Searrah Bierker

Abstract:

Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics that has ever been produced, 6.3 metric tons have become waste that spills into the surrounding environment and does not decompose for another 400 years according Laura Parker from National Geographic. This can lead to harmful effects, like changing the pH of the bodies of freshwater that contains plastic. This paper was looking at which type of plastic on the resin code would make the water more acidic. To test this, the seven types of plastic from the Resin Identification Code were grinded into microplastics and put in distilled water and three different samples of water from a local lake, North Park Lake. There was also a control sample for each sample to compare the pH values to. The pH was tested daily using a digital pH indicator and recorded, rinsing the indicator off between tests. The three trials of lake water’s numbers were averaged out to get more accurate data about the pH change. Those numbers were compared to that of the distilled water to make sure there were no preexisting microplastics in the lake water or any other confounding variable. The data recorded disproved the previous assumption that the microplastics would turn the water more acidic. Instead it became more basic for each type of plastic and the control no matter if it was in the distilled or lake water.