Pumpkin
Purification
Removal of Toxic Metals from an
Aqueous Solution Using Curcurbita
Agricultural Waste Products
Lauren Hodge
Dallastown Area High School
INTRODUCTION
IDEA FORMATION



Review of Journal Article
York Flood
Garden Observation
INTRODUCTION



Why do banana peels work?
Compounds in pumpkin
Hypothesis
INTRODUCTION




Purpose of this research
Dosage dependent?
Lead versus chromium?
Is concentration a factor?
RESEARCH
Graphs courtesy of the United States Geological Survey
RESEARCH
WATER POLLUTION: A Problem Limited to Developing Countries?
RESEARCH
WATER POLLUTION: A Problem Limited to Developing Countries?
INCORRECT!!!!!!
• Exists globally, nationally, and
locally
• 12,531 pounds of toxic metals
flow through the Susquehanna
daily
RESEARCH
CURRENT REMOVAL METHODS

Chemical Precipitation

Ion Exchange

Reverse Osmosis

Phytoremediation

Adsorption- activated carbon, resins
RESEARCH
AGRICULTURAL WASTE PRODUCTS


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Apple Waste
Corncobs
Cereal Crops
Barks and Leaves
Sawdust
Banana Peel
RESEARCH
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL BIOMASS

Lignocellulosic biomass: plant biomass that contains cellulose,
hemicellulose, and lignon

Cellulose: organic structural component compound found in plants, polysaccharide
with a linear chain
Hemicellulose: similar to cellulose but has shorter chains that branch
Lignon: organic polymer, gives the plants structure


cellulose
hemicellulose
lignon
RESEARCH
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL BIOMASS


Carboxylic groups: organic acid, has at least 1 carboxyl group
Phenolic groups: also organic, has phenolic ring
Carboxylic acid
Phenolic ring
PROCEDURE
Preparation of Pumpkin (Stage 1):


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Four pumpkins were washed, stems and seeds removed, and sliced to
uniform thickness
Pumpkin slices were dehydrated using residential oven for approximately
four hours
After strips were thoroughly cooled, they were placed into blender and
pulverized
Pumpkin powder was stored in sanitized, labeled glass jars
3.00 g of sieved pumpkin powder from each pumpkin was combined and
mixed to create a homogeneous mixture of 12.0 g.
PROCEDURE
Preparation of Metal Ion Solutions (Stage 2):
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1 ppm solutions were prepared by pouring 4 ml of 1,000 ppm stock solution
into 250 ml volumetric flask (done for lead and chromium)
5 ppm were then prepared by pouring 20 ml of 1,000 ppm stock solution
into 250 ml volumeteric flask (done for lead and chromium)
Deionized water was added to prepare solutions with total volume of 250 ml
This resulted in four solutions: 250 ml of lead in 1 ppm, 250 ml of lead in 5
ppm, 250 ml of chromium in 1 ppm, 250 ml of chromium in 5 ppm
Automatic pH probe was calibrated and solutions were titrated with sodium
hydroxide in order to increase pH
PROCEDURE
Combining Pumpkin Powder and Metal Solutions (Stage 3):
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15 ml of each of the four metal solutions were poured into six labeled
centrifuge tubes resulting in 24 experimental samples
Appropriate pumpkin dosage was then added (either 0.050 g or 0.50 g)
13 additional control samples were also prepared
All samples were placed onto Orbital Shake Table overnight
Samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for five minutes
Samples were then vacuum filtered using 45 micron filter paper for 30 secs
Filtered samples were transferred to labeled ICP vials and run through ICP
DATA
LEAD PRESENT- Before and after treatment
Concentration (ppm)
1.2
1
100%
(1.06)
0.8
0.6
0.4
32.5%
(0.344)
0.2
0
Control
0.50 g
Samples
15.4%
(0.174)
0.05 g
DATA
LEAD PRESENT- Before and after treatment
Concentration (ppm)
5
4
100%
(4.72)
3
2
22.5%
(1.06)
1
21.1%
(0.996)
0
Control
0.50 g
Samples
0.05 g
DATA
CHROMIUM PRESENT- Before and after treatment
Concentration (ppm)
1
0.8
100%
(0.991)
70.0%
(0.694)
0.6
61.7%
(0.611)
0.4
0.2
0
Control
0.50 g
Samples
0.05 g
DATA
CHROMIUM PRESENT- Before and after treatment
Concentration (ppm)
5
4
100%
(4.81)
71.3%
(3.43)
3
59.9%
(2.88)
2
1
0
Control
0.50 g
Samples
0.05 g
CONCLUSION
LEAD PRESENT- Before and after treatment

General Conclusion
Concentration (ppm)
1.2
1
100%
(1.06)
0.8
0.6
0.4
32.5%
(0.344)
0.2
0
Control
0.50 g
15.4%
(0.174)
0.05 g
Samples
Pumpkin Dosage
LEAD PRESENT- Before and after treatment
5
Concentration (ppm)

4
100%
(4.72)
3
2
22.5%
(1.06)
1
21.1%
(0.996)
0
Control
0.50 g
Samples
0.05 g
CONCLUSION
CHROMIUM PRESENT- Before and after treatment

General Conclusion
Concentration (ppm)
1
0.8
100%
(0.991)
70.0%
(0.694)
0.6
61.7%
(0.611)
0.4
0.2
0
Control
0.50 g
0.05 g
Samples
CHROMIUM PRESENT- Before and after treatment
Pumpkin Dosage
5
Concentration (ppm)

4
100%
(4.81)
71.3%
(3.43)
3
59.9%
(2.88)
2
1
0
Control
0.50 g
Samples
0.05 g