Materials List: The Great Algae Race

Each group needs:

To share with the entire class:

  • (optional) computer with Internet access and projector to show students a short online video
  • pond water, collected from a local pond, lake or river
  • large bottle(s) for collecting pond water; enough for 200 ml per group
  • bucket of tap water that has been left sitting out at room temperature for 24 hours (to help the chlorine dissipate); need at least 1.27 liters per group
  • graduated cylinder
  • coffee filter, to filter the pond water
  • large Mason jar(s) or other soda or water bottles, to hold the filtered pond water
  • liquid plant fertilizer, any type
  • spoon
  • permanent markers, for marking plastic bottles
  • graph paper, colored pencils/markers, for plotting graphs
  • bleach, a small amount to add to the photobioreactor bottle contents (algae) before disposal
https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/usf_biorecycling_lesson01_activity2