Can technology help fight the sargassum problem inthe Dominican Republic?
Louise Gomez
Every year, large amounts of sargassum reach Caribbean coastlines, driving off all
the tourists and dealing a heavy blow to the local hospitality industry.
At first glance the problem seems simple, that it is removing all from the beach.
But it is much bigger than that, the massive arrivals of sargassum can affect marine
ecosystems, reduce light and oxygen in the water and most importantly harm
coastal communities that depend heavily on tourism.
The Dominican Republic knows this problem well. So, what if technology could help us do more than simply clean up the beaches?
One of the first ways technology can help is through monitoring. The Dominican Republic’s National Authority for Maritime Affairs(ANAMAR) monitors sargassum in Dominican
waters and publishes information about its movement.This allows scientists and authorities to follow large masses of sargassum before they reach certain coastal areas.
That information matters, since instead of waiting until the sargassum covers a beach communities can prepare in advance. Hotels, local authorities and coastal communities could use monitoring systems to better organize their response and plan collection efforts.
However, monitoring also has limitations. According to ANAMAR, cloud cover
can interfere with detection, and satellite systems cannot detect sargassum once it
gets within approximately one kilometer of the coast, this means that predicting its
movement is helpful but it does not solve the entire problem.
Technology needs to do more and it can.
In April 2026, research from an university well known as INTEC, together with the
Swiss company Algatek and Spain’s CADE soluciones, presented a technology
that processes wet sargassum through a biorefinery (An economic system that
replaces fossil fuels with renewable resources) and hydrothermal gasification
system (converts wet organic waste and biomass into renewable synthetic gas)
Instead of threatening it as waste, the process can transform sargassum biomass
into synthesis gases, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, green hydrogen,
and methane. It can also separate arsenic and produce compounds with potential
application in the pharmaceutical industries.
So here comes this question, “What can we create from it?” Sargassum contains
around 88% moisture, which the system can use during processing without
requiring additional external water. Researchers also reported that it can produce
purified water free of metals, with an estimated cost of around 80 euros per
megawatt-hour (MWh)
For me, this is what makes engineering interesting , sometimes solving a problem
means looking at something we consider waste and finding different uses for it.
Technology may not stop sargassum from reaching our shores but it could help us
respond differently. Instead of only removing it, we could better understand and
turn part of the problem into an opportunity.
Works Cited
Libre, D. (2026, 27 abril). Desarrollan tecnología para convertir el sargazo en productos
industriales - Diario Libre. Diario Libre.
ara-obtener-energia-del-sargazo/3515617
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