WPTV is committed to Protecting Paradise. We are focused on environmental issues with a goal of helping to bring awareness to existing problems and search for workable solutions. Have a story idea? Email us at paradise@wptv.com
The US Army Corps of Engineers are working to clean up the water on Lake Okeechobee.
The research project is called HABITATS or Harmful Algal Bloom Interception Treatment and Transformation System.
🌊 SPECIAL COVERAGE: Protecting Paradise
Scientists use a liquid solid transformation process to pressurize the water with air, similar to a champagne bottle.
Once the water and pressure is released, the resulting foam binds to the algae.
Army Corp Engineers Researcher, Martin Page says the technology has applications both on the lake and closer to the coast.
“Certainly that can be a model we look at going forward to do small scale remediation but bring some of that material back to for a more centralized treatment process where we do something meaningful with the byproducts,” says Page.
The algae byproduct can be used for everything from fuel to footwear.
