The Use of Aquatic Macrophytes Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes in the Phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis from Water
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Botany
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
With the rise of pollution in the past decade, the need for an effective way to clean the environment is essential. Phytoremediation is a technology for cleaning the environment that has been gaining popularity in recent time due to its sustainability and cost effectiveness. Plants are able to remove heavy metals or toxic chemicals from contaminated soil or water, without a time consuming process containing machinery. Phytoremediation is more efficacious and less time effective compared to anthropogenic methods, making it a perfect solution to the ongoing issues of pollution. Though phytoremediation is found to be successful on a variety of different pollutants, there is currently a lack of research on the use of phytoremediation to eliminate bacteria from contaminated environments. With current methods of removing bacteria from wastewater being more inefficient, costly, and complicated, a newer and more productive technology such as phytoremediation is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether aquatic plants Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes are usable in the phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis from contaminated water. Bacillus subtilis were put into containers of water with Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes for a 5 day period to see if their concentration decreased. It was hypothesized that both Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes would be successful in the phytoremediation of the Bacillus subtilis. The outcome of this experiment illustrated that both Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes successfully remediated the Bacillus subtilis, based off of a chi-squared test at a critical value of 0.05. As the chi squared value was greater than 0.05 for both plants, the decrease in the Bacillus subtilis was statistically significant, rejecting the null hypothesis. Thus, there was significant evidence to indicate that both Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes are usable plants in the phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis contaminated waters.
Recommended Citation
Thorpe, Hayden, "The Use of Aquatic Macrophytes Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes in the Phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis from Water" (2024). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 497.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2024/all/497
Location
RITA 281
Start Date
3-23-2024 11:15 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Use of Aquatic Macrophytes Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes in the Phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis from Water
RITA 281
With the rise of pollution in the past decade, the need for an effective way to clean the environment is essential. Phytoremediation is a technology for cleaning the environment that has been gaining popularity in recent time due to its sustainability and cost effectiveness. Plants are able to remove heavy metals or toxic chemicals from contaminated soil or water, without a time consuming process containing machinery. Phytoremediation is more efficacious and less time effective compared to anthropogenic methods, making it a perfect solution to the ongoing issues of pollution. Though phytoremediation is found to be successful on a variety of different pollutants, there is currently a lack of research on the use of phytoremediation to eliminate bacteria from contaminated environments. With current methods of removing bacteria from wastewater being more inefficient, costly, and complicated, a newer and more productive technology such as phytoremediation is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether aquatic plants Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes are usable in the phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis from contaminated water. Bacillus subtilis were put into containers of water with Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes for a 5 day period to see if their concentration decreased. It was hypothesized that both Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes would be successful in the phytoremediation of the Bacillus subtilis. The outcome of this experiment illustrated that both Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes successfully remediated the Bacillus subtilis, based off of a chi-squared test at a critical value of 0.05. As the chi squared value was greater than 0.05 for both plants, the decrease in the Bacillus subtilis was statistically significant, rejecting the null hypothesis. Thus, there was significant evidence to indicate that both Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes are usable plants in the phytoremediation of Bacillus subtilis contaminated waters.