Beer Will Save Us

Climate change and increased industrial scale usage of chemically laden fertilizers is turning out to be a lethal combination.  Toxic algae blooms have increased significantly in freshwater bodies around the world.  A study published in Nature reported on an evaluation of 71 lakes in 33 countries across six continents over a nearly 30-year period, that found notable increases in blue green algae (cyanobacteria) in 68% of the lakes studied.  These lakes were large bodies of water, but cyanobacteria blooms is smaller bodies of are the new normal everywhere and cyanobacteria is dangerous.  

A woman in North Carolina lost three dogs after they went swimming in a pond this summer. And experts have been warning dog owners in other states, from Washington to Texas, that toxic algae might be lurking in their local waters. The problem is cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which can be highly toxic to animals of all kinds.

It will be difficult to reverse the already prevalent impact of global warming on algae blooms.  Reduced use of industrial fertilizers would be helpful, but that isn't going to happen soon.  So, is there any safe way to mitigate the impact of this toxic algae?  

There’s quite a bit of research showing the promise of barley straw in controlling certain types of algae—especially the bad stuff. They’ll throw whole bales into the water, sometimes attached to rods or ropes so it stays in one place. As the straw breaks down, it releases phenolic acids and flavonoids, organic compounds that inhibit the growth of algae. 

Unfortunately, bales of barley straw take a long time to breakdown and release the necessary chemicals.  The straw bales need to be placed well in advance and anchored so that the straw stays put to break down.  Scientists sat down for a beer to ponder if another source of more soluble barley might be available.

Spent grain—the leftovers after brewers extract sugars needed to make beer—is “the number-one waste product of breweries,” says Armstrong, so there’s a lot of it available, and many brewers give it away for free. Plus, brewers make their beer with barley hulls, which have more phenolic acids and flavonoids than are found in barley straw. Best of all, during the brewing process, the barley begins to degrade. This could mean a much shorter lead time than the weeks or months required of barley straw. 

So, a waste by-product of brewing has the potential to break-up algae blooms.  Lots of research still needs to be done to make this a viable solution and the work is in progress.  I'll drink to that.