Moleaer nanobubble generators
Moleaer, a leader in nanobubble technology, has announced a research collaboration with The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) to study the impact of a new treatment approach on tackling harmful algae in a Lake Okeechobee marina.
The study began on September 9 with Moleaer’s Clear™ nanobubble generators being installed in the Pahokee Marina in the City of Pahokee. In Florida, algal blooms have been increasing in number and severity because of higher levels of nutrient loading and climate change. The marina has been selected because it is a microcosm of Lake Okeechobee and prone to harmful algal blooms.
“I am testing this technology’s efficacy in the prevention and treatment of cyanobacterial blooms in the field,” said Dr. Barry Rosen, a professor at The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University. “This study will allow a better understanding if we can push the algal community away from a harmful cyanobacteria bloom and towards one that has a balance of primary producers.”
Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) have wide-ranging impacts on our environment, including negatively impacting aquatic life. The blooms also contribute to fish deaths from oxygen depletion. Several species can impact local wildlife, pets, and even human health, ranging from allergies, skin irritation and headaches, and some are potent nerve toxins.
“Our nanobubble technology has already been proven to increase dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes and ponds,” said Nick Dyner, CEO of Moleaer. “It produces a chemical-free oxidative effect that may combat algae directly and help reduce the availability of the nutrients they need to cause nuisance blooms. This is an opportunity to further study and validate how nanobubbles can clean waterways on a larger scale.”
Nanobubbles are invisible to the naked eye and 2,500 times smaller than a single grain of table salt. Bubbles at this scale remain suspended in water for long periods, enabling highly efficient oxygen transfer and supersaturation of dissolved gas in liquids. The oxygenation can reduce and prevent contaminants such as algae, algae toxins, pathogens, and other organic materials.
The study is being funded by a $355,850 grant from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) provided to Dr. Rosen to study how nanobubbles can improve water quality, restore aquatic ecosystems, and prevent algal blooms in the local waterways.
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