Blooming solutions: Transforming eutrophic algal blooms into biofertilizers | Poster Board #794

Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can cause public health issues, environmental harm, and further runoff into nearby water bodies. The contaminated water can result in the growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which lead to detrimental consequences on aquatic life within an ecosystem. Creating a sustainable and effective biofertilizer from HABs can both mitigate the negative impacts of HABs and reduce harmful impacts of synthetic fertilizer runoff. To address these environmental problems, this study will harvest HABs from Utah Lake, which has a long history with HABs, and convert the microalgae into biofertilizer in the form of pellets, powder, and suspension. Each form of biofertilizer will be tested on mini peppers, cilantro, and grass seedlings, and compared to both unfertilized plants and those fertilized with a commercially available synthetic option. Plant height, color, and width will be measured weekly, as well as the number of leaves per plant for the cilantro and mini pepper. It is predicted that all forms of the biofertilizer will increase plant growth, while the powder biofertilizer will have the best results compared to the algae pellets or liquid due to increased surface area and therefore better access to and absorption of nutrients by the plant roots. Furthermore, mini pepper plants are anticipated to respond most positively to the biofertilizer due to their extensive root systems. Future research entails combining growth-promoting plant hormones, such as gibberellins, with the HABs to create a more effective biofertilizer.