level and microbe applications, F(3, 232) = 3.80, p = 0.011. This suggests that in future works, liquid formulations should be considered for bioremediation of glyphosate in soil.

Location

RITA 152

Start Date

3-23-2024 11:00 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 23rd, 11:00 AM

Evaluating the Efficiency of Application Methods for Microbe-Based Formulations on Reducing Glyphosate Levels in Soil

RITA 152

Glyphosate, one of the most prominent herbicides globally, produces a harmful byproduct (aminomethylphosphonic acid) (Carretta et al., 2022), with glyphosate contamination beginning to form concerns for ecosystems and human health (Botten et al., 2021). The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective method of bioremediating glyphosate using three microbe applications (liquid, granules, and powder) in two moisture levels (40 and 80 mL). It was hypothesized that of the microbe formulations, the liquid form would perform the best in the 40 mL of water and the granular form would perform best in 80 mL of water (due to the fact that the granules would absorb the excess water in the environment to make contact with the glyphosate for remediation). PVC pipes were layered on small-pore filters, mesh, and containers to collect the leachate. The columns were filled with soil, glyphosate, water, and three microbe applications, then a spectrophotometer was used to measure glyphosate absorbance at 570 nm. The results concluded that the liquid formulation was the most suitable for both water environments as shown by a Two-Way ANOVA test and a Tukey HSD. The results indicated a significance for water level, F(1, 232) = 6.24 , p = 0.013, as well as significance for microbe application method, F(3, 232) = 345.38, p = <0.001, and interactions between water level and microbe applications, F(3, 232) = 3.80, p = 0.011. This suggests that in future works, liquid formulations should be considered for bioremediation of glyphosate in soil.