17 Oct MEDRC & UNESCO IOC Deliver Worlds First HAB’s Manual

MEDRC Water Research and UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) have introduced the world’s first guide to harmful algal blooms (HABs). The manual was launched at the International Desalination Association World Congress in São Paulo Brazil on October 17th, 2017. The objective of the manual is to help the desalination industry combat the threat that HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) pose to human health and the operation of their plants.
The 517 page manual, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and Desalination: A Guide to Impacts, Monitoring, and Management, has 12 chapters covers a variety of topics including;
* the fundamental features of algal blooms, species identification, HAB ecology, toxins, biomass, and extracellular products;
* 12 case studies with practical information for plant designers and operators;
* HAB monitoring approaches focusing on instrument-based methods outside plants, and remote sensing imagery for early warning and to reveal spatial extent and transport of blooms;
* methods to measure algal organic matter, its fouling constituents, such as transparent exopolymer particles, and their removal in pretreatment;
* strategies and seawater reverse osmosis pretreatment methods to maintain plant operations when challenged with the increased suspended solids and organic loads associated with HABs; and
* a chapter, in line with World Health Organization recommendations, describing risk assessment frameworks and the multi-barrier approach to ensure safe drinking water in the face of a toxic marine HAB, along with HAB management response plans.

The manual is the outcome of an international conference on HABs organized by MEDRC and UNESCO IOC and held in Oman in 2012. The resulting collaborative research project was led by MEDRC and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The manual is available online for download READ MORE