New algae-fighting technology gives Pahokee residents hope
PAHOKEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A new health alert has been issued for the Pahokee City Marina by the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County. The alert warns of possible harmful blue-green algal toxins after surface water samples were taken on Sept. 7.
Health officials are urging the public should exercise caution in and around this area.
But there’s new hope in the fight against blue-green algae.
Moleaer, the leading nanobubble technology company, is announcing a research collaboration with The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University to study the impact of nanobubble technology on tackling harmful algae in a Lake Okeechobee marina.
Nanobubbles are invisible to the naked eye and 2,500 times smaller than a single grain of table salt.
Bubbles at this scale remain suspended in water for long periods, enabling highly efficient oxygen transfer and supersaturation of dissolved gas in liquids. This oxygenation can reduce and prevent contaminants such as algae, algae toxins, pathogens, and other organic materials.
This study starts with Moleaer’s ClearTM nanobubble generators being installed in the Pahokee Marina in the City of Pahokee.
In Florida, algal blooms have been increasing in number and severity as a result of increased nutrient loading and climate change.
The Pahokee City Marina has been selected because it is a microcosm of Lake Okeechobee and prone to harmful algal blooms.
MORE COVERAGE: ALGAE EMERGENCY
Dr. Barry Rosen, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, says, “I am testing this technology’s efficacy in the prevention and treatment of cyanobacterial blooms in the field. This study will allow a better understanding if we can push the algal community away from a harmful cyanobacteria bloom and towards one that has a balance of primary producers.”
Harmful algae blooms have wide-ranging impacts on our environment, including negatively impacting aquatic life. These blooms can also contribute to fish kills as a result of oxygen depletion. Several species can also impact local wildlife, pets, and even human health, ranging from allergies, skin irritation and headaches, and some of these toxins are potent live and nerve toxins.
"We’re proud to partner with FGCU, the leading university on harmful algal blooms research," says Nick Dyner, the CEO of Moleaer. "We have a shared understanding that the health of our aquatic ecosystems is vital to the lives and livelihoods of all people and living things. Our nanobubble technology has already been proven to increase dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes and ponds and produce a chemical-free oxidative effect that may combat algae directly and helps reduce the availability of the nutrients they need to cause nuisance blooms. This is an opportunity to further study and validate how nanobubbles can clean waterways on a larger scale.”
See also: Public input sought as planners look at upgrading the Okeechobee corridor
This study is being funded by a $355,850 grant from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) provided to Dr. Rosen of The Water School at FGCU to study how nanobubbles can improve water quality, restore aquatic ecosystems, and prevent algal blooms in the local waterways.
