Duckweed, dairying pollution research wins NRC award

MEDIA RELEASE

Date: 03 September, 2013

Duckweed, dairying pollution research wins NRC award

A Kerikeri High School student’s study into using duckweed to reduce nitrogen in farm dairy effluent runoff has earned him this year’s Northland Regional Council ‘Excellence Award’ at the Top Energy Far North Science and Technology Fair.

Jesse Prendergast’s project ‘CleaN2’ (subs: N2, not NZ) was one of 191 science fair entries involving 250 students from 14 Far North schools.

The science fair – which began in 1978 – was held over three days recently (subs: August 28-30) at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri and is organised by Far North science teachers.

The Northland Regional Council prize contributes $1000 towards the cost of the winner’s university studies and must be used within three years.

Jesse, a Year 13 (seventh form) student from Kerikeri, plans to use his award in 2014 to study towards the four-year Bachelor of Engineering with honours (BEHons) in engineering science at the University of Auckland.

The 17-year-old hopes to work towards a research-based career or one in business focussing on using science to create products (particularly those reducing waste) that contribute to environmental sustainability.

Jesse also won a science fair gold award recognising outstanding achievement and the opportunity to be nominated for New Zealand’s annual Realise the Dream science event in December.  Just 20 students are selected from science fairs around the country to attend the week-long event.

The science fair investigation that won his NRC award represented about 100 hours’ work over six months and was in part based on his desire to improve New Zealand’s environmental sustainability.

“Too much nitrogen is hazardous to waterways, causing significant health problems for New Zealand’s rivers and streams,” Jesse says.  “It results in excessive weed growth causing huge oxygen fluctuations in the water.”

Jesse added nitrogen to water samples until levels matched those found in dairy farm effluent ponds. He then experimented with duckweed, finding the small, free-floating plant, which grows on the water’s surface, reduced nitrogen concentrations by up to 95 percent.

He experimented on samples containing nitrogen in various forms including ammonia, urea and nitrate.

As a general rule of thumb, he found 10 grams of duckweed per litre of water would reduce the quantity of nitrogen compounds by 550 milligrams.

Jesse is now looking to extend his work through further on-farm research with dairy farmers, in preparation for his Realise the Dream nomination to be sent to Wellington early next month.

He first entered science fairs as a 10-year-old Year Seven student.

This was followed by entries in Years Eight and Nine, however, a major fire that destroyed Kerikeri High School’s science laboratory meant he did not enter in Years 10 and 11.

Kerikeri High School student Jesse Prendergast, winner of the 2013 Northland Regional Council’s ‘Excellence Award’ at the Top Energy Far North Science and Technology Fair.  Jesse, 17, is pictured with his science investigation at the fair. (subs: Fri 30 Aug).

ENDS

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