The VII International Congress of the Dominican Society of Physics (Sodofi) focused the debate on the use of sargassum and other macroalgae as raw materials to generate biodiesel, alcohol, biogas, and derived products, while seeking to reduce its impact on fishing, tourism, and the lives of coastal communities.
Dr. Liz Díaz Vásquez (University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras) delivered a lecture titled “Nature-inspired nanomaterials: transforming macroalgae into sustainable solutions for energy and environmental challenges” highlighting how the utilization of sargassum can become a circular economy strategy and an alternative to address the ecological crisis caused by its massive arrival on Caribbean coasts.
Impacts of Sargassum in the Caribbean
The proliferation of these algae, linked to global warming and pollution, generates multiple problems:
- Environmental: “brown tides” that reduce oxygen and sunlight, affecting corals and seagrasses.
- Health: release of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and ammonia, with respiratory, neurological, and cardiovascular effects.
- Economic: decrease in tourism on Mexican Caribbean beaches and other regions, affecting local income.
- Additional pollution: accumulation of heavy metals and microplastics in the algae.
Possible Uses and Solutions
Researchers propose turning this “plague” into a resource:
- Agriculture: compost and biofertilizers after reducing salinity and metals, useful for ornamental plants.
- Construction: making bricks and panels (sargablocks) by combining algae with clay, reducing cement use.
- Biofuels: production of biogas, ethanol, and biodiesel through pyrolysis or fermentation.
- Cosmetics and health: utilizing antioxidant and antibacterial properties in creams and soaps.
- Bioplastics and materials: base for biodegradable packaging and alternatives like “vegan leather.”
- Environmental remediation: biofilters to remove heavy metals (arsenic, mercury, lead) and pharmaceutical residues in water.
Challenges of Industrialization
The collection and management of sargassum remain costly and complex, especially due to transportation from the sea. This limits its large-scale utilization and requires investment in infrastructure and technologies adapted to local conditions.
Science and Technology at the Congress
Besides sargassum, the event included research in nanosciences, energy, medical physics, astronomy, and astrophysics, with participation from professionals and students of various levels.
Professor Fabrice Piazza (PUCMM, Santiago) presented advances in graphene hydrogenation on Cu(111) to improve copper/diamond interfaces in high-power electronics, key for the development of microchips, artificial intelligence, and renewable energies.
The massive arrival of sargassum in the Caribbean is an ecological, economic, and health crisis, but also an opportunity to boost scientific and technological innovation.
Converting sargassum into biodiesel, construction materials, or biofilters can transform a problem into a resource, strengthening the circular economy and the resilience of coastal communities.
