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Going Green

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Japan to Build Large-scale Seaweed Ethanol Plant in Ocean

A group of Japanese scientists have announced the development of a large-scale ethanol manufacturing plant with seaweed as the feedstock. Plans are underway to build a 3,860-square-mile seaweed farm in the middle of the Sea of Japan. The farm could produce 5.3 billion gallons of bioethanol a year, enough to meet one-third of Japan’s gasoline requirements for a year. The feedstock is Sargasso seaweed. Floating bioreactors using enzymes would convert the seaweed to sugar and then into ethanol. It would then be shipped by tanker to land. The seaweed “plant” would also clean up the polluted Sea of Japan, by eliminating nutrient salt run-off from the coasts of Japan and Asian mainland.

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Groundbreaking Rule: Water Users Can No Longer Tap Everglades

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has formalized a groundbreaking rule that prohibits water users from tapping into Florida’s Everglades. This rule will not only protect and restore the Everglades, but sets a precedent for regional growth – expanding towns, cities and developments can no longer look to protected resources for their water. They will have to develop alternative water supply solutions including recycling water, using reclaimed water to recharge the Biscayne Aquifer or draw water from the deeper Floridan Aquifer, which requires treatment to remove saltwater content. Known as the Regional Water Availability Rule, this first-of-its kind requirement prevents water users from tapping the Everglades for new or additional supplies of water. Setting aside the water in the Everglades for environmental restoration, permitted users like urban water utilities along Florida’s southeast coast will now have to find alternative sources to supply regional growth. Said Michael Sole, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, “This visionary rule safeguards Florida’s investments, ensures that our communities manage growth responsibly and provides additional guarantees for making water available for the environment first.” In South Florida, water suppliers in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties currently depend on an estimated 500 […]

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