Technology

Our team knew we wanted to make a new treatment system for algae from the beginning, but that idea took several forms before becoming the PUDDLE we know today. Even though there were many trips back to the drawing board, there was a handful of important ideas that were part of our design throughout the whole journey.

If you wait until a full bloom has formed to treat the algae, you're already a step behind the problem. Treating the cyanobacteria before an algal bloom forms means that you're avoiding many of the side effects that come with eutrophication.

We've dubbed the PUDDLE an "autodosing filter." This means that, as soon as it detects contamination in the water, it gets to work dispensing the treatment- without any work on the pond owner's end. Since people can struggle to treat cyanobacteria when there isn't a bloom present, this also puts less pressure on pond owners to overtreat their water with harsh chemicals.

Many current algae treatments seem pretty counter-intuitive when you think about it. You can eliminate the issue of eutrophication, but it comes at the cost of pouring harsh, environmentally-unfriendly chemicals in the water. That's why our treatment tablets are made of biologically friendly substances that won't harm wildlife and will get the job done. This way, pond owners don't have to choose between having a clear pond and having chemical-free water.

PUDDLE stands for pH Unit for Detecting and Deterring Limnetic Eutrophication. Cyanobacteria are known to raise the pH of pond and lakes from 9 to roughly 10 or 11 on the pH scale. We used this element of algae to detect its presence. The pH change can happen without a bloom or before a bloom surfaces, so it's a proactive way of handling the problem. The PUDDLE features a built-in pH meter, which runs frequent scans to make sure the water is in a safe pH zone. If the water is safe, the PUDDLE will simply continue to float and run frequent pH readings. If the water is shown to be unsafe, the PUDDLE begins the treatment process.

We didn't want our treatment method to be complicated. We brainstormed many different methods of getting the treatment into the water, and the best method ended up being the simplest. The PUDDLE dispensary technology takes direct inspiration from a part of everyday life: vending machines. Inside the PUDDLE shell is a vending coil that is rigged to hold our treatment tablets. This coil is attached to a motor, which, after receiving a signal saying that the water is contaminated, rotates the coil to drop the tablet into the water. After it dispenses a tablet, the PUDDLE undergoes a cool down period to make sure it isn't treating the same bloom with multiple tablets. With a chamber large enough to hold the necessary amount of tablets for half a year, the PUDDLE can float through all of algae-season without needing to have its tablets reloaded.

The PUDDLE shell is made of a buoyant plastic to ensure that it stays afloat and doesn't risk letting the tablets dissolve prior to them dispensing. The shell also feature stringed weights similar to those found at the end of a fishing line. This prevents the PUDDLE from floating around the pond and treating certain areas unequally. Just place your PUDDLE toward the center of your pond and watch the magic happen!

With the precedent that our tablets would be chemical-free, our team turned to the field of microbiology to look for the basis for our treatments. That's when we learned about Aureobasidium pullalans, a yeast strain that was recently recognized to fight against algal growth in water. These organisms, though microscopic in nature, clear the water of its algal growth, eliminate the toxins in the water, and even helps in an effort to prevent future blooms from surfacing. We wanted to minimize the risk of resurfacing blooms as much has possible, though, so our tablets also contain ozone and peroxone, two natural compounds that help deter future blooms. Together, these components rally together to fight against algae while posing no threat to wildlife or the environment.