What steps can researchers take to reduce the amount of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which pose threats to marine ecosystems across the planet? This is what a recent study published in Algal Research hopes to address as a team of researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) investigated how algal biomass could be modified to remove phosphates from the water, which is a chemical compound that contains phosphorus, and is a primary contributor to creating HABs. Additionally, this modified algal could be used to clean the environment. This study has the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, and the public better understand the steps that can be taken to mitigate HABs across the globe while creating an eco-friendly planet.
Image of harmful algal blooms (HABs). (Credit: FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute)
For the study, the researchers combined a type of algae called cyanobacterial biomass with lanthanum chloride and zinc chloride, the former of which is part of the rare-earth element group and both of which have been used for a variety of purposes, including chemical manufacturing, industrial processing, and environmental cleanup. In the end, the researchers found the lanthanum-modified biomass successfully removed more than 99 percent of phosphorus with the best ratio containing lanthanum chloride could be created in less than three minutes while removing more than 90 percent of phosphorus in less than 30 minutes.
“Our findings suggest that lanthanum-modified algae-based materials could be an effective solution for removing phosphorus and preventing harmful algal blooms if used on a larger scale,” said Dr. Masoud Jahandar Lashaki, who is an assistant professor in FAU’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering and a co-author on the study. “By using readily available waste materials like algal biomass, combined with lanthanum, an element known for its strong phosphorus-binding capabilities, we have developed an adsorbent that can effectively target and remove excess phosphorus from water.”
Going forward, further research is required to improve the compounds that could eventually help mitigate HABs globally while improving marine ecosystems.
How will this lanthanum-modified algae remove phosphates from the water and help clean the environment in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Algal Research, EurekAlert!