A team of Caribbean scientists and environmentalists is working to convert sargassum seaweed into biofuel, according to a BBC report.
In 2011, large quantities of sargassum washed up on Caribbean beaches, emitting a strong, unpleasant odor as it decomposed. By 2018, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared the seaweed influx a national emergency. Recently, the scientists launched one of the world’s first vehicles powered by bio-compressed natural gas (bio-CNG). The fuel, created at the University of the West Indies in Barbados, is made from sargassum, wastewater from local rum distilleries, and waste from the island’s blackbelly sheep, with the latter providing anaerobic bacteria.
The team claims that any car can be converted to run on this bio-CNG through a simple four-hour installation, with a total cost of around $2,500 (£1,940). Dr. Legena Henry, part of the team, pointed out that there is no shortage of sargassum to fuel these vehicles. “Tourism has been heavily impacted by the seaweed; hotels have spent millions trying to address it. It’s become a crisis,” Dr. Henry said.
Dr. Henry credited her student, Brittney McKenzie, for coming up with the idea. McKenzie had noticed the large number of trucks transporting sargassum from Barbados’ beaches. “We had just spent three weeks studying sugarcane, but when I saw Brittney’s enthusiasm, I couldn’t bear to disappoint her,” Dr. Henry recalled. “We already had wastewater from the rum distilleries, so we decided to combine it with the sargassum and see what happened.”
Brittney was given the task of collecting seaweed from the beaches and setting up small bioreactors for initial tests. “Within just two weeks, we saw promising results,” Brittney told the BBC. “It turned into something much bigger than we first imagined.”
The team filed a patent for their biofuel formula and, in 2019, presented their project to potential investors during a side meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York. Biologist Shamika Spencer was later brought on to experiment with various proportions of sargassum and wastewater to determine the best mix for producing biogas.
Dr. Henry described the first successful test drive of a biogas-powered Nissan Leaf, organized by the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, as an exhilarating experience. “We didn’t sleep the night before the test drive,” she said. “I was putting my entire life’s work on the line.”
She estimates it will take about $2 million to begin commercial activity and $7.5 million to reach a point where they can supply gas to 300 taxis in Barbados. The team plans to expand their efforts by building a larger biogas station to replace their current small facility.
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