Description:
Project ID: TECH2024-20
Background
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) represent an increasing challenge from both ecological and economic perspectives. These phenomena, often intensified by factors such as nutrient pollution and climate change, not only destabilize aquatic ecosystems but also pose significant risks to public health and water resources. To overcome this challenge, significant resources are being devoted to treating lakes, ponds, and reservoirs with algicidal chemicals. These include copper and aluminum salts, as well as reactive oxygen species (mainly peroxides). Algaecide, however, is often applied all at once, without a sustained release. However, due to the rapid decays in the available algaecide concentrations upon their application, such algicidal treatments often fail to achieve a long-term effect and require frequent reapplication. Other sustained algaecide release systems include slowly dissolving calcium peroxide granules. These granules slowly dissolve for as long as several weeks, simultaneously killing algae through oxidative stress and also (through insoluble calcium phosphate salt formation) removing phosphorous, which is a vital nutrient for algae growth, from the environment. There have also been reports of the encapsulation of poorly soluble organic algaecides such as luteolin, artemisinin, and linoleic acid, as well as calcium peroxide pellets in chitosan-coated calcium alginate gel beads. Besides the alginate beads, specialized new polymer gels have been synthesized, which control algaecide release over times ranging from hours to days, depending on the aqueous nitrite concentration, which serves as a marker for CHAB intensity. There remains a need for new and improved devices, compositions, and methods for preventing harmful algal blooms and otherwise controlling algae.
Invention Description
Scientist at The University of Toledo have developed a novel buoy-like reloadable device for the sustained release of a payload. The buoy design has a hydrogel structure, a reservoir, and an opening, wherein the reservoir is configured to hold a payload that can only reach the opening by diffusing through the hydrogel structure.
Applications
- A long-term, targeted, and repeated sustained algaecide, and other payload, release is achieved via these devices, which can be readily removed from the water after their use.
Advantages
- Prototypes of various sizes already made. (0.02 – 4.5 Liter Algaecide capacity)
- Algaecide/Payload solution filled/refilled through an opening at the top.
- Substance release is achieved over long periods of time through gel disks.
IP Status: Patent Pending with USPTO
