First Take a look at of Tropical Algae Farming for Biofuel Manufacturing Begins in Puerto Rico – Watts Up With That?
MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY
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PICTURE: A DIVER MEASURING THE SIZE OF A NEWLY EQUIPPED BUNCH OF EUCHEUMATOPIS ISIFORMIS, A RED SEAWEED NATIVE FOR THE CARIBBEAN. THE RESEARCH TEAM MONITORS THE ALGAE DURING THEIR CULTIVATION … View More CREDIT: LORETTA ROBERSON, MBL
WOODS HOLE, Mass. And La Parguera, PR – A team of researchers led by Loretta Roberson of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, has installed the first algae farm in Puerto Rico and the tropical waters of the United States.
The research field promotes the design and development of a system for the offshore cultivation of tropical algae to support the large-scale production of biomass for biofuels and other valuable bioproducts.
“Puerto Rico has stable warm temperatures and plenty of sunlight year round, as well as a wide range of winds and waves. These conditions make the south coast an ideal test bed to study how environmental conditions affect the biological, physiological and chemical properties of cultivated macroalgae as well as the environmental impact of kelp farming, ”said Roberson, the lead researcher behind this research effort. Additional farms are being tested in Florida and Belize to assess scalability.
Because the site is the first of its kind in the region, it has required permits from numerous agencies including the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Coast Guard, and the Department of Natural and Ecological Resources of Puerto Rico.
“Facilitating such research will be critical to the development of sustainable aquaculture in this area,” says Roberson. “We tested similar farm designs in New England and Alaska, but this will be the first test of the array in warm tropical waters where we expect higher levels of pollution from other marine organisms, UV damage and hurricane threats.” In contrast to seaweed cultivation, which is usually seasonal, tropical seaweed cultivation can support the year-round harvest.
The research team consists of experts in ocean farming system design, modeling nutrient dynamics in ocean systems, environmental impact assessment and stakeholder engagement, and economic analysis.
Team members are affiliated with 16 other organizations: Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observation System, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, CA Goudey & Associates, Tend Ocean, University of Connecticut Stamford, Cascadia Research Collective, Center for Research and Advanced Studies at the National Polytechnic Institute Merida, Makai Ocean Engineering, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Rutgers, The Nature Conservancy, Two Docks Shellfish LLC, University of California Irvine, and University of California Santa Barbara.
Researchers are currently targeting commercially valuable eucheumatoid red algae species that are mainly cultivated in East Africa and Asia. Up until now it has been difficult to reproduce cheaply and production has been limited to easily accessible areas near the coast. In addition to developing the best methods for cultivating these species in offshore environments, the project team is trying to further quantify the ecosystem services associated with agricultural activities. These likely include providing habitats for a wide variety of marine species and improving water quality by removing excess nutrients and buffering pH.
MBL received funding for this research from the US Department of Energy’s competitive Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program. The MARINER program aims to develop the tools that will enable the United States to become a leading producer of macroalgae and that will help improve US energy security and economic competitiveness.
More information about MBL and this project can be found at: mbl.edu/tropical-seaweed/
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The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discoveries – the study of basic biology, the understanding of biological diversity and the environment, and the information of the human condition through research and teaching. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, MBL is a private, not-for-profit organization and a subsidiary of the University of Chicago.
From Eurk
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