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DEOXYGENATION purges ballast water of invasives—And it’s cheap
Starting this year, the U.S. Coast Guard will require that ships entering U.S. waters have plans to rid their ballast water of invasive species or face fines of up to US$25,000 per day. The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization also recently adopted a policy that sets upper limits for the number of organisms in discharged ballast water.
But this will be no easy feat. An estimated 10,000 different species are transported in ballast water everyday. Studies have shown that millions of bacteria and virus particles may reside in just one gallon of ballast water. Scientists have been searching for new treatments for many years, yet none is without drawbacks. The conventional method of exchanging ballast water on the high seas destabilizes some ships and is impractical for short voyages and coastal journeys. Chlorination yields chlorine waste, and ultraviolet light may not work in turbid water.
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