Texas Lake Solutions

Pond Scum Biofuel?

In the future, when you pull your vehicle into the fuel station, you may have choices like these: Regular, Mid Grade, and Pond Scum. Yes, it is true, there is a movement to make pond scum the next great fuel source. Stop laughing! I am not joking. There are even some big names, with big money, and a lot of science behind it!

But, If you have a pond or lake on your property, you probably aren’t ready to start putting it into your fuel tank just yet. There is a lot of research that is yet to be done, and a refining process to be, well, refined. In the mean time, you most likely dont want the mosquitoes and other problems associated with excessive fillamentous algae growth, so we will offer a little information on getting rid of it.

Classifying aquatic vegetation.

Classifying aquatic vegetation can be a little difficult, but we will try to understand it from a practical, treatment based perspective. Some of these definitions will be a little different from the textbooks, but they are practical for treatment.

Lake and pond vegetation can be classified by type of root system:

• Rooted Plants. Plants with roots extending into the soil.
  

• Floating Plants. Plants which float on the surface of the water without a direct connection to the soil.
  

Anomalies.

Not all types and species fall neatly into one or the other of these categories. Even the floating plants usually have something resembling a root system, and which functions in much the same manner as a root system of a plant which is rooted in the ground, by drawing nutrients from the water rather than the soil. Often, rooted plants can be dislodged, and survive for long periods by floating in nutrient rich waters.

Algae, of the filamentous type, seems rooted, in the most rudimentary way when it begins it’s life at the bottom of the lake or pond, and only rises to the top via the air it produces. Some algae, the planktonic single cells, that are suspended in the water seems to be true floating plant, while such algae types as nitella, and muskgrass ar normally rooted and resemble true complex vascular rooted plants. Obviously , there is nothing written in stone.

Next: Submersed, Emergent, and Floating Plants