By Erica G. '02
The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the abilities of bioremediation, along with the
fungus Chaetomium globosum, in the decomposition of newsprint paper. To complete this
experiment, six test tubes were inoculated with the fungus, and six were left without fungus as
controls. Four days later, newspaper strips were added to each of the test tubes and left to
decompose for one week. After the week was over, the strips were removed and dried. They were
then massed on balance scales in grams, and the measurements were recorded in a notebook.
After completing this experiment, it was found that Chaetomium globosum was effective in
decomposing newspaper. The average mass of the strips with fungus was 0.054g, while the
average without was 0.057g. Though this difference was minimal, it shows the small but
significant increase Chaetomium globosum
had on the decomposition rate of newspaper.