SayedQuraishi

ABSTRACT

TheIllinoisJuniorAcademyofScience
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CATEGORY

EnvironmentalScience

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SCHOOL
CITY/ZIP

NilesNorthHighSchool

IJASSCHOOL#
SCHOOLPHONE#

6038

SPONSOR

Skokie,IL60077
ChristineCamel

847.626.2254

MARKONE: EXPERIMENTALINVESTIGATION

DESIGNINVESTIGATION

NAMEOFSCIENTIST*

SayedQuraishi

GRADE

11

NAMEOFSCIENTIST

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NAMEOFSCIENTIST

GRADE

NAMEOFSCIENTIST

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*Ifthisprojectisawardedamonetaryprize,thecheckwillbewritteninthisscientist'sname,anditwillbehis/herresponsibilitytodistributethe
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PROJECTTITLE

TheEffectiveofBiocharasaGrassAugmenter

Purpose:
Thepurposeofthisprojectistoseeifbiocharcanbeusedasagrassaugmenterbutalsoandtoseeifmorebiocharhasan
effectontheoverallsizeofthegrassoriftheresalimit.
Procedure:
Gardensoilwasspreadinto3differentpots.Therewasonecontrolpot,onewith10%biochar,andanotheronewith
15%biochar.Thethreepotsweremixedandgrassseedswereputin.Theywereplacedinwateredeverydayfor5daysandgiven
twodaysofbreakandmeasuredthethirdday.Theyweremeasuredbyflippingthepotsoverandgatheringthe5largestgrassesfrom
eachpot.Theprocedurewasrepeatedtwice.

Conclusion:
Inconclusion,thepotentialforbiocharisyettobecompletelyuncovered.Itcanprospectivelybeauniversalcuretothe
worldssoilissues.Thiscanbringaboutincreasecropyieldsinamoregreenwayforourenvironmentinsteadoflharmfulchemicals
toincreasegrowth.Therefore,asseenthroughthedatabiocharcanbeaverygreenwaytoincreasetheyieldsofgrassandalsothat
morebiocharinthesoilwillresultinahigheryield.


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1)LimitAbstractto3paragraphs(about200wordsorless).a)Purposewhatyousetouttoinvestigateb)Procedurehowyoudid
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Possiblehazards
Precautionstakentodealwitheachhazard
Biochar&Soil
Begentlewithbiochar(i.e.avoidsplashes)

Begentlewithsoil(i.e.avoidsplashes)

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TheEffectivenessof
BiocharasaGrass
Augmenter
NilesNorthHighSchool
SayedQuraishi


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TABLEOFCONTENTS
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................6
Purpose,Hypothesis,andRationale.........................................................................7
ReviewofLiterature................................................................................................
...
8
Materials......................................................................................................................12
Procedure.............................................................................................................13
Variables.15
DataTables16
Graphs17
DataAnalysis18
Conclusion.20
Bibliography..21


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Acknowledgements:
IdliketothankLarryLauandMs.Camelforhelpingmefigure
outthetrainofthoughtsthatledtothisamazingprojecton
biochar.IdalsoliketothankJuliaVidonishwhoisagraduate
studentatRiceUniversityformentoringmybiocharstudy.Id
lastlyliketothankmydadforhelpingoutwiththecostsof
someofthematerialsIneededfortheexperimentation.


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Purpose
:
ThepurposeofthisexperimentistodetermineifBiocharcanbeusedasan
augmenterforgrassandtoseewhethermorebiocharwillresultinalargerproduct.

HypothesisI:
HypothesisI:IfBiocharcanbeusedasafertilizertoincreasenutrientlevelsin
soil,thenitcanalsobeusedasagrassaugmenter.

HypothesisII:
IfBiocharcanbeusedasafertilizertoincreasenutrientlevelsinsoil,thenmore
biocharshouldbeabletoproducelargergrass.

Rationale
:
Biocharisproventoimprovenutrientlevelsandisalsoaverygreensoiladditive.
However,becauseofhownewitistothescientificcommunitythereisnotalotof
basicinformationavailable.


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TheEffectivenessofBiocharasaGrassAugmenter
Didyouknowbetweenthe1960sandthe1990stheoverallcroplandoftheworldhas
decreasedbetween20%30%,andsincethentheoverallcroplandfortheworldhasbeensteadily
declining?Inthe20thcentury,theworldexperiencedanagriculturalrevolutionwhereworld
leadersworkedtogethertoendworldhunger.Indoingsotheenvironmentalagenciesinvested
researchintoseedsandhowtoproducetheperfectproduct.Thesesuperseedsweregenetically
engineeredtogrowcropsthatwerebiggerandbetterthanpreviousunalteredseeds.However,
theseedsandharvestswerebeingkeptalivewithharmfulpesticidesandotherharmful
chemicals.Farmersarelosingfertilelandtogrowtheircropsin,anditisamajorenvironmental
andeconomicalissuefortheworld.Thismademajoragriculturalcompaniesaswellas
environmentalagenciesofthegovernmentsworldwidetoputresearchintofindingfertilesoils
thatcanbeimitatedforcurestothesoilcrisis.Oftheresearchbiochar,ablacksoilfoundinthe
Amazons,recentlybegancirculatingintosoilresearch,andshowsalotofhopetosolvemanyof
thesoilissuesworldwide.

ThemostabundantandhealthysoilremainsinpartsoftheAmazonforests.Thesoil,
whichcontainsbiochar,grewcropsundercircumstanceswheresoilcarboncanincrease,soilcan
havemorenutrientstooffertotheplants,soilfertilitycanimprove,andcarbonscanbecaptured
inthesoil(SeeFigure1).Itseemslikeasubstancebecauseithasbothsoilbenefitsand
atmosphericbenefits.ThehistorybehindbiocharissaidthatAmazonianpeoplemostlikelyused
itoverathousandyearsago,becausetheirfieldsofbiocharstillremaintothisday.Biochar
remainsprettyunhatchedonitspotentialusesbecauseofhownewitistotheagriculturalworld.


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Itprovidesmanyfutureopportunitiesfortheenvironmentandtheeconomy.Themajorvisible
differencebetweenbiocharandregulardirtisthatbiocharisarichblackandlooksalittlelike
charhenceitsname.Lastly,biocharhasnthadmuchextensiveresearchbecauseitsnewto
modernagriculturaltechnology.

Figure1Chartshowingdrawbacksandbenefitsofbiocharonsoilaswellasitseffect
theatmosphere.

Biochariscreatedtodaythroughapyrolysisprocess.Pyrolysisisthedecomposition(very
highlyheating)oforganicmaterialsincompounds,herethecompoundthatisbeingdecomposed
isbiomass.Biomassiscomprisedofcommonelementslikehydrogen,oxygen,andnitrogen
alongwithsomealkalimetals(WhatisBiomass,n.d.).Biomassisbasicallyoldorlivingplant


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matter.Initsessencebiocharisacharcoalaftertheburninglikeprocessofpyrolysis.Inan
experimenttoturnsoildamagedbysoilintofertilegroundRiceUniversityresearchersand
professorswereabletothroughpyrolysismakethesoilfertileagain(OilttoFertileGround,
August20,2015).

AuniquewaytomeasurehowgoodorbadthesoilisameasurementofpH.Moreover,
pHisafigurethatdetermineshowacidicorhowbasicacertainsubstanceis.ThemeasureofpH
isbetween114,whereanythingbelow7isacidic,andanythingover7isbasic,whileapHof7
isneutral.Additionally,scientistsmeasurepHinawidearrayofsubjectmatters.Forexample,in
YunnanscientistsexaminedtherelationshipwithpHanditsroleonthetobaccosoil(Journalof
ChemicalandPharmaceuticalResearch,2014).ThescientistschangedthepHbyadding
NaOH(tomakeitmorebasic)orH2SO4(tomakeitmoreacidic)onthetobaccosoilandwere
abletomakeconclusionsonwhichsoilshadlessnutrientsandwerenotgoingtogrowaswellin
theend.ThestudyfoundthattobaccowithamorebasicpH(over7)producesaleafwith
.21%21.29%lessmassthanonewithaneutralpHoralittleacidic(JournalofChemicaland
PharmaceuticalResearch,2014).Thebiggerissuetothetobaccocompaniesthanthesoilisthe
amountofmoneybeingmade,ifthesoilpHsarekeptat7thantheycouldpossibly
have.21%21.29%moremassontheirleaveswhichwouldleadtoahigherprofit.The
administeringofpHisimportantbecauseitshowsjusthowbadsoilisthroughouttheworld
specificallytobaccofieldswhichisahistoricandpresentcashcropwhichhasdonenothingbut
damagesoilworldwide.Itprovidesanidealtargetforbiocharstudywhichcanhelpthepollution
levelsinChinathroughcarbonintakeaswellashelpbringthepHup.Biocharhasbeensaidto


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increasethesoilpHalongwithitsotheramazingbenefits.Infact,theamountthatpHlevels
affecttheyieldlevelsareunbelievable(SoilpH,n.d.).Basically,becausesoilpHinthis
environmentallyatrociousworldismainlyacidic,biocharusuallymakesitlessacidicandcloser
to7whichendsupincreasingtheamountofyieldoverall.

Grassisoneoftheoldestandmosthistoricplantsonetheplanet.Scientistssaythatgrass
isprobablyaround200,000yearsold(InterestingFactsaboutgrass,n.d.).Moreimportantly,it
consistsof20%oftheworldsvegetation.Grassshealthisveryobvioustothehumaneye
basedoncolorrecognitiongrassisusuallyamoreopaquegreenifitshealthy.


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Materials:
2860gofMiracleGroGardenSoil
100mLgraduatedcylinder
6soilpotswithwaterseepagelids/holes
260gWakeFieldBiochar
ShortHandleMetalScoop
60gVigoroFastGrassseeds
ElectronicScale(onethatisabletomeasurebetween1gramand520
grams)
Ruler(cm)


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Procedure:
1. Get3soilpots
2. Labeloneofthepotsnobiochar
3. Labeloneoftheremainingtwopots10%biochar
4. Labelthelastpot15%biochar
5. Measure520g(canusetheshorthandlemetalscooptomovethesoilintothepot)ona
scaleandpourthesoilintothenobiocharsoilpot(keepwaterseepagelidon)
6. Measure468gramsofsoilandpouritintothe10%biocharsoilpot(keepwater
seepagelidon)
7. Measure52gramsofbiocharandputitintothe10%biocharsoilpot
8. Usetheshorthandlemetalscooptomixthebiocharwiththesoilfor1minute
9. Measure442gramsofbiocharputitintothe15%biocharsoilpot
10. Measure78gramsofbiocharandputitintothe15%biocharsoilpot
11. Repeatstep8
12. Measure10gofgrassseeds
13. Makea2inchdeepholeinthenobiocharpot(userulertomeasure)andpourthe
grassseedsintothehold
14. Spreadtheseedsaroundthepot
15. Repeatsteps1214exceptpourgrassseedsintothe10%biocharpot
16. Repeatsteps1214againexceptthistimepourgrassseedsinto15%biocharpot
17. Atthispointremovethewaterseepagelids/holes
18. Movepotsintoareawithnaturalsunlight
19. Waterallpotswith100mLofwaterforatleast5daysthrougha7dayperiod


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Datagatheringprocedure:
1. Onaflatsurfaceflipthenobiocharpotoveronitsside(preferablyonalargegarbage
toavoidamess).
2. Startgentlymassagingthesoiltobreakthepotshapeitisin
3. Gatherasmanygrassesasyoucanbytherootwithoutrippingthem
4. Startingwherethegrass(sothewhenitsfirstgreen,notwheretherootstarts)begins,
linethemup
5. Pick5oftheofthelongestgrassesandmeasureeachone
6. Findtheaverageofthegrasses
7. Repeatsteps16forthe10%biochar
8. Repeatsteps16forthe15%biochar


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Variables:

IndependentVariables:
Theaveragegrasslengthofthelongergrassesinthepots

DependentVariables:
Theamountofbiocharinthepot

Controls:
Amountofwatergiventoeachpot,massofgrassseeds,massof
eachpotwithandwithoutbiochararekeptconstant.

ControlledVariables:
Thepotwithoutbiocharisacontrolinthe
experimentbecausethereisnobiocharinit.


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DataTables:

FirstTrial61.5
NoBiochar 11.9

12.1

12.3

12.5

12.7

10%
Biochar

13.4

13.4

13.5

13.8

13.9

15%
Biochar

14.1

`14.2

14.3

14.6

14.8

NoBiochar 11.7

11.8

12.1

12.1

12.8

10%
Biochar

13.3

13.6

13.8

13.8

14.5

15%
Biochar

14.1

14.3

14.5

14.6

15.0

SecondTrial


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Graphs:


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DataAnalysis:

HypothesisI:
Whentestingwhethertheadditionofbiocharhasanythingtodo
withthesizeofthegrassitisgrownin,theresultsareirrefutable.Inthe
comparisonbetweenthecontrolpotwithoutbiocharandthepotswithbiochar,in
bothtrialsitisundeniablethattheadditionofbiocharwillincreasethegrasssize.

HypothesisII:
Whentestingwhethermorebiocharmeansmoresizeofproduct,
theresultspointinacertaindirection.Theresultsinbothtrialsshowthatthegrass
growninapotwhere15%ofthemassisbiocharhavelongergrassthanthose
growninthepotwhere10%ofthemassisbiochar.

ExperimentalError:
ExperimentalErrormostlikelyoccurredifitdidduring
experimentation.Inreferencetosunlightthepotswith15%biocharinthemwere
closertothewindowthanthepotswith10%biocharandthepotwithoutbiochar.
Thesunlightexposuremayhavecausedthepotswith15%biochartogrowalittle
more.Alsotheremayhavebeenhumanerrorwhenrecordingthedata,thescientist
couldvebeenmeasuringthegrasswiththerootvs.thegrasswithouttherootas
mentionedintheprocedure.However,overalltheprocedurediditsbesttoavoidas
muchasexperimentalerroraspossible.


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StatisticalAnalysis:
AccordingtothettestsbothtrialswhentestingHypothesisII
haveapthatislessthan.500,andarethusstatisticallysignificant.Thefirst
HypothesisIisquiteobviouslysignificantconsideringtheextraordinarydifference
intheyields.


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Conclusion:
Inconclusion,bothhypothesisIandhypothesisIIweresupportedbythedata.It
canbesaidthatbiocharcanbeusedanaugmenterforgrass,anditcanalsobesaid
thatthemorebiocharthatisusedwhengrowinggrass,thelongerthegrasswillbe.
Inbothtrialsthepotswherethegrasswasgrowninthebiocharhadasignificantly
largeryieldthanthepotwithoutbiochar.Inconclusion,biocharcanserveasa
grassaugmenter.


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Bibliography:

BiocharOverview.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember12,2015,from
http://www.biochar.info/biochar.biocharoverview.cfml

Chappine,P.(n.d.).TheAgriculturalRevolution:Timeline,Causes,Inventions&
Effects.Retrievedfrom
http://study.com/academy/lesson/theagriculturalrevolutiontimelinecausesinven
tionseffects.html

InternationalBiocharInitiative|InternationalBiocharInitiative.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom
http://www.biocharinternational.org/

PHfortheGarden.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom
http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/pubs/oh34.htm

RiceUniversity."Scientiststurnoilysoilintofertileground:Discoveryuseslessenergy
whilereclaimingsoilatoilspills."ScienceDaily.ScienceDaily,20August2015.
<
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150820144852.htm
>.

SoilpH.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/222.html


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WakefieldBiocharBetterSoil.BetterGardens.BetterWorld.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom
http://www.wakefieldbiochar.com/

WhatisBIOMASS?(n.d.).RetrievedNovember9,2015,from
http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/portal/page?_pageid=76,15049&_dad=po
rtal

10InterestingFactsAboutGrassTaskEasyBlog.(2015).RetrievedNovember01,
2015,from
https://www.taskeasy.com/blog/2015/08/10/10interestingfactsaboutgrass/