Drop By Drop

The high schooler began by studying drought. “If you don’t understand the problem fully, you won’t understand whether or not your solution is effective,” she says.

Kiara learned that some rain usually does fall during droughts—just not enough. She wondered if she could capture raindrops that do fall and store them in the soil. The stored water could seep out over time to nourish crops.

Kiara researched absorbent materials, like those used in diapers. Some of these substances can soak up hundreds of times their own weight in liquid. But many of them are expensive and toxic to eat. Kiara needed something that was cheap and safe to use on crops. 

After hunting for a natural moisture absorber, Kiara discovered orange peels. The peels contain a substance called pectin. Because pectin absorbs water, it’s used to thicken foods like jam.

Orange peels are cheap because they’re usually thrown out. They also break down without harming the environment. Kiara suspected she could use orange peels to store moisture for plants. But she had to test her idea.

The high schooler began by studying drought. “If you don’t understand the problem fully, you won’t understand whether or not your solution is effective,” she says.

Kiara learned that some rain usually does fall during droughts. It’s just not enough. She wondered if she could capture raindrops that do fall. Then they could be stored in the soil. The stored water could seep out over time. That would help water crops.

Kiara researched materials that soak up a lot of water. Some of these substances are used in things like diapers. They can soak up hundreds of times their own weight in liquid. But many of them are expensive. And they are toxic to eat. Kiara needed something that was cheap. It also had to be safe to use on crops.

Kiara hunted for something that would naturally soak up moisture. She found orange peels. The peels contain a substance called pectin. Pectin absorbs water. That’s why it’s used to thicken foods like jam.

Orange peels are cheap because they’re usually thrown out. They also break down without harming the environment. Kiara suspected she could use orange peels to store moisture for plants. But she had to test her idea.

Kiara whipped up three recipes containing orange peel: a liquid, a powder, and a mixture that also included avocado skin and lemon juice. She did three experiments to determine the best one. First, she tested which material absorbed the most water. Then she blended each into a pot of soil and measured how much the soil dried out over time. Finally, she grew plants in soil with each material. She watered each plant a tiny amount, then monitored its health.

The tests had a clear winner: the mixture of orange peel, avocado skin, and lemon juice. Soil with this material in it held on to the most water. The plant lived without being watered for three weeks.

Kiara entered her project in the international Google Science Fair, where it won the grand prize last year. She hopes to make more of the mixture and give it to farmers to use on crops during droughts.

Kiara encourages other kids to tackle big problems. “Even if you’re young, you still have the ability to create something world-changing,” she says.

Kiara whipped up three recipes containing orange peel. One was a liquid. One was a powder. The last was a mixture that also included avocado skin and lemon juice. She did three experiments. They helped her determine which mixture was best. First, she tested which material absorbed the most water. Next, she blended each into a pot of soil. She then measured how much the soil dried out over time. Finally, she grew plants in soil with each material. She watered each plant a tiny amount. Then she monitored their health.

The tests had a clear winner. It was the orange peel, avocado skin, and lemon juice mixture. Soil with this material in it held on to the most water. The plant lived without being watered for three weeks.

Kiara entered her project in the international Google Science Fair. It won the grand prize last year. She hopes to make more of the mixture. Then she can give it to farmers to use on crops during droughts.

Kiara urges other kids to tackle big problems. “Even if you’re young, you still have the ability to create something world-changing,” she says.