Brinda Garg '23 and Kaylin Kim '23

Granada Hills Charter High School

Nano Chek

Although fire retardants are effective in the short term, they contain dangerous chemicals such as ammonium phosphate. These have been shown to cause serious ecological damage by causing toxic algae blooms and marine life death. In the long term, this can devastate marine ecosystems and cause drastic economic damage to neighborhoods due to lowered land values of untreated chemical waste. Ammonium phosphate from industrial waste and fertilizer are also major sources and contribute to marine toxicity. This issue spans from a local to a global level, affecting fish around the world through various sources. Allowing this issue to grow could lead to many long-term issues such as destruction of wildlife, damage to fisheries, and acceleration of climate change.

Nano Chek is a filtration system that utilizes ammonium absorbing zeolite rocks and phosphate absorbing iron-oxide nanoparticles to filter ammonium phosphate from natural rivers and streams. The production process involves eucalyptus leaf extract, ferric trichloride hexahydrate, and solid zeolites to create the eucalyptus leaf iron nanoparticles (EL-MNP). The particles will be combined with zeolite rocks (EL-MNP@zeolite). Using an easily deployable buoy system, mesh bags filled with EL-MNP@zeolite will be placed at certain checkpoint rivers allowing fish to move freely while removing ammonium phosphate from the water. These buoys need to be strategically set up, so we plan to offer a setup and water testing service to make this an easier process by installing the product along the width of the river to catch the ammonium phosphate.

Meera Mahidhara '23

Archer School For Girls

The Effect of Boyan Slat's Ocean System on Marine life and Plastic in a Simulated Ocean

My objective was to see if fish get caught in Boyan Slat’s Ocean System with the presence of plastic. I placed fish and plastic in a simulated ocean with the Ocean System. I used a tub as a simulated ocean and a 2:3 ratio of cold to lukewarm water. For the Ocean System, I cut a rubber tube and attached it to a five-inch skirt. 10 fish and 10 pieces of plastic were added to the tub. I waited for five minutes to see how many fish or plastic pieces would be collected by the Ocean System. I recorded my findings over two trials. The Ocean System collected zero fish in both trials, three pieces of plastic in the first trial and six pieces in the second trial with an average of 4.5 pieces of plastic collected. In conclusion, the amount of plastic collected was more than the fish caught by the Ocean System. This supports my hypothesis. I learned that it is important to take into account the effects of man-made materials on marine life and biodiversity.

Alina Montalvan '23

Palos Verdes High School

The Connection Between Redlining and Water Quality

Redlining, a discriminatory housing policy during the 1930s, consisted of drawing color-coded maps of cities across the United States and giving specific regions grades depending on their ‘mortgage security.’ Along with other discriminatory housing practices, redlining concentrated poverty in communities of color, increased exposure to industrial pollution, and many other vital and aesthetic community aspects, impacting communal health and potentially water quality. The goal of my research was to analyze the connection between redlining and water quality. I hypothesized that areas given a grade of C or D would have poorer water quality than those graded an A or B.

My materials consisted of the Varify water testing kit, latex gloves, and safety gloves. I collected water samples from two sites per zone (a total of 8 testing sites) and collected three samples per testing site. To test the water quality, I dipped a Varify testing strip into each vial and collected results.

I found that my hypothesis proved to be correct and supported. Regions given a grade of C or D during the 1930s experienced higher concentrations of primary contaminants such as lead, copper, mercury, fluoride, chlorine, nitrate, and nitrite. Regions graded and A or B had lower concentrations of these primary contaminants.

My findings are significant because water influences every aspect of people’s lives. Poor water quality can have devastating effects on communities, as it affects one’s ability to live and function normally, critical for working and supporting a family.

Ashley Song '24

Gretchen Whitney High School

Natural Hydrophobic Coating

As pollution rises in our world, the use of hydrophobic coatings only add on to the problem. Although the coating is desperately needed for specific materials, studies show that the when applied, some materials that are biodegradable lose their ability to be broken down. My project is about trying to find a more healthier solution/alternate for the hydrophobic coating. It consists of extracting the wax layer of leaves(as most leaves are waterproof)using nail polish remover as a solvent, and utilizing the extracted waxlike material as a replacement for the current hydrophobic coatings.

Sophie Sun '24

Palos Verdes High School

The Effect of Glycerin on Carrageenan Bioplastic

Millions of tons of plastic is created yearly and an estimated 8 million tons enters our oceans every year. As plastic decomposes, it forms micro-plastics that can enter the digestive systems of fish and are, in turn, consumed by humans and cause long-term health issues. My hypothesis is that the more glycerin added to the solution, the more malleable the product will be. My objective is to study how seaweed and algae forms bioplastic and how bioplastic can be implemented into day to day life and slowly replace plastic.

Through experimentation with differing levels of glycerin in mixtures of carrageenan, dulse flakes, and water, I will be able to determine the relationship between glycerin and the malleability of carrageenan bioplastic after observing different mixtures over the course of a week.

After a week of observation and testing, I found that the more glycerine added to a mixture, the slower it will shrink and the more malleable it will be. These results prove my hypothesis and can be applied to testing bioplastic’s effectiveness as a commercial product.

This experiment has helped me further understand the properties of bioplastic. The results of these experiments can be used by plastic-using companies as an environmentally friendly alternative to the plastics we use today, effectively reducing the world’s yearly plastic waste and helping keep our oceans clean. They will be able to further study the properties of bioplastic and how they can translate synthetic plastics into bioplastic.