Overview
For the past 5 years, I have been developing a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and easy to implement method to prevent Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) using Stropharia Mycelium, or the root structure of the Stropharia Mushroom. My research started when I was in 8th grade (Phase 1) and had read an article about the research of Paul Stamets, who used Stropharia Mycelium to remove E.coli from storm water, coining the term Mycofiltration, which means, "use of mycelium to filter water." Having been intrigued, I was curious to test what else Stropharia Mycelium could filter, particularly in ground water. To find out, I designed and created groundwater simulators by drilling holes in garden trays and stacking them on top of each other with Jenga blocks in the middle to separate them. I filled the simulators with contaminated soil, added a layer of Stropharia Spawn, and poured rainwater over the top-most tray. Then I collected the rainwater leachate, or simulated groundwater, from the trays and tested it using color-chart test kits. Upon comparison with a control group, I discovered that Stropharia Mycelium can reduce Nitrate, Phosphate, and Chloride levels in groundwater.
Later that year, Reservoir #3 fell victim to a HAB. The reservoir is a local nature reserve and prior to the HAB, it had lots of recreational activities such as fishing and kayaking. After doing more research on HABs, I realized that my 8th grade research with Stropharia Mycelium could be used to prevent HABs because excess Nitrate and Phosphate are the main causes of HABs. Thus, I embarked on my five phase/year journey to prevent HABs. Next year in high school (Phase 2), I tested the rapid Nitrate and Phosphate filtration abilities of Stropharia Mycelium using more reliable water-testing methods. Sadly, my results were inconclusive due to an unexpected reaction with a testing reagent. Next year in Phase 3, I retested the filtration abilities of Stropharia Mycelium in two different self-designed systems, a Pump Filtration System (PFS) and a Funnel Filtration System (FFS), with improved water testing methods. The PFS continually pumped pre-contaminated water from a bucket onto the mycelium inside of a funnel whose spout led back into the bucket, thus allowing for the same pre-contaminated water to be filtered numerous times. The FFS ran pre-contaminated water through the mycelium inside of a funnel and tested its rapid-filtration abilities. My results supported my discovery from Phase 1 and led me to the 4th phase of my research. In this phase, I implemented Stropharia Mycelium in simulated agricultural sites, which are the leading cause of Nitrate and Phosphate pollution. For this phase, I connected with Dr. Yang Deng, a professor at Montclair State University and he let me use his laboratory to test my water samples to get more accurate data. The purpose of Phase 4 was to determine the potential of Stropharia Mycofiltration field-implementation for the current Phase 5, where I am conducting a field study at a local park with a HAB stricken pond. It is my long-range goal to get Stropharia Mycofiltration approved by the USDA and implemented at farms and feedlots nationwide as an open-source filtration method. Because of the low-costliness of growing Stropharia Mycelium and its durability, implementation of my research could potentially be the solution to HABs.
Later that year, Reservoir #3 fell victim to a HAB. The reservoir is a local nature reserve and prior to the HAB, it had lots of recreational activities such as fishing and kayaking. After doing more research on HABs, I realized that my 8th grade research with Stropharia Mycelium could be used to prevent HABs because excess Nitrate and Phosphate are the main causes of HABs. Thus, I embarked on my five phase/year journey to prevent HABs. Next year in high school (Phase 2), I tested the rapid Nitrate and Phosphate filtration abilities of Stropharia Mycelium using more reliable water-testing methods. Sadly, my results were inconclusive due to an unexpected reaction with a testing reagent. Next year in Phase 3, I retested the filtration abilities of Stropharia Mycelium in two different self-designed systems, a Pump Filtration System (PFS) and a Funnel Filtration System (FFS), with improved water testing methods. The PFS continually pumped pre-contaminated water from a bucket onto the mycelium inside of a funnel whose spout led back into the bucket, thus allowing for the same pre-contaminated water to be filtered numerous times. The FFS ran pre-contaminated water through the mycelium inside of a funnel and tested its rapid-filtration abilities. My results supported my discovery from Phase 1 and led me to the 4th phase of my research. In this phase, I implemented Stropharia Mycelium in simulated agricultural sites, which are the leading cause of Nitrate and Phosphate pollution. For this phase, I connected with Dr. Yang Deng, a professor at Montclair State University and he let me use his laboratory to test my water samples to get more accurate data. The purpose of Phase 4 was to determine the potential of Stropharia Mycofiltration field-implementation for the current Phase 5, where I am conducting a field study at a local park with a HAB stricken pond. It is my long-range goal to get Stropharia Mycofiltration approved by the USDA and implemented at farms and feedlots nationwide as an open-source filtration method. Because of the low-costliness of growing Stropharia Mycelium and its durability, implementation of my research could potentially be the solution to HABs.