Enemy number one
Algae blooms have quickly become public enemy number one.
In 2020, the Harmful Algae Event Database recorded 471 incidents of toxic/harmful algae blooms worldwide, and already this year 101 events have been reported in the space of three months.
Algal blooms can become a significant threat to our surface water sources and inland ecosystems.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, "harmful algae blooms (HABs) produce extremely dangerous toxins that can sicken or kill people and animals, create dead zones in the water, raise treatment costs for drinking water, and hurt industries that depend on clean water."
One of the most recent high profile incidents was in Singapore when a canal turned a vivid pink due to a bloom.
Speaking to Aquatech Online on the rise of algae blooms, Maarten van Schijndel, water systems advisor at Waterschap De Dommel, said: “Agriculture is getting more intense, more traffic and aeroplanes, they all have an influence on surface water and algal blooms.”
Innovations taking the fight against algae
Algae and algal blooms are formed as a result of several factors including; available nutrients, temperature, light, ecosystem, disturbance, hydrology and the chemistry of the water.
The most common type of algae, cyanobacteria, requires carbon dioxide and sunlight to grow as well as nutrients in the form of nitrogen and phosphorous.
Following the Toledo water crisis, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) approved a $4.4 million plan in 2014 for short-term HAB treatment upgrades to the City's water treatment plant, according to an article from Frontiers.
In 2018 they invested $44.5 million into a plan for long-term HAB treatment upgrades. These upgrades were part of a larger 10-year, $500 million investment plan to upgrade the Toledo water treatment system.
With incidents on the rise, the algae treatment and prevention market is seeing a steady rise. In recent years, however, new designs and methods of treating and preventing algae have been developed and trickled into the market.
Aquatech looks at five companies to watch in the algae prevention and treatment market:
SolarBee: IXOM Watercare