Mote scientists, partners unveil arsenal of tools aimed at fighting red tide

Yahoo

30-01-2025

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) – Mote Marine Laboratory received millions of dollars from the state for a red tide mitigation initiative a few years back. Now, alongside their partners, scientists unveiled some of the tools they've developed to tackle the harmful algal blooms.
'The state of Florida is leading in the U.S. and indeed leading in the world in developing new technologies to fight, not only red tide but other harmful algal blooms in freshwater and marine ecosystems all around the United States and all around the world,' said Mote CEO Dr. Michael Crosby.
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Scientists looked at more than 300 different approaches and narrowed it down to about two dozen. Three of those have already received state and federal approvals to be deployed.
'Our mantra is with all of these technologies.. none of them will do any greater harm to the environment than the red tide is already doing,' said Dr. Crosby.
Mote broke down three initiatives ready for deployment in a news release this week.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Dana WetzelCLEAR is a novel, naturally derived biocide developed by Mote's Environmental Laboratory for Forensics. Harnessing the properties of natural plant-based compounds, CLEAR targets K. brevis with no environmental impact. CLEAR's active ingredients are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, and studies show no measurable accumulation in the environment. The all-natural biocide degrades fully within half a day, ensuring its safety for marine ecosystems. Regulatory approvals from the EPA, FDACS, and DEP allow for rapid deployment of CLEAR in the event of a bloom.
Mote has developed multiple formulations of CLEAR to ensure versatility. Engineered particle treatments can be deployed on surface waters via vessel-mounted blowers, drones, or backpack sprayers. For underwater applications, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) deliver the liquid form directly into blooms. This liquid application may also be deployed sub-surface with a specially equipped boat. CLEAR-embedded dissolvable beads provide sustained protection for 30-60 days, ideal for canals, marinas, and other vulnerable areas. This multi-faceted approach ensures targeted and effective mitigation.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Rich PierceXtreme is a natural, non-toxic water treatment product developed by Heartland Energy Group. Previously used for blue-green algae (a freshwater HAB), Xtreme has demonstrated significant effectiveness against K. brevis. Lab testing and mesocosm experiments at Mote confirmed Xtreme's ability to reduce red tide cells and brevetoxins while posing no harm to marine life, including commercially important clams. Xtreme offers a natural solution that could help control blooms. This product is deployed by a large handheld sprayer.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Rich PierceOZONIX® is a patented, chemical-free water treatment technology that combines several processes to eliminate K. brevis cells and their toxins. It uses hydrodynamic cavitation (a process that creates bubbles in the water to break apart harmful substances), ozone injection (adding ozone gas to the water, which helps break down toxins), ultrasonic acoustic cavitation (using sound waves to create bubbles that break down harmful materials), and electrochemical oxidation (a process where electricity helps remove contaminants). These techniques work by running large hoses into the water that are connected to a trailer outfitted with a complex water system. Together, these techniques effectively address the red tide algae and its toxins.
When and where to deploy these technologies will be up to state and federal leaders.
'This is huge for the state of Florida, it is huge for the United States, it is huge for the world to be able to fight these very toxic negative impacts to our environment, to our economy and to our quality of life,' said Dr. Crosby. 'We are working very patiently, but very deliberately through the permitting process for the other dozen and a half technologies. We need them all to be approved, but we do have to work through those processes. We are ready to deploy now. What we need to do is a scale this up so that we can have large-scale deployment of all of these technologies,' he continued.
Partners of Mote include Senior Global Product Manager, Heartland Energy Group, Prescott Clean Water, AquaTech Eco Consultants, Hull's Environmental Services, and A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure.
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