B.A.C.S
B.A.C.S
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Biomimicry
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Algae
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Cleanup
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System
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Cleaning our Oceans and Producing Renewable Biofuel
Present Technology
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Researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, located in Florida, created an ozone treatment to clean their animal hospital pools.
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They used an air compressor from a household air conditioner as a motor to power a vacuum to suction the infected water into a chamber.
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The water would then be sprayed with ozone to dissolve the Karenia Brevis. The clean water is then released back into the canal.
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This system is the only current technology that is efficient in cleaning algae blooms.
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Even so, this present technology is not an ideal solution because it is not mobile and it can only clean small bodies of water.
Video
B.A.C.S.
Our Invention
As a potential solution for the future, we invented B.A.C.S, Biomimicry Algae Cleanup System to help clean up toxic algal blooms like Karenia brevis.
B.A.C.S is a robot
modeled after a bottlenose dolphin through biomimicry. We chose to use a bottlenose Dolphin because of their form of communication. In addition,
dolphins are common coastal animals with very few natural predators. Dolphins are also at the top of the food chain, and fish will be afraid of B.A.C.S. and swim away.
B.A.C.S will use the same ozone treatment that Mote used to clean the water. Furthermore, B.A.C.S will be capable of making its own biofuel made from collected algae from the cleanup process.
The Process
B.A.C.S. will use a motor to power the vacuum to suck up the contaminated water. The algae will then be separated from the water. The water will then move to a chamber to be cleaned with ozone.
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After the water is cleaned it will travel through a tube and will be released back into the ocean. The algae will be processed in two different stages in order to be turned into algae biofuels.
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The Supercritical Fluids Method will be used to extract the lipid oil from the algae.
The oil will then go through transesterification where the necessary alcohol will be added. The oil solution is then refined twice, eventually removing the glycerin. The end product is algae biofuel.
Consequences
The first positive impact will be the reduction in deaths and illness of aquatic organisms, coastal birds, and even pets that occur due to infection from algal blooms such as red tide.
Another benefit is the reduction of negative health effects on humans living in or visiting the coastal areas affected by the toxic released by the algal blooms.The flourishing ecosystems will help the national economy by increasing tourism. The fishing industry will also benefit because they will be able to fish again and sell seafood.
The production and use of biofuels will make the biggest impact on the recurring red-tide algal blooms by reducing contamination. B.A.C.S will also provide extra biofuels for consumers and consequently reduce pollutants.
Model of B.A.C.S
Zoomed in picture of the interior mechanics of B.A.C.S
Timeline
16th century-- Spanish explorer recorded mysterious stories from Native Americans about “red waters”
Sources
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oilgae.com/algae/
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2017/ph240/morris2/
Advanced biofuels and algae research. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/research-and-technology/advanced-biofuels/advanced- biofuels-and-algae-research
Article 404 - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607160583
Average sized dead zone forecast for Gulf of Mexico. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/average-sized-dead-zone-forecast-for-gulf- of-mexico
The Biomimicry Institute – Inspiring Sustainable Innovation(n.d.). Retrieved from https://biomimicry.org/
Blue, M. (2019, January 10). Pros and Cons of Algae Biodiesel. Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/pros-cons-algae-biodiesel-6863.html
Bottlenose Dolphin. (2014, March 26). Retrieved from https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bottlenose-dolphin/#world-oceans-day-dolphins.jpg
Editor, K. C. (2018, September 12). Mote cleans aquatic hospitals with ozone but what about red-tide? Retrieved from https://www.yoursun.com/red_tide/ mote-cleans-aquatic-hospitals-with-ozone-but-what-about-red/article_68424a20-a56f-11e8-83ef-6704f2782af3.html
Florida Red Tide. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://mote.org/pages/florida-red-tide1
Kite-Powell, J. (2018, June 18). See How Algae Could Change Our World. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2018/06/15/see-how- algae-could-change-our-world/#6d1f89a93e46
Mote Marine ozone experiment works, sort of, but it's not the silver bullet to kill Red Tide. (2018, September 26). Retrieved from https://www.tampabay.
com/news/environment/Mote-Marine-s-ozone-experiment-works-sort-of-but-it-s-not-the-silver-bullet-to-kill-Red-Tide_172136313
Newman, S. (2018, June 28). How Algae Biodiesel Works. Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/algae-biodiesel2.htm
US Department of Commerce, & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2009, November 16). Harmful Algal Blooms. Retrieved from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/hab/
Welcome to the BioMara project. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biomara.org/
Report, S. (2018, August 10). Mote scientists to test new method to mitigate red-tide. Retrieved from https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180809/mote- scientists-to-test-new-method-to-mitigate-red-tide
Pictures
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Redtide
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bottlenose-dolphin/#world-oceans-day-dolphins.jpg
https://www2.whoi.edu/site/andersonlab/current-projects/florida-clay-mitigation/
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20060716/red-tide-timeline
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/155303887159299382/?lp=true
https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/redtide/general.html
https://www.dogonews.com/2018/8/28/toxic-red-tide-plagues-floridas-gulf-coast