THINK 2010 Home-Grown Project Category Winners



Finalist: ALBERT CUI

East Midvale, Utah
Hillcrest High School

Project Title

Novel Demonstration of CO2 Enhanced Precipitation Treatment of Heavy Metals in Wastewater

Abstract

Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah is the world’s largest open pit mine. Because of this, Kennecott produces large amounts of CO2 and wastewater containing heavy metals This requires a method to treat the wastewater and a means of reducing or utilizing the CO2 produced from the mining and refining operations.
The objectives of this project were (1) to determine the optimum pH to remove heavy metals from synthetic wastewater, (2) to observe the effects of CO2 reaction on heavy metals removal, and (3) to identify the most efficient means of removing heavy metals from synthetic wastewater.
This study was conducted through inducing of metal precipitation with three different precipitants, hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2), soda ash (Na2CO3), and Polythiocarbonate (PTR-1). Carbone dioxide was also introduced into the lime treated water in order to improve the metal removal efficiency. And ferric chloride (FeCl3) was used to increase the arsenic removal.
The results indicated that solubility of the heavy metals is highly pH dependent. When pH was at 10.8, Na2CO3 had 98% of total metal removed. Furthermore; introducing the CO2 bubbling procedure into lime treated sample at pH8.3 increased the metal removal efficiency from 24% to 94%.
The combination of the CO2 emitted from the mining and refining processes and lime to treat the waste water, creates a nearly closed loop industrial system. And as lime is a relatively cheap reagent, this produces both a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution.




Semi-finalist: TANYA PETACH

Boulder, Colorado
Fairview High School

Project Title

Mitigation of Soil Liquefaction with Magnetic Fields

Abstract

New Zealand straddles two tectonic plates, has high water tables and steep slopes, and is thus prone to liquefaction following earthquakes. Existing structures are difficult to protect during intense earthquake activity. My study attempted to mitigate liquefaction by applying magnetic fields to soils containing iron particles. Liquefaction was studied in a shaking chamber which emulated the shaking frequency/magnitude of an earthquake. The magnetic force reduced liquefaction in sandy soil by 50% during the 80 second test and delayed the onset of liquefaction in a blended silt/sand soil.
A remote sensing study of Gisborne, New Zealand identified soil slides that occurred during the earthquake. Slide areas were similar to the sandy soil studied in the shaking chamber.
The magnetic force mitigation strategy that reduced liquefaction in sandy soils would be applicable to regions that exhibited liquefaction during the New Zealand earthquake.




Semi-finalist: SAGAR RAMBHIA

Jericho, New York
Jericho Senior High School

Project Title

Computerized Diagnosis of Myocarditis Utilizing Conventional Electrocardigraphs to Augment Current Clinical Practice

Abstract

Approximately 70 million Americans live daily, inflammation of the myocardium. Unfortunately, present methods for detecting myocarditis, such as blood testing and cardiac catheterization, are invasive and inaccurate. Additionally, myocarditis is commonly misdiagnosed, further adding to the economic and societal burdens of current practices. In this study, a robust algorithm was devised, using MATLAB 7.5.0, to identify abnormalities in the electrical activity of the myocardium. This algorithm was applied to electrocardiograms (ECG) from patients with myocarditis in order to attenuate interferences within the signal and filter the signal based on specific morphological alterations of the R-component within the QRS waveform. This automated test is completed in 2 minutes; able to distinguish between healthy and afflicted patients with a success rate of 95.6 %. The implications of this study include the optimization of current detection methods, making them efficient, non-invasive, and more accurate. This study holds immense promise for the effective detection of myocarditis, as well as other prevalent diseases.