Caribbean Researchers Test-Drive a Seaweed-Powered Car

Troublesome seaweed is increasingly plaguing beaches.

A novel vehicle fuel system could help provide a solution to the troublesome seaweed increasingly plaguing the beaches of the Caribbean.

Sargassum is a type of algae that never attaches to the sea floor, instead floating in clumps that can stretch for miles across the open ocean. Those islands of algae provide refuge for a range of sea life, but as the climate warms, large swaths of sargassum have washed up to rot on the beaches of the Caribbean in recent years, spoiling what would otherwise be postcard views on often tourism-dependent islands.

Barbados officials went so far as to declare it a national emergency.

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Although there appear to be few easy answers to the problem, researchers from the University of the West Indies believe one possible solution could be using sargassum to power cars.

The BBC reports that UWI scientists recently unveiled one of the first vehicles powered by what is known as bio-compressed natural gas.

The project began as an effort to slash Barbados’ overall emissions, and initially used sugarcane as its biofuel. When that crop proved insufficient, however, a student floated the idea of turning to sargassum.

The process also uses wastewater from local rum distilleries, and anaerobic bacteria from the dung of the island’s native sheep.

After years of development, the first test drive — using a modified Nissan Leaf — proved successful, and proponents now hope to develop a sargassum biofuel industry on the island. Converting a gas-powered car to run on the fuel, the BBC noted, is a relatively simple process that takes about four hours and costs around $2,500.

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