Mexico Is Betting on Biofuel to Tackle Its Seaweed Crisis

AI Summary

Mexico faces a significant seaweed problem along its Caribbean coast affecting tourism, prompting researchers to explore sustainable uses such as biofuel and fertilizer. This initiative aims to manage environmental challenges while creating economic opportunities from the biomass.

Over the past 15 years, Mexico has faced a severe seaweed problem, with vast quantities of a brown seaweed known as sargassum washing up on beaches along the Caribbean coast and hitting the tourism industry hard. Researchers are yet to find an effective way to prevent the seaweed from washing ashore or to effectively predict its movement. As the Mexican government attempts to manage the huge quantities of seaweed each year, researchers are exploring potential uses for the algae, such as biofuel or fertiliser. As much as 9,000 tons of seaweed is…