Algae Corner: Introducing EutroSORB

Welcome to the Algae Corner with Dr. West Bishop! I am super excited to introduce you to a brand new groundbreaking technology that I helped create.

Let me set the stage here a bit… Take a look around your pond: Do you see any ditches, streams, or culverts that feed in your pond? Perhaps it's fed by a well or spring.

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Algae Corner: What the Film?

Many systems have these types of inflows coming in, but these inflows often carry large loads of nutrients that can cause eutrophication of your system. That was a key reason and impetus for us developing EutroSORB. It addresses those nutrients that flow right into your system.

So what is EutroSORB? Quite simply, it's a novel solution to filter phosphorus out of water, stop the eutrophication process, and protect and restore water quality. EutroSORB has been thoroughly studied and tested. I've been working for over three years to develop this, and my colleagues and I have tested it against more than 40 other phosphorus binding materials. Nothing else could compete with the speed of binding and the capacity of binding of EutroSORB.

The key features of EutroSORB include rapid binding of phosphorus, high specificity and capacity for phosphorus binding, no alteration in pH or other water chemistries, and composition of inert, intact minerals that stay housed and contained in a mesh bag. Minimum material actually enters the dissolved state in the water resource itself. It's not a big deal if it does, though, because it has a very positive and extremely good ecotoxicity profile.

Here are the stats that demonstrate what EutroSORB is capable of. One 25 pound EutroSORB filter removes more than 0.25 pounds of elemental phosphorus. This is over 1% phosphorus removal capacity by weight, or over 10 milligrams of phosphorous bound per gram of EutroSORB. Therefore, 100 pounds of EutroSORB or two 25-pound filters in two different bags, can bind one pound of elemental phosphorus.

Keep in mind, one pound of phosphorus can support 500 pounds of algal growth. So one bag of EutroSORB, or 50 pounds, can remove 0.5 pounds of elemental phosphorus. In a typical one acre pond, that can shift it 50 parts per billion from a eutrophic state to more of a balanced oligotrophic, mesotrophic state.

Here are a couple of graphs behind the scenes on this technology. It can remove phosphorus rapidly and continuously from laboratory scale flow through systems. It can also take phosphorous out of mixed up systems, like a pond with aeration or fountains in it. It can also certainly work in larger scale flowing water systems like culverts or drainage ditches coming into your pond or lake. It can be used in slow, medium, or fast flows. Key target areas include storm water systems, BMPs, canals, wastewater discharges, and agricultural runoff. It can even be secured to docks or fountains out there in the water body itself.

There are no special disposal restrictions on EutroSORB since it doesn't bind any heavy metals or toxins. And in fact, the filter media can be used as a beneficial soil amendment. So please reach out to us if you want to get ahold of some EutroSORB, if you have some inflows coming into your pond or lake system and you want to proactively intercept those nutrients that can degrade your water quality.

To recap, EutroSORB simply filters phosphorus, stops the eutrophication process, and protects and restores water quality. Thank you for your time today and tuning in to this episode of Algae Corner!