Poster 207 – Click on poster below to view presentation from author.
Pat Hirsch
Sedipot LLC
Co-Authors: Patrick Kangas, Peter May
The Algal Turf Scrubber is an algae-based ecotechnology for removing nutrients from polluted waters. Algae take up nutrients as they grow and, when they are harvested, nutrients are removed from the water that the algae were grown in. The harvested algal biomass is a byproduct of this water quality management system and there is a continuing need to find economic uses for it. In this presentation a method for using dried algal biomass to make pots for plant growth is explored. The algae are combined with moist paper and the mix is molded into the form of a plant pot. Upon drying, the pots can be used in a nursery setting for commercial growing operations. Data is presented on successful plant growth trials in the algae pots and a potential business plan is outlined.
Post comments and questions for author below.
All posts are publicly visible after review by site administrator. Students’ responses to posted questions is factored into scoring for the poster competition. Finalists announced May 25 and awards presented May 26, 2021.
Virtual Poster Symposium 
Thanks for sharing your research! I’m curious if there were any manufacturing considerations with the different formulations? (e.g. were any easier to work with than others?) I’m also curious how these stack up to “conventional” starter pots – any feelings for that?
LikeLike
Creative use of algae! I like the approach, but this seems very preliminary. Note, if you have 6 replicates for each treatment, you should be able to put error bars on your plotted points on your charts, which would be helpful for understanding the variability of your results. What do you think the benefit of the algae is for germination and growth–is it nutrient availability? Water retention? Some of both? I think one key next step is to look at the root structure of the plants after a certain amount of time to see if there are any patterns of interaction. Nice work overall!
LikeLike