Modified clay helping reduce algal blooms by binding to phosphorous which causes phenomenon

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A specially designed clay is being used to improve the health of waterways. It absorbs excess phosphorous that creates harmful algal blooms that is significantly harmful for wildlife. Initial trials in WA’s Peel-Harvey Estuary have almost completely removed phosphorous from the water, leading to hope that the produce could be used across the country to prevent algal blooms.

Transcript

00:00 Spraying a slurry of modified clay to clear up the phosphorus green water.

00:07 We spray the clay across the water as evenly as it's like a rain as we can and as the clay

00:16 settles through the water it then takes the phosphate with it and then the algae can't

00:22 survive.

00:22 A nutrient is added to the clay so that it binds with the phosphorus from agricultural

00:26 or residential fertiliser runoff into waterways.

00:30 It locks up the phosphorus as it mixes with the water so algae can't access this phosphorus

00:35 it's locked up within the clay.

00:37 The algae can't feed off the phosphorus and create harmful algal blooms.

00:41 They lead to low oxygen concentrations in the water and could potentially have consequences

00:47 such as fish kills.

00:49 Results from a trial in a nutrient rich water channel that runs into a tributary of the

00:53 Peel Harvey estuary were extremely promising.

00:56 We achieved 95% phosphorus reduction which is astonishing.

01:00 And we've done it in different rivers in through the south west and some of them we've seen

01:05 the bottom two days later where the water goes clear.

01:08 Now they're testing the clay in a more closed water environment.

01:11 Stability is pretty high so it's pH.

01:14 A small badly impacted lake next to residential properties.

01:18 The amount that we're applying now should be sufficient to lock up a lot of the phosphorus.

01:24 Refining the dosages and application methods.

01:26 I think they're all set up for chlorophyll.

01:30 Yeah because you can't get any nutrients through them anyway.

01:34 The researchers will keep testing the clay in different water bodies and if it continues

01:39 to be successful they hope to be able to roll it out broadly to improve water quality across

01:44 Australia.

01:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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