Surf Diaries 2005

Rain, Rain, Go Away … Come Again Another Day

SURF Student Works to Prevent Acid Precipitation

Acid precipitation has been a problem since the Industrial Revolution. It negatively impacts our rainforests and our streams. It eats away at the paint on our cars and can even affect our respiratory health. But Randolph-Macon College student Susan Borowski is determined to put a stop to it – or at least one of its main triggers.

This summer Susan, a junior and chemistry and environmental studies double major at Randolph-Macon, explored ways to remove sulfur from coal and in turn, squelch one of the primary causes of acid precipitation. Susan was one of many students participating in the college’s 2005 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.

Studies show that emissions of sulfur dioxide are responsible for 60 to 70 percent of the acid deposition that occurs globally. Furthermore, one of the main sources of sulfur is coal burning. Accordingly, for her SURF project, Susan worked to create a bi-metallic compound to act as a catalyst. She then took a carbon-hydrogen-sulfur group, reacted it with the newly created catalyst and tried to break the carbon-sulfur bonds. If successful, she then would have been able to remove the sulfur from the coal and eliminate one of the main causes of acid rain.

“SURF is an excellent way to apply what I’ve learned and learn more things in my field,” said the Hillsdale, N.J., native, who will present her findings at the American Chemist Society’s annual conference next spring. “I also can continue this research throughout this year, next summer and into my senior year. This is a great opportunity and in the end, I will have a wealth of research to support my senior thesis.”

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