TURF SCRUBBER
“WE WILL WATCH THE CORAL REEFS VANISH IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, AND FOR DECADES WE WILL WRITE AND SPEAK OF OCEAN OBITUARIES. BIG, DAUNTING PROBLEMS MUST NOT LEAD TO APATHY, BUT ACTION.”
— Dr. Nancy Knowlton, Founder of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation
MISSION
To research the efficacy of alternatives to traditional treatment of “wastewater” effluent, develop a workable system to polish “wastewater” to decrease nutrient levels using native Hawai’i stream limu (macroalgae) in a Turf Scrubber and make use of the naturally polished water in an environmentally responsible manner by irrigating native forests on the island of Maui.
OVERVIEW
Through natural and sustainable means, water that was once regarded as “waste,” is restored to its rightful value as precious and life-giving. The Turf Scrubber technology incorporates the natural cleansing and absorbing properties of the native algae of Hawai’i – limu – to remove harmful nutrients found in “wastewater”. The nutrient-rich limu and revitalized water are then harvested and captured to fertilize and irrigate native forests in Hawai’i. This potentially eliminates the current issue of “wastewater” treatment on Maui, as well as provides a natural, safe and sustainable byproduct while reevaluating the discourse that ever deems water as waste.
“CORAL REEFS ARE UNDER ASSAULT. THEY ARE RAPIDLY BEING DEGRADED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES. THEY ARE OVER-FISHED, BOMBED AND POISONED. THEY ARE SMOTHERED BY SEDIMENT, AND CHOKED BY ALGAE GROWING ON NUTRIENT-RICH SEWAGE AND FERTILIZER RUN-OFF. THEY ARE DAMAGED BY IRRESPONSIBLE TOURISM AND ARE BEING SEVERELY STRESSED BY THE WARMING OF THE WORLD'S OCEANS. EACH OF THESE PRESSURES IS BAD ENOUGH IN ITSELF, BUT TOGETHER, THE COCKTAIL IS PROVING LETHAL.”
- Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program
HOW IT WORKS
Polluted water is conveyed to the Turf Scrubber, where it is pulsed in waves across a sloped floway. Movement of the water down the floway encourages the growth of native stream limu, which grows into an algal turf on the surface of the treatment floway. The limu, in turn, absorb excess nutrients and carbon dioxide in the water.
Routine harvesting maximizes algal growth and pollutant recovery. Harvested biomass is recycled into environmentally beneficial end products. Products currently made from algae include soil-enhancing compost and livestock feed. See More.
Please visit the above site - FlushAware - to learn more about the fate of your flush on Maui and its impacts on life in the ocean and how you can take action to help influence positive change for our reefs.