Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) threaten human and ecosystem health, and disrupt aquaculture and wild fisheries, and other resources in marine and freshwater. The clay-algae flocculation method is a promising strategy to control algal blooms in lakes. When clay is added to the algal solution, it causes cells to flocculate or aggregate and sink to the bottom, but the efficiency depends on algal types and clay structures. 

Our team is developing a clay-algae flocculation strategy to mitigate Cyanobacteria blooms in Minnesota’s waters, which includes: 1) studying flocs size and settling velocity with different types of clay; 2) selecting optimum clay type and dose specific to certain algae types; 3) developing an effective clay application system based on Minnesota lake’s environmental conditions. We will visualize the flocculation process at the micro-scale to help understand the interaction between algal cells and clay particles, and also fieldworks in Minnesota’s lakes to propose a clay-algae flocculation strategy to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms in Minnesota’s waters.