Harmful Algae Blooms: An Untapped Resource

(Bio Market Insights) ... They source excess algal sludge from natural habitats all over the world, processing it into algae-based resin pellets trademarked under the brand name BLOOM. Manufacturers can blend BLOOM pellets with conventional petrochemical-based materials.

Ryan Hunt encountered the plastic potential of algae as a graduate student at the University of Georgia. Under heat and pressure, blue-green algae turn into polymers that have similar properties to their petrochemical counterparts. Unlike other feedstock like sugarcane and corn, algae do not compete with food agriculture for space and energy inputs. This especially applies to algae drawn from toxic blooms. Algae also have a much faster growth rate than land plants. This rapid growth is the bane of communities afflicted by the blooms, but it is a boon for Algix. It ensures an abundant and free supply of material that reduces overall costs for the business.

Yet there are drawbacks to using wild stock. “The composition of algae blooms can vary, and the ability to harvest and process them into value is very challenging. The composition of algae blooms does not generally contain oils for biofuels, nor are they pure enough to be used for food or supplements.” Algix had initially wanted to break into the lucrative algal biofuels industry but decided to capitalise on the properties of wild blooms instead – their high protein content.

Algix’s first-ever product was an algae-based flexible foam that adds spring and comfort to footwear. This is BLOOM EVA, an acronym that stands for ethylene-vinyl acetate. Normally made from petrochemicals, this material is common in sports equipment. One hundred percent algae-based plastic is too brittle for industrial applications but when blended with conventional EVA however, it produces a resilient material with a reduced carbon footprint. BLOOM EVA was first rolled out as a foam traction pad for surfboards and is now used in shoes, sporting products, and accessories.

These biopolymers are just as difficult to recycle as normal plastics. “Polymers are polymers, they come in thousands of ‘flavors’ and the laws of physics and chemistry apply equally to both”, explains Ryan. “For thermoplastics, polymers that can melt and be re-processed, have a fundamental issue where the physical properties degrade slightly with each cycle.” However, algae biopolymers do cut down on resource use, energy use, and water use. Blending them with conventional materials makes for products that hold net environmental benefits.

Algix has devised that rare business model that combines manufacture with environmental remediation. The company initially started out cultivating algae that fed on wastewater effluents. They set up raceway ponds and enclosed photobioreactors for growing feedstock near power plants. Here, their algae could grow on the nutrient-rich by-products from energy generation. Only algal species that metabolised pollutants efficiently were selected.

After being fed on wastewater, the algae is harvested dried, milled, and turned into polymer resin pellets.

Alongside rearing algae on industrial effluents, they are also hoovering up wild algal blooms from natural habitats. These projects are conducted in partnership with government agencies and contractors. Recently, they have been contracted by the Chinese government to clean up Lake Tai in the Yangtze Delta, one of the largest freshwater lakes in China. “The Lake Tai operation produces copious amounts of algae biomass as a by-product from harvesting algae and filtering water to clean the lake.”

Cyanobacteria blooms were also causing trouble closer to home. In 2016 the Florida governor declared a state of emergency over the issue. The state’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Okeechobee, filled with toxic slime that spread to beaches along the eastern coast. The bloom contaminated drinking water, emptied tourist sites and drained the local economy. The species behind this outbreak was Lyngbya. It is harmful to animals, producing symptoms like skin rashes and severe respiratory issues.

Algix’s patented trailer-mounted mobile algae harvesting units were deployed. These use an ‘air floatation technology’ for drawing out algae in a targeted manner. Microscopic air bubbles attach to algae and sediment, separating them from clear water.

By 2018, their algae clean-up partnership was in full swing. In that year, another emergency had been declared by the state. This time, AECOM was granted $700, 000im state funding to remove Florida’s algae. It collected around 417, 5000 gallons of algal slurry from 23 sites. This contract was a test pilot programme but more government work could be coming their way. A bill passed its first committee stop in November 2021 that would require the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to procure technology for removing harmful algae from water bodies.