{"id":115729,"date":"2022-06-25T18:50:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-25T22:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=115729"},"modified":"2022-06-26T01:00:16","modified_gmt":"2022-06-26T05:00:16","slug":"eutrophication-an-overview-of-pollution-effects-and-removal-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/eutrophication-an-overview-of-pollution-effects-and-removal-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"Eutrophication in bodies of water: an overview of pollution effects and removal technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Brigitte Rodriguez, Associate Researcher &amp; Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | June 25, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eutrophication is the excess of nutrients in water. As a form of nutrient pollution, it can have negative impacts leading to harmful algal blooms and hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in aquatic ecosystems. Luckily, there are some technologies that can be used to control eutrophication.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What is Eutrophication?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eutrophication occurs when excess nutrients enter a body of water, such as a lake or reservoir. This is usually the result of\u00a0 anthropogenic, or human-caused, nutrient loading which consists of higher than normal amounts\u00a0 of natural elements such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). As a consequence, the growth of algae is accelerated, which creates an imbalance in aquatic ecosystems that can ultimately affect water quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What are the main sources of eutrophication?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though not always clear, the many sources of nutrient pollution often stem from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/scitable\/knowledge\/library\/eutrophication-causes-consequences-and-controls-in-aquatic-102364466\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anthropogenic activities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across various sectors and industrial processes. These include agriculture, aquaculture, industry (food and meat processing, paper mills) and sewage disposal. The nutrient byproducts of these processes then make their way into nearby water bodies as surface run-off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While difficult to pinpoint, some of the main <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/files.wri.org\/d8\/s3fs-public\/pdf\/eutrophication_sources_and_drivers.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sources of excess nutrients<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commercial fertilizers and animal manure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Domestic and industrial sewage\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waste water<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the symptoms of eutrophication in water bodies?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most significant effects of excess nutrients in the water are harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/great-lakes-harmful-algal-blooms-five-ways-you-can-help\/\">Harmful Algal Blooms<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: produced by different types of algae. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most frequent and severe blooms are caused by cyanobacteria (cyanHAB), which are the only known <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/mission-areas\/water-resources\/science\/nutrients-and-eutrophication#:~:text=An%20overabundance%20of%20nutrients%E2%80%94primarily,release%20toxins%20in%20some%20cases\">freshwater algae with toxins potent enough to harm human health<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In addition, cyanoHABs can threaten aquatic ecosystem health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hypoxia: this refers to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">l<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/education\/tutorial_pollution\/010nutrients.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ow levels of oxygen in water leading to dead zones.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The lack of oxygen threatens the survival of most aquatic species.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Additionally, it is important to mention that studies by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/initiatives\/eutrophication-and-hypoxia\/learn\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Resources Institute <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">states have found that the effect of hypoxia for eutrophication has escalated dramatically over the last 50 years. There were 10 documented cases in 1960, which has since then increased to 169 in 2007. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0921344919305415\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">case of the Yangtze River (China)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, nutrient pollution is intensifying due to food production and increasing urbanization. As a consequence, the urban run-off is elevating nutrient concentrations in the river, resulting in coastal eutrophication. Two of the main administrative solutions aim to reduce the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers as well as recycle the manure so it can be re-used as organic fertilizer for farmland and soil. In this way, researchers predict that coastal eutrophication can be significantly reduced by 2050. However, this must be accompanied by better opportunities for scientists, students and farmers to share their ideas and knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In another case study, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1642359320300719\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pa\u00f1e Reservoir in Peru<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> demonstrates evidence of algal blooms such as cyanobaceria, which has been a key indicator of eutrophication for more than 5 years. The sources of increased nutrient levels in the water\u00a0 are related to the aquaculture and livestock sectors in the area. In order to mitigate eutrophication and maintain water quality standards, a team of researchers suggest a total annual <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aquaculture <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">production of 36,000 kilograms. In addition, sediment monitoring must continue in certain areas of the reservoir in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of aquaculture and water quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Which water treatment technologies are available to reduce eutrophication?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, there are several innovative technologies available to reduce the excess of nutrients in water. These include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BioPhree: This technology captures dissolved <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sei.org\/about-sei\/press-room\/two-new-techs-to-combat-baltic-eutrophication-get-pre-commercialization-boost\/#:~:text=The%20TerraNova%C2%AE%20Ultra%20technology,of%20this%20kind%20in%20China.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">phosphorus in water.<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be used in surface water and wastewater. The advantage of using this tech is its ability to produce fertilizer for agricultural use, making it both effective and sustainable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/terranova-energy.com\/en\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TerraNova\u00ae Ultra<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: is an innovative sewage sludge technology that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.balticwaterhub.net\/innovation\/terranova-ultra-technology\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">extracts phosphorus and nitrogen and allows for the recovery of\u00a0 nutrients.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What You Can Do To Help<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few ways you can reduce the effects of eutrophication in bodies of water:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you own or manage farmland, it is important to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-94-007-7814-6_1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> limit nutrient pollution sources by reducing the use of fertilizers and implementing proper soil management practices<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Volunteer for\u00a0 local public awareness campaigns to draw attention to eutrophication<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you live in a country or region with water bodies at risk of eutrophication, urge your government to better manage <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/marine\/good-environmental-status\/descriptor-5\/index_en.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cleaning of sewage and wastewater.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use soap and detergents with less phosphate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Brigitte Rodriguez, Associate Researcher &amp; Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | June 25, 2022 Eutrophication is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12900,"featured_media":115795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,52,61],"tags":[255,305,322,380,2152,569],"yst_prominent_words":[1150,3145,1871,1869,3203,2116,612,1316,811],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115729"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12900"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115729"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115803,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115729\/revisions\/115803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115729"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=115729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}