Scientists test algae collected from Palm Jebel Ali to combat oil spills

Dubai: Algae blooms around Palm Jebel Ali could provide a solution for absorbing oil after spills according to an environment group currently conducting small scale trials.

The Emirates Marine Environment Group (EMEG) located next to Nakheel's The Waterfront in Dubai project have started collecting algae that is forming rapidly around the artificial Palm Jebel Ali islands' fronds.

Once dried out, the algae could be used in clean-up efforts after oil spills according to the group's director of marine projects.

"At different times algae grows in different areas and can be detrimental to the environment because it sucks up all the oxygen in the water. Nakheel has asked us to remove the algae and our divers collect about 500 kilos everyday," said Rima Jabado, marine biologist and director of marine projects for EMEG.

The algae is a natural phenomenon which thrives here because of the regional climate and high sea temperatures, said Jabado.

"The algae is called chaetomorpha and can grow to be so dense that, in a worst case scenario it can turn chemical. But we are quite far from that growth rate. There are lakes in China however where this has happened," she said.

Too much algae can create a bad smell and in dense clumps kill itself.

"It is composed of hydrogen sulphide and in large quantities can be hazardous," she said. "We believe it is also happening on the other Palm islands."

One use for the algae is to use it during oil spills to act like a sponge to suck up large quantities of oil.

Based on the initiative of EMEG's director Ali Shakr Bin Suwaidi a small scale trial of five buckets and saltwater and various types of oil or petrol like crude or diesel have been used to test for successful absorption.

"It is just in the experimental phase but it is working quite well. Because of all the algae we were collecting we decided to try and find a use for it instead of throwing it away," said Jabado.

"We filled the buckets with sea water, poured the oil in and spread the dried algae to sit on top. It is very promising. By the time oil is contained during spills some has already sunk and seeped into the sediment. Covering spills with the algae could prevent this," she said.

Should the tests prove successful and enough algae be harvested, the disposal area for the oil soaked algae would then have to be addressed, she added.

Corals flourishing

Corals in sensitive areas in Al Ghantoot near The Waterfront and Palm Jebel Ali that were transplanted to better suited areas, are reportedly doing well according to the Emirates Marine Environment Group.

"The corals affected by sedimentation from dredging and reclamation, or on the high water mark were moved. We are not seeing any visible coral growth but there are lot of fish and variety of sea life," said Rima Jabado, director of marine projects, EMEG.

Transplantation of coral is carried out by chiselling the coral heads away from their original place and cementing them to rocks elsewhere using cement called epoxy. The survival rate has apparently been around 80 per cent, said Jabado.

"It's very positive," she added. The corals were cemented on 100 big boulders, like the ones usually used for breakwaters, in an area 200 square metres.