Explainer: As Sargassum Seaweed Piles up, Caribbean Bets on Boats, Barriers and Biofuel

by Sarah Morland (Reuters) Hundreds of Mexican hotel workers, tractor operators and specialized Navy personnel are heading out to the beach each day at dawn to clean record masses of rotting sargassum seaweed off pristine Caribbean coastlines around popular tourist resorts.

The seasonal phenomenon has caused hotels across the Caribbean to cut rates and invest millions of dollars in clearing up piles of the foul-smelling algae from their beaches, while governments and businesses look for solutions.

Mass of sargassum seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean

The overabundance of sargassum has inspired a number of entrepreneurs to try to turn the seaweed into new energy sources or lucrative commercial products, overcoming challenges such as safely removing toxic metals absorbed into the algae.

Environment Minister Alicia Barcena said that of close to 200 projects in Mexico at least 11 ⁠had the potential for scaling up industrially and 39 were already making products, ranging from fuel, fertilizers, laminates and bioplastics to craft sandals.

Felix Navarrete, an executive at sargassum refiner Carbonwave, said his company was already selling fertilizer abroad and, after receiving a regulatory nod from Mexico's sanitary watchdog, was now looking to sell to domestic farmers.

Carbonwave is also looking to supply materials to the cosmetic and textile ⁠sectors. The state government of Quintana Roo, meanwhile, plans to expand a biofuel plant in Cancun.

While Caribbean government and industry leaders have warned of the scale of the crisis, they also urge tourists to keep visiting their beaches and make the most of their vacations by staying up to date and opting for less-affected areas.

Mexico is set to host a joint European Union-Caribbean conference on sargassum in early October in Cancun, where representatives will discuss how to expand sargassum collection while protecting beaches and coral reefs. READ MORE