http://www.rebeccasenft.com/contact daily 0.75 2015-11-26 http://www.rebeccasenft.com/about-me daily 1.0 2021-08-05 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/5ea9fce3cf019f59028a6c03/1588198634103/becca.png About Me http://www.rebeccasenft.com/birla-carbon daily 0.75 2021-08-18 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611d59fdffda7c540b0255f7/1629313758410/BC-graph-1.png Birla Carbon - Make it stand out Total number of compounds identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy over time. Chemical diversity decreased in trays with plants, while diversity in the control tray increased. We believe this suggests that the addition of competition (caused by adding more plants) changes the chemicals produced by microbial activity and possibly algae in this experiment. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611d5a312822b306a7a2c82d/1629328226617/BC-graph-3.png Birla Carbon - Make it stand out Changes in percent composition of selected organic chemicals detected in hydroponic solution over time. Changes were not consistent in all three trays. The English Ivy tray saw results much different than the native and control tray. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611d5a10692e5c385d20f601/1629328024759/BC-graph-2.png Birla Carbon - Make it stand out The ten most-abundant compounds by percent composition in each tray on days 14, 28 and 42. In every tray, chemical diversity decreased over time. One chemical became the major contributor in https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/61166c145e27253698eb4da4/1628859427401/Copy+of+Trays+D1+vs+D60.png Birla Carbon https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/61166e8b84d6894d4e7c150e/1628860045648/Screenshot+2021-08-13+090715.png Birla Carbon - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. http://www.rebeccasenft.com/birla-carbon/methods daily 0.75 2021-08-18 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611d499d657a67649949a4d7/1629309374711/IMG_9480.jpg Birla Carbon Methods - Using Activated Carbon In this project, we absorbed chemicals present in the water by using activated carbon. Activated carbon is a type of carbon that contains small pores, that allow for absorpotion of chemicals in compounds. We took samples of the chemicals in the water at day 14, 28, and 42 by placing activated carbon into mesh baggies inline with the circulation pump of the hydroponics system. The activated carbon was allowed to soak up the chemicals for 5 days before we took it back to the lab for processesing. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611c283c3237d114d33f8afa/1629235546232/IMG_9447.jpg Birla Carbon Methods - Why a hydroponic set up? Hydroponic systems allow you to grow plants in a water medium instead of soil. Because soil contains a lot of non-plant activity, it can be hard to trace any specific chemical back to its original source. Hydroponics provide a simplier picture, as there is better control over the environment. For this experiment, we set up three hydroponic systems that contained a water resevoir, circulator pump, and trays that housed the plants. All three set up were identical and only varied in what was placed in the trays. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611d4c21365e1930c5ce4140/1629309997282/Screenshot+2021-08-18+140607.png Birla Carbon Methods - Analyzing the Sample The sample was tested using Gas Chromotography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). GC-MS is an analytical chemistry method that identifies chemicals within a solution. The GC-MS evaporates the solution onto a coil inside the machine. Then, the GC-MS slowly increases the temperature. Because different chemicals vaporize at different temperatures, the GC-MS can identify the chemicals the solution contains based on the points where it sees vaporization points. The result is a chromotagram (to the left), which shows peak points where every chemical vaporized. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5654e92ce4b00f188f22cdc4/t/611d4ab13a838915de4c0c4c/1629309637581/Screenshot+2021-08-18+135718.png Birla Carbon Methods - Processing the Carbon We took the carbon back to the lab where we allowed it to desorb in a 50/50 mix of sodium hydroxide and methanol for 24 hours. Organic compounds in the resulting solution were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl ether. The result was concentrated using liquid evaporation. http://www.rebeccasenft.com/birla-carbon/results daily 0.75 2021-08-18