Story and photos by Joey Garcia, University Communications and Marketing
What if the answer to combating red tide isn鈥檛 a complex mechanical system, but a fine, crystalline powder? That鈥檚 the goal behind a new material developed by USF researchers and George Philippidis and their doctoral students.
Representing expertise in chemistry, biology and global sustainability, this interdisciplinary team has developed a fine, crystalline material designed to remain solid in seawater. When activated by sunlight, the material diminishes the growth of Karenia brevis, the scientific term for red tide, offering a potential new approach to combat the algae and its impacts on human health and marine life.
USF researchers Ioannis Spanopoulos and George Philippidis collaborated on the study, combining their expertise in chemistry and global sustainability.
USF doctoral candidates Alissa Anderson and Paulina Slick teamed up in the lab, pushing the research forward under their mentors鈥� guidance.
鈥淲e're addressing pressing environmental issues by developing next-generation materials for energy, medical and environmental applications. What makes this technology so compelling is that we developed a family of materials that are biocompatible and can work continuously, something that hasn鈥檛 been done before.鈥�
USF Assistant Professor Ioannis Spanopoulos
GULF COAST MAKES PERFECT TARGET FOR RED TIDE
Red tide can have wide-ranging consequences, from killing marine life to releasing airborne toxins that cause respiratory and eye irritation in humans. Hurricanes can intensify these impacts by stirring nutrients from deeper waters, allowing blooms to persist or worsen.
Fish kills caused by harmful red tide blooms.
鈥淚 grew up in Florida watching these red tide blooms and noticed the impact they have through fish kills, beach closures and major losses to tourism,鈥� said Alissa Anderson, a doctoral chemistry student and a member of the Spanopoulos Lab. 鈥淚t really hurts the Florida economy when blooms are as bad as what we鈥檝e seen after recent storms.鈥�
CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE MATERIAL
Current strategies for managing red tide rely on a mix of chemical treatments, the use of living organisms to limit blooms and physical removal. However, these approaches can be difficult to control once introduced into large-scale environments and are costly.
鈥淥ur goal was to create a material that could work effectively in seawater without breaking down or causing unintended environmental impacts,鈥� Spanopoulos said.
To do so, the researchers developed a material made from microscopic, sponge-like crystalline structures with a porous framework, building on their previously published findings. The material contains bismuth, a naturally occurring metal known for its biocompatibility and antibacterial properties. Iodide incorporated into the material鈥檚 crystal particles enables it to become light-activated when exposed to sunlight.
Close-up of the new material, made of bismuth and iodine, featuring a crystalline structure.
The result is a product activated by natural light that can generate a chemical compound capable of attacking and breaking down red tide cells.
鈥淲e are very excited about this technology because of its sustainable nature,鈥� Philippidis said. 鈥淭he material functions using ambient sunlight, meaning it doesn鈥檛 require added energy or ongoing chemical inputs once it鈥檚 in place. In addition, the material is not consumed and does not dissolve in water, so it can be recovered and reused鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to tackle current issues within our ecosystems while providing solutions that don鈥檛 harm surrounding organisms,鈥� added Paulina Slick, an integrative biology doctoral student and member of the Philippidis Lab. 鈥淏eing able to address Karenia brevis without disrupting marine life that shares the same environment is very important.鈥�
The research is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the U.S. Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator program, which advances scalable, environmentally responsible solutions to harmful algal blooms.
FROM LAB TO REAL-WORLD IMPACT
Based on their findings, both labs are now focused on testing the material under controlled laboratory conditions at USF, with larger experimental water systems, such as tanks, representing a possible next step. Further research will examine how the material can be deployed cost-effectively and potentially managed and recovered as part of future efforts.
The teams examine the molecular makeup of the new material.
With their new findings, both labs are set to begin larger-scale testing.
鈥淣ot only did we develop something new, but the team is proud to have found a tangible solution to a very important ecological problem,鈥� Spanopoulos said. 鈥淣ow, through careful optimization, we are scaling the technology responsibly while maintaining selectivity and environmental safety.鈥�
For the team, success would mean demonstrating the material is consistently effective. That data would support larger-scale testing and inform potential future deployment by environmental agencies and partners responsible for managing harmful algal blooms in the Gulf.