Author(s) :

Annice Han, Bailee Kim, James Lim, Hannah Chae, Jasmine Liu, Woojoo Park, Elisha Kim, Miguel Shim, Jiyeon Hwang.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Climate change continues to threaten traditional agriculture. As a result, there has been an increased interest in hydroponics as an alternative to the future food supply. However, algae growth in hydroponic systems presents a significant challenge to plant health and productivity. For one, algae growth leads to depleted oxygen and nutrient levels and root rot, notably decreasing the efficiency of vegetation growth. This matter must be addressed by finding a means of controlling the algae blooms within a hydroponic system to yield productive vegetation growth. We hypothesized that adding disinfectants to hydroponic water could be an effective solution to solve this problem. To test our solution, we compared algae growth in a control hydroponic nutrient solution with solutions containing 1% of either 99.5% ethanol, 99% isopropyl alcohol (IPA), 3% bleach, and 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ). Solutions were prepared in 500 mL beakers and exposed to sunlight, with photos taken every 12 hours over 4 days to observe and document the algae growth. Out of four different common disinfectants, H2 O2 was the most effective in inhibiting algae growth. Our findings will enable a cheaper method to control algae growth in hydroponics using commonly available disinfectant which is 3% H2 O2 .