Earth Today | Sargassum potential
New fuel source a possibility for the Caribbean
Published:Thursday | September 2, 2021 | 12:07 AM
THE CARIBBEAN could be on to a new source of fuel to power transportation while also helping the islands address the high cost of imported fossil fuel for cars, climate change and the hazards of increased influx of sargassum seaweed on local beaches.
This is based on new research supported by the Inter-American Development Bank, titled ‘Environmental Evidence on the use of Biomethane from Rum Distillery Waste and Sargassum seaweed as an Alternative Fuel for Transportation in Barbados’.
The researchers – including Legena Henry, Brittney McKenzie, Aria Goodridge, Karyl Pivott, and Joshua Austin – specifically examined the potential to exploit sargassum seaweed that inundates the coasts of Barbados, along with locally produced wastewater from rum distilleries, to produce biomethane gas. This is as an alternative transportation fuel via compressed natural gas conversions of local gasolene vehicles.
The research team also included Kristen Lynch, Shamika Spencer, Felicia Cox Nikolai Holder, Renique Murray, Veronica R Prado and Pauline Ravillard.
They concluded, among other things, that “by relying on experimental evidence, it shows that biomethane emanating from the combination of sargassum seaweed that is found on the seashores of the country with wastewater from rum distillery production can be used to produce an alternative transportation fuel”.
“If implemented successfully, this alternative combustion method can avoid as much as one million metric tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions every year in the country,” the researchers added.
At the same time, they said it could ease the reliance on renewables.
“Focusing exclusively on other renewables such as solar and wind might be problematic, due to its level of exposure to natural disasters and, therefore, resilience issues associated with these technologies,” they said.
“The same applies to electric vehicles when they are charged with electricity generated from solar panels, as these are meant to be located above ground, often on rooftops, which makes them vulnerable to damage with hurricane wind speeds above 100 miles per hour (mph) … During the hurricane season, wind speeds can easily surpass 150mph, which makes it unwise to exclusively invest in solar panels, as the ubiquitous nationwide solution to a fossil fuel-free transportation sector in Barbados,” they added.