CEE-Algae Blog

View from space: Toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie

2011-11-06T01:15:00.000-04:00

Landsat-5 satellite images acquired in early October, 2011 revealed the worst algae bloom North America’s Lake Erie has experienced in decades. The bloom is primarily microcystis aeruginosa, an algae that is toxic to mammals, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. The reasons for this year’s giant bloom are complex, say scientists, but might be related to a rainy spring and invasive mussels.

See pictures and more of the story at:

http://earthsky.org/water/view-from-space-toxic-algae-bloom-in-lake-erie
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Source: EarthSky.org Water Blog

Algal Turf Scrubbers

2011-06-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

An article published in the June issue of BioScience describes the early scale-up stage of a new biotechnology with environmental benefits and possible commercial potential. Algal turf scrubbers are field-sized, water-treatment systems that can extract excess nutrients from streams, canals, and lakes polluted by agricultural, domestic, and some industrial runoff. They use sunlight as their principal source of energy and simultaneously restore oxygen levels. The devices work by pulsing contaminated water across algae that are allowed to grow on screens. Algal turf scrubbers produce waste suitable for use as a nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich fertilizer. Some algal turf scrubbers can even operate in open water, thus minimizing loss of agricultural land to the systems.

The BioScience article, by Walter H. Adey of the Smithsonian Institution, Patrick C. Kangas of the University of Maryland, and Walter Mulbry of the US Department of Agriculture, notes that the need to clean wastewater and various types of runoff contaminated with nitrogen and phosphorus is immediate in many places where natural waters are polluted.

The article stresses that algal turf scrubbing is not likely to ever be profitable just as a way of making a fuel crop. Algal turf scrubbing could become common if the economic value of nutrient removal can be applied to the cost of building and running the units. That might depend on public policy that imposes a predictable cost on pollution of natural waters.
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Source: NALMS Notes - June 2011
http://www.nalms./org

Newly Discovered Group of Algae Live in Both Fresh Water and Ocean

2011-03-26T01:04:00.001-04:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 21, 2011) — A team of biologists has discovered an entirely new group of algae living in a wide variety of marine and freshwater environments. This group of algae, which the researchers dubbed "rappemonads," have DNA that is distinctly different from that of other known algae. In fact, humans and mushrooms are more closely related to each other than rappemonads are to some other common algae (such as green algae). Based on their DNA analysis, the researchers believe that they have discovered not just a new species or genus, but a potentially large and novel group of microorganisms.

Read the rest at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110120151633.htm

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Posted using BlogPress app on my iPhone

Most Abundant Food Source Disappearing

2010-07-29T15:30:00.001-04:00

In oceans around the world, there has been a surprisingly large and extensive decline in phytoplankton -- the tiny algae that keep marine food webs afloat.

The drifting green flecks have been dying off for at least a century, with a staggering 40 percent decline since 1950, according to a new study.

Phytoplankton make up half of all plant matter around the globe, said marine ecologist Daniel Boyce, whose study appears this week in the journal

Nature. Its disappearance threatens the stability of climate, the well-being of fisheries and the overall health of the oceans.

"It's hard to really imagine phytoplankton could be so important because most people don't see them in their daily lives. They're microscopic and they live out at sea," said Boyce, of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. "But everything that happens to them affects the entire marine food chain, including us."

Some recent satellite images have shown the ocean turning from green to blue as a result of phytoplankton declines, but those data stretch back only 13 years. Other studies have offered mixed results.

To get a more accurate picture and to look further into the past, Boyce and colleagues collected a half-million measurements of ocean clarity from a public data set that dated back to 1899.

Over the last century-plus, analyses showed, phytoplankton levels have dropped by one percent each year in eight out of 10 large ocean regions. The greatest decline occurred in areas around the poles, near the equator and in the open oceans. The rate of disappearance picked up after 1950, totaling a 40 percent drop-off since then.

"It's really big," said David Siegel, a marine scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "I'm a little leery about how big that number is."

The scientists can't yet say what's causing the mass die-off of phytoplankton, but temperature data offer a clue. The declines were worst in places where the surface of the sea has warmed the most. Warmer ocean water limits the amount of nutrients that can get from the depths to the surface. Phytoplankton need those nutrients to live.

With less phytoplankton around, fish have less to eat. As the decline works its way up the food chain, fishermen will have less to catch and fish-eaters less to eat. Phytoplankton even affect climate by taking up carbon dioxide and absorbing heat.

"Everyone looks at blue oceans and goes: 'Isn't that beautiful?'" Siegel said. "But a blue ocean is full of nothing. You really want something, and we're only making more of the blue ocean."

Source: Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/earth/phytoplankton-oceans-food-web.htmlOcean's

More Information on the Soley Instute Grant Program

2009-02-20T16:42:00.003-05:00

Soley Institute has launched a new grant program for microalgae projects to support UN Millennium Development Goals and benefits of (IIMSAM) Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition.

This grant program is valid for 2 different subject groups.

Group (A) is for Spirulina projects.
Group (B) is for other microalgae projects.

Needs to be supported:

Grant Rate (%) for Univ. & Institutes:

Spirulina Culture 100%
Culture Media Component 70%
Lab. Size Photobioreactor 60%
Industrial Size Photobioreactor 70%
Microalgae Duplicator 70%
Organic Culture Media Component 60%
Pond Circulation Pump 50%
Pond Air Pump 60%
Pond heating system 60%
Phycocyanin Extraction System 40%
Automated Microalgae Filter 50%
Microalgae Drying Oven 60%

Grant Rate (%) for Companies:

Spirulina Culture 80%
Culture Media Component 40%
Lab. Size Photobioreactor 30%
Industrial Size Photobioreactor 40%
Microalgae Duplicator 40%
Organic Culture Media Component 20%
Pond Circulation Pump 20%
Pond Air Pump 20%
Pond heating system 20%
Phycocyanin Extraction System 10%
Automated Microalgae Filter 20%
Microalgae Drying Oven 30%

How to apply: Please, send a brief project description or business plan to info@soley.cn as an email until 28.02.2009 . (That is February 29, 2009 for those of you not usesd to the international date display)

Recommended Subjects:

Bio-hydrogen production from microalgae
Bio-methane production from microalgae
Chlorophyll reduction resulting increasing solar radiation penetrate deeper
Creating & Extracting highly valuable materials and pharmaceuticals from microalgae
Customized microalgae modifications (genetic)
Increasing oil content of microalgae
Increasing photosynthetic efficiency of microalgae
Microalgae based (100% Organic) Chicken feed for long shelf life
Microalgae filter (Nano-Tech) system production
Microalgae industrial production technologies
Microalgae production with Geothermal waters
Oil extraction from algae and special extraction systems
Organic (100%) fertilizer production
Organic (100%) microalgae productions
Organic "chemical free" growth medium component production
Photosynthetic energy production from microalgae
Phycobiliprotein production from microalgae
Phycocyanin production from Spirulina
Raidoactivity treatment with Spirulina
Soil treatment with Humic Substances
Spirulina culture production (Fast Doubling Time)
Spirulina production (contains high level phycocyanin)
Spirulina production (contains high level protein)
Spirulina production with brine waters
Spirulina production with wastewaters
Wastewater treatments with various microalgae

General Purposes:

Grants will not be as direct. We will give the rate of grants directly to the supplier of needs.
We will provide the grants for only recommended systems and equipments by us.
We don't provide delivery fee as a grant.

Best Regards,
Soley Institute
http://www.soley.cn/institute

Soley Institute & Intergovernmental Institution for the Use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition

2009-02-19T11:12:00.003-05:00

I received an email today in my Spam filter that is intrigueing. It describes a grant program being offered by the Soley Insitute for microalgae projects to support UN Millennium Development Goals and benefits of (IIMSAM) Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition. Support is being offered to universities and other institutes as well as companies.

On investigating related websites, Soley Institute and IIMSAM appear to be real NGO entities. Anyone interested in the study of microalgae should investigate these institutions and their programs.

The Soley Institute is a non-profit research organization that is working on biotechnology, especially:
Breeding micro-algaes,
Powerful photobioreactor,
Developing high technology photobioreactors,
Biofuel from microalgaes,
Increasing productivity of spirulina,
DNA of microalgaes,
Developing high productivity water medias for microalgaes,
Promoting microalgaes for malnutrition,
Promoting microalgaes for green fuel,
Biofuel

IIMSAM works to promote the use of Spirulina against severe malnutrition. It has been established through two international agreements that are recognized in the UN Treaty Series. IIMSAM maintains communication channels open with entities around the world that deal with Spirulina. These include: Antenna-Technologies, Geneva, Switzerland; IIMSAM Scientific Research Institute, France; Earthrise Farms, U.S.A.; Chinese Farms, including Lake Shanghai-the largest in the world, Peoples Republic of China; Solarium Biotechnology, Chile; Centre for Science for Villages, India; and University of Toliara, Madagascar.

IIMSAM has an International Panel of Experts that provide technological, scientific, and operational support and biological and engineering advice. These include some of the world's leading experts on Spirulina:

IIMSAM maintains communication with the following Specialized Agencies of the United Nations at the headquarters level as well as their respective Liaison Offices at UN Headquarters in New York.

Harmful algal blooms, or HABs

2008-08-27T15:39:00.002-04:00

Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, in the new limno-lingo, represent a serious issue. When I was in lake school many years ago, we knew that certain algae could be hazardous. But these were marine algae that caused red tides or were rare events in freshwater, and then usually in cow ponds. Now HABs are front and center at many lakes.

The EPA report, Scientific Assessment of Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (available from EPA as a PDF) is the latest compendium of HAB science and is the techno-tell-all of what we know and what we no not know about HABs. We know for example that:

“Freshwater HAB toxins can have a broad range of negative impacts on humans, animals, and aquatic ecosystems. Many cyanobacteria can produce neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, dermatotoxic, or other bioactive compounds, and blooms of toxigenic cyanobacteria pose a particular threat if they occur in drinking water sources.”

A lot of new words and jargon that say in essence that these blooms can’t be good.

Seriously, as lake managers, we cannot ignore HABs. HABs pose threats beyond what we have traditionally dealt with as lake managers. HABs threaten water supplies, human health, and fish and wildlife.

What we don’t know or at least don’t know well includes risk assessment, analytical methods, toxicity pathways, or the appropriate response framework. The report provides an assessment and roadmap to better attend to these needs.

Of course, if we confront lakes experiencing HABs, we cannot wait for the answers to all the unknowns. We can fall back on our tried-and-true approaches to lake management - lake management basics – which ought to be relied upon to minimize and manage the impacts of HABs.

This means priority ought to be given to nutrient management. Specifically,

Top priority for watershed protection for those lakes not yet affected by HABs
For lakes already experiencing HABs, watershed rehabilitation may be too slow, so in addition, we should initiate in-lake nutrient reduction methods.
In cases where nutrient reduction may not be timely or sufficient, other in-lake techniques should be used.

These strategies and techniques are explained fully in the textbook, Restoration and Management of Lakes and Reservoirs or the manual, Managing Lakes and Reservoirs – both available in the NALMS Bookstore (currently off-line). You may also purchase Managing Lakes and Reservoirs through Amazon.com using the Lake Stewardship Store.

Article by Dick Osgood, President of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), used by permission. Read the latest NALMS' newsletter online.

High Density Vertical Bioreactor for growing algae (with video)

2008-07-18T15:05:00.008-04:00

High Density Vertical Bioreactor (with Video) - Valcent Products, Inc.

The Holy Grail in the renewable energy sector has been to create a clean, green process which uses only light, water and air to create fuel. Valcent's HDVB algae-to-biofuel technology mass produces algae, vegetable oil which is suitable for refining into a cost-effective, non-polluting biodiesel. The algae derived fuel will be an energy efficient replacement for fossil fuels and can be used in any diesel powered vehicle or machinery. In addition, 90% by weight of the algae is captured carbon dioxide, which is 'sequestered' by this process and so contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Valcent has commissioned the world's first commercial-scale bioreactor pilot project at its test facility in El Paso, Texas.

Click on the title for the complete story and link to a video on the process.

Algae: Another way to grow edible oils

2008-01-29T07:44:00.000-05:00

Michael Kanellos, for News.com
Published: January 25, 2008

In the future, french fries might be infused with all the brimming, healthy flavor of oil produced by algae.

Biotechnology company Solazyme, which is developing techniques for converting vats of algae into car and plane fuel, will also exploit its manufacturing processes to make oils for other industries, including the food industry.

The company is already working on edible oils, Harrison Dillon, Solazyme's president, told CNET News.com. Ideally, these oils could provide greater health benefits, cost less, and be more environmentally friendly to grow than current cooking oils.

"We can provide tailor-made oils," Dillon said.

The ability to shift into new markets largely revolves around the nature of algae itself and the processes employed by the company. First, the creatures: algae are seriously greasy. The North Sea oil field and other large deposits are the fossilized remnants of algal blooms from hundreds of millions of years ago. They weren't formed by dinosaurs.

"These organisms have the most efficient pathways on the planet for oil production," added Jonathan Wolfson, Solazyme's CEO. "Algae are the original oil producers."

Additionally, more complex plants evolved from algae. As a result, the basic biochemistry for getting algae to produce oil remains similar to what's seen in rapeseed or soy plants. Through selective breeding and other techniques, strains of algae can be induced to generate oils with very specific properties (such as a certain fatty acid content, smoke point, or viscosity).
Algae on a sugar binge
Meanwhile, Solazyme has come up with a fermentation process that the company claims allows it to produce large amounts of biomass rapidly. The company inserts algae (typically one species) into a vat, dumps in a bunch of sugar, and then controls the pressure and other environmental factors inside the vat to induce the algae to metabolize the sugar into body oil.
Competitors such as GreenFuel Technologies or LiveFuels grow algae through photosynthesis. Solazyme claims that fermentation is much more efficient.

Click on the Title to view the complete CNET article.

Invasive Algae Found in Additional Fishing Waters - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

2007-11-07T15:21:00.000-05:00

Invasive Algae Found in Additional Fishing Waters - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation:

"Invasive Algae Found in Additional Fishing Waters The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the presence of the invasive algae didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) in two additional fishing water bodies in New York State. Samples taken by DEC have confirmed that didymo is present in the east branch of the Delaware River. In addition, may be present on the west branch of the Delaware River as well. These are the latest recorded incidents of this aquatic nuisance species-also called 'rock snot'-in New York State. Early this summer, didymo's presence was confirmed in a section of the Batten Kill in Washington County."

Click the Title for the complete article

Didymo Found in Lower Section of Batten Kill in Washington County NY

2007-09-10T20:50:00.000-04:00

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has confirmed that didymo is present in a section of the Batten Kill in Washington County. It is the first known presence of this aquatic nuisance algae--also called "rock snot"--in New York State.
Unlike many other aquatic nuisance plants, Didymosphenia geminata grows on the bottom of flowing and still waters. It can develop thick mats even in fast-flowing trout streams. In its presence, fishing becomes difficult, the abundance of bottom-dwelling organisms declines, and trout and other fish that feed on those organisms also decline.

Didymo clings to a rock that was submerged

Meandering for 29 miles from Vermont to the Hudson River, the Batten Kill is a celebrated trout stream, as well as a popular watercourse for kayaking, canoeing and tubing. Didymo, which resembles rotting cardboard when exposed and dried, was observed in a section around and downstream of Route 22 where it crosses near the Village of Salem. Vermont also has confirmed the presence of didymo in a section just upstream of the border with New York State.

The microscopic algae cling unseen to waders, boots, boats, lures, hooks, sinkers, fishing line, and other fishing gear, and remain viable for several weeks under even slightly moist conditions. Absorbent items--for example, the felt-soled waders and wading boots commonly used by stream anglers--require thorough attention as discussed below. Anglers, kayakers and canoeists, boaters and jet skiers can unknowingly spread didymo.

Read the entire article, including tips for prevention and control at http://www.dec.ny.gov/environmentdec/36890.html
Source: Environment DEC, NYS DEC's online newsletter

NALMS Blue Green Algae Initiative

2007-09-09T12:11:00.000-04:00

NALMS has taken a leadership role on the issue of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) toxicity with their Blue Green Algae Initiative. Their new website contains information on conditions favoring blooms, human/animal health issues, toxicity, and much more.

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms have been occurring throughout the world for thousands of years. Cyanobacteria produce a number of nuisance compounds, including those that are toxic or cause severe taste-and-odor problems in drinking water supplies. Cyanobacterial toxins can make drinking water and recreational use of water unsafe. Animals die yearly as a result of cyanotoxins, and though human death is not common, many people experience symptoms indicative of cyanotoxin exposure. Very little is known about the long-term side affects of ingestion of cyanotoxins, so alhtough there is a guideline set by WHO for safe concentrations, minimal concentrations could cause an effect over time.

Visit the NALMS Blue Green Algae Initiative page at http://www.nalms.org/Resources/BlueGreenInitiative/Overview.htm

U.N. says number of ocean "dead zones" rising fast - Yahoo! News

2006-10-19T14:05:00.000-04:00

U.N. says number of ocean "dead zones" rising fast
By Daniel Wallis Thu Oct 19, 9:19 AM ET

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The number of "dead zones" in the world's oceans may have increased by a third in just two years, threatening fish stocks and the people who depend on them, the U.N. Environment Program said on Thursday.
Fertilizers, sewage, fossil fuel burning and other pollutants have led to a doubling in the number of oxygen-deficient coastal areas every decade since the 1960s.

Now experts estimate there are 200 so-called ocean dead zones, compared with 150 two years ago.

"Some successes are being scored but in other areas -- like sewage, nutrients from fertilizer run off, animal wastes and atmospheric pollution; sediment mobilization and marine litter -- the problems are intensifying," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement.

read the rest of the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061019/sc_nm/environment_deadzones_dc_1

Oil from Algae?

2006-09-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

Ever wondered if you could get OIL from ALGAE? Do you wonder now that I mentioned it? Check out the "Oil From Algae" Yahoo Group described below:

oil_from_algae : oil from algae: "Is it feasible to grow algae, harvest the oils, and use the algae oil for fuel? Discuss techniques, research results, and future directions. "

Thanks to OfA group moderator (?) Tom Catino for the heads-up on this one.

Algae returns to Great Lakes

2006-06-14T15:26:00.000-04:00

Algae returns to Great Lakes: "Algae returns to Great Lakes

By JOHN FLESHER, Associated Press Writer
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Call it the return of the green slime.

Back in the 1960s, foul gobs of algae along Great Lakes shorelines made swimmers and sunbathers miserable before a crackdown on phosphorus pollution repelled the invasion.

Now, the algae are mounting a comeback and controlling it may be tougher this time, according to the Michigan Environmental Council, an umbrella organization for a host of environmental and public interest organizations in the state.

'The nightmare may be poised to repeat itself,' the council said in a statement accompanying a report released Wednesday.

Algae blooms have been on the rise since the mid-1990s in parts of all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, whose icy waters are not as hospitable to the slimy aquatic plants."

Where can you find the Image Library Images?

2006-02-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

Images from Michael R. Martin's Phytoplankton Image Library have been used in an odd diversity of places. Here is one example:

Hayden Planetarium
Rose Center for Earth and Space

The Rose Center's Scales of the Universe walkway hugs the glass walls of the Rose Center and features differently scaled models that illustrate the relative size of cosmic and human objects, from galaxies, stars and planets, to the human brain and nucleus of the smallest atom. The 400-foot long walkway ingeniously uses the Hayden Sphere for size comparison.

One of my Asterionella images is used to show the scale of things at 0.0001. And here are pictures of that very image in place, with my suitably impressed sister and nephew striking a pose.

So, next time you are in NYC . . .

Saving the Earth can also bring profit to startups

2006-02-23T23:25:00.000-05:00

Saving the Earth can also bring profit to startups: "startup Planktos plans to create huge algae blooms at sea that will suck some of the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere, then sell credits to European companies unable to meet their emissions targets.

Those companies would, in essence, pay Planktos to take out of the air carbon dioxide they are putting in. Should California, New York or other American states adopt similar cap-and-trade systems, Planktos would sell here, too.

Russ George of Planktos belongs to a small but growing group of entrepreneurs trying to turn carbon dioxide limits into business plans. Spurred by the Kyoto Protocol that mandated greenhouse gas reductions in Europe and Japan, they are dreaming up products and services they can sell to companies that take advantage of cap-and-trade systems.

Like many in the nascent field, Planktos is still in its early stages. George and his colleagues are running offshore tests to see if they can reliably produce the size of phytoplankton blooms they want, using ground-up iron ore to stimulate growth. They also are starting a forest restoration project in Hungary to remove carbon dioxide from the air. The company generated enough interest that Vancouver's Solar Energy Ltd. bought it last year for "

Mutant Algae Is Hydrogen Factory

2006-02-23T23:09:00.000-05:00

Wired News:: "Mutant Algae Is Hydrogen Factory"

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have engineered a strain of pond scum that could, with further refinements, produce vast amounts of hydrogen through photosynthesis.

The work, led by plant physiologist Tasios Melis, is so far unpublished. But if it proves correct, it would mean a major breakthrough in using algae as an industrial factory, not only for hydrogen, but for a wide range of products, from biodiesel to cosmetics. . . .

Blue Algae Herbal Remedy

2006-02-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not saying it's true, but it is sure fun to read the claims!

Blue Algae Herbal Remedy - Dr LaMars: "BLUE GREEN ALGAE 'Nature's Most Perfect & Powerful Food Source' - Enhanced Memory - Increased Energy - Resistance to Infection - Reduces Stress - Sense of Balance - Feeling of well-being"

FOR THOSE WHO BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS

Harvested from the deep within the pristine waters of Klamath Lake in Oregon, Blue-Green Algae is one of nature's oldest and most perfect food sources. It is capable of naturally enhancing our ability to maintain both a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Blue-Green Algae is a beneficial live food, similar to yogurt culture. This makes it easy for the body to digest and assimilate. It's perfectly balanced natural nutrition. A revolutionary new dehydration process allows all the enzymes to remain active - "Like eating fresh lettuce from the garden."

The body brain cells in particular responds dynamically to the algae's electro-biological stimulants, which naturally rebalance the metabolism. As a result the body functions more efficiently, promoting weight loss and high-octane energy levels

Energy Vitality Enhance Memory “Eating right” isn’t enough anymore You must give your body the nutritional fuel it needs.

What Is BLUE-GREEN Algae How does It Work? Harvested from deep within the pristine waters of Klamath Lake in Oregon, Dr. LaMar's Blue Green A1gae is one of nature's oldest and most perfect food sources. It is capable of naturally enhancing our ability to maintain both a healthy body and a healthy mind.

OK. That's enough. If you want to read more, go to their website . . .

PhycoTech - Algal Taxonomy Links Page

2006-02-22T23:33:00.000-05:00

PhycoTech - Algal Taxonomy Links Page

An extensive list of links for algal taxonomy and more, including:

Announcement

2006-02-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

This is a public blog created in support of the Phytoplankton Image Library found at http://cedareden.com/phyto.html