Abstract

With the growing demands of water in California and the increasing cost of fossil fuels to operate water-cleaning equipment, Algae was cultivated in different concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) during different trails to identify the best growing conditions for the removal water contaminates. Before testing algae in waste water, the Algae: Dunaliella Primolecta, Chlorella Vulgaris, and Scenedesmus Dimorphus were cultivated in four different media containing distilled water and plant vitamins. The different mediums used include: Orchid Grow More (20-20-20), Miracle Grow (30-10-10), Murashige & Skoog, and Orchid Bloom Boster (11-35-15). As a result of the investigation, the algae, Scenedesmus Dimorphus, had the best growing conditions of the three algae species. In order to find out if Algae can be used to remove contaminants from waste water, further experiments must be completed. These experiments will include acquiring waste water from different locations in California and growing the three different types of algae species in waste water as well as the waste water with the different media.

Disciplines

Agriculture | Biology | Earth Sciences | Education | Environmental Sciences | Life Sciences | Microbiology | Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | Plant Sciences

Mentor

Alejandro Calderon-Urrea

Lab site

California State University, Fresno (CSU Fresno)

Funding Acknowledgement

This material is based upon work supported by the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0952013. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation or the National Science Foundation. This project has also been made possible with support of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. The STAR program is administered by the Cal Poly Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CESaME) on behalf of the California State University (CSU).

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URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/star/239

 

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