New attempt to look for something positive in the invasive Asian algae which controls the Andalusian tourist fishing sector as well as marine biodiversity. The Andalusian Research and Training Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Organic Production (Ifapa) and the company Valoriza have signed a collaboration agreement to test the incorporation of arrivals ‘Rugulopteryx okamurae’ -is its scientific name- to the industrial process of composting of sewage sludge.
The objective is to verify the feasibility of using the Arrivals of this invasive species as a structuring material for the composting of sludge from wastewater treatment.
During the execution of the agreement, Ifapa and Valoriza professionals will carry out composting tests on a semi-industrial scale at the company’s facilities in Jerez de la Frontera, in Cádiz, and the process will be tested with different mixtures of sewage sludge and algae upstream. Subsequently, the quality of the compost obtained will be evaluated in tests of fertilization with cereal crops from arid areas, as they explained.
The Council indicated that this agreement, which has a duration of one year, It is part of the activities and objectives of the Ifapa project ‘Development of tools aimed at the control and management of ‘Rugulopteryx okamurae’ on the Andalusian coast (Biokamurae II)’, financed by the European Fund for the Sea, Fisheries and aquaculture, in which technicians and researchers from the Ifapa El Toruño centers will participate, in The port of Santa María; La Mojonera, in Almería; and Rancho de la Merced, in Jerez de la Frontera, as well as professionals from the Valoriza company.
The strait, covered by this invasive species
The abundance of ‘Rugulopteryx okamurae’ throughout the area of the Strait of Gibraltar and a large part of the Andalusian Mediterranean has meant that during storms, tons of algae are released from the bottom and end up settling on the coastal strip – what happened called – thus causing damage to the biodiversity of the affected area. This species also virtually covers the Strait of Gibraltar and displaces native species.
This situation assumes a serious problem for coastal communities in which algae accumulates, both because of its impact on tourist use of beaches and because of the costs and complex logistics involved in its removal.
In this sense, the Council indicated that in an attempt to mitigate this situation, Ifapa has been working since 2019 to evaluate the advantages and limits of composting the tops of this invasive algae as a method of sustainable management and the recovery of this waste.
The results obtained so far reinforce the idea that composting can be a useful tool for transforming the clumps of algae that accumulate in the coastal areas of Andalusia into fertilizer products for agricultural use, thus reducing environmental impacts and generating added value, he explained.
Finally, he indicated that this collaboration between Ifapa and Valoriza, a company specializing in different services in the recycling chain and in waste recovery, will make it possible to intensify studies. in an industrial facility dedicated to sludge management and composting.
