Determining Optimal Soil Buffering Conditions
Agriculture is important to the lives of humans all over the world. In order to successfully feed a mass population, such as the United States, the ideal conditions in which to grow crops needs to be studied. Various conditions are analyzed, one of them being the pH level of the soil. Most crops grow well in soil with pH levels between 6.0 and 8.0. The pH level of soil can vary from region to region. In order to manipulate soil pH to meet ideal conditions, agriculturists can use buffer solutions to change the pH level. A buffer solution resists changes in pH when acid or alkali is added to it. Typically, buffers are made of a weak acid/alkali and a salt.
This research was conducted in order to determine if a buffer solution would be able to maintain the pH level that the soil began with if exposed to acid rain. This could allow for regions with poor soil to have a higher crop yield, due to the fact that the pH level would still be appropriate for sufficient plant growth. The conducted research is relevant to agriculturists who grow crops in the U.S. due to the fact that it could improve the yield of crops as well as minimize losses.
To conduct this experiment, buffer solution was added to soil followed by 0.5 M sulfuric acid to simulate acid rain. The pH level was measured following each addition. Using the data, a two sample t-test was used to compare the pH between solution additions. After careful calculation, comparison and analysis, it was concluded that buffer solutions are ineffective in the Colorado region. Also, pH 9.0 buffer solution is most effective in the California region, as well as Florida. Finally, both pH 9.0 and pH 12.0 buffer solutions are effective in Michigan.
Research Conducted By:
Rosemary Hermiz
Fitzgerald High School
Kaitlyn Switniak
Center Line High School
Warren Consolidated Schools