The effectiveness of different catalysts during biofuel production was investigated to determine if a heterogeneous catalyst, eggshells, could perform as well as a traditional homogenous catalyst, Sodium Hydroxide. Eggshells add up to a significant amount of waste each year. If they were repurposed, that would not only get rid of that waste factor but also serve as an alternative to fossil fuels. The biodiesel was synthesized from sunflower oil. The amount of each catalyst was fixed at 2.25 grams and the yield of each fuel was documented. Fifty milliliters of the fuels produced were individually tested to measure their efficiency. The fuels were tested in a pop-can calorimeter. The pre-calculated combustion of ethanol in said calorimeter was used as a baseline for calculating relative efficiency. From there, we were able to determine the richness of the fuels produced by the two catalysts. The biodiesel catalyzed by Sodium Hydroxide produced 38.17 kilojoules per gram and the one catalyzed by Waste Egg shells produced 34.81 kilojoules per gram.

Phytoplankton, one of the primary sources of dissolved oxygen in marine ecosystems, are dependent upon nutrients for growth. However, there is evidence that eutrophication, the overabundance of nutrients, can lead to hypoxia in marine ecosystems. Because they are a primary source of dissolved oxygen and are dependent upon nutrients, phytoplankton density can indicate how nutrients are affecting dissolved oxygen at depth. It was hypothesized that an increase in phosphates, nitrates, and nitrites would correlate with an increase in phytoplankton density. Furthermore, it was predicted that with greater phytoplankton density there would be a greater difference in dissolved oxygen at the halocline versus dissolved oxygen 30 meters below the halocline. This study used data collected from 2016 to 2019 by students at the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) at two sampling stations in Possession Sound, WA. Water was collected and sent to the University of Washington Marine Chemistry Lab for nutrient analysis. Phytoplankton density was calculated using samples collected during 3-minute horizontal tows at the halocline. Dissolved oxygen data was collected using a YSI Exo2 Sonde at different depths. Preliminary results suggest that greater levels of phosphates, nitrates, and nitrites may show a steeper oxycline due to an increase in density of phytoplankton from the nutrients. The potential for hypoxia is increasing because of anthropogenic nutrients, so understanding the influence humans have over nutrients in marine environments is critical. This study will help us to understand how humans are influencing Possession Sound and marine ecosystems as a whole as a result of the impact of nutrients on phytoplankton and dissolved oxygen.