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Soil Pollution Science Fair Project

Propylene Glycol Antifreeze and Radish Growth

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Propylene Glycol Antifreeze and Radish Growth | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does antifreeze in irrigation water kill plants? You grow four groups of radishes under a heat lamp. Two groups get water mixed with propylene glycol antifreeze at different concentrations: 0.5% and 1.0%. The other two groups get pure water as controls. You water every group on the same schedule and check daily for signs of growth. When one group dies, you pull all the radishes and weigh each group on a balance. The mass of each group shows how different concentrations of antifreeze affect radish growth. This project helps illustrate how common pollutants in water can damage crops.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the greater the concentration of propylene glycol used to water radishes, the less they will grow.

Method & Materials

You will prepare the work station, prepare the planting cups, make a list of the antifreeze concentrations, hang a heat lamp, create the propylene glycol mixtures, water the plants, check for signs of growth, record data, and pull out the radishes when one of the groups has died.
You will need 216 radish seeds, 180 potting cups, 1 bag of planting soil, 1 plastic sheet, 5 gallons of 1.0% propylene glycol and 99.0% H2O, 5 gallons of 0.5% propylene glycol and 99.5% H2O, 10 gallons of 100.0% H2O, 1 small plastic sheet, and 1 heat lamp.

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Results

The results of the experiment showed that the plants watered with 1.0% propylene glycol died, and the plants watered with 0.5% propylene glycol grew poorly. This indicates that the hypothesis should be accepted.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it tests the effect of a pollutant on a plant, which can help us understand how pollutants can affect the environment.

Also Consider

Variations to consider include testing the effect of different types of antifreeze, different amounts of antifreeze, and different types of plants.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
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