An Interview to BlueGreen Ltd.
On August 31st 2021, Duke Kunshan University IGEM team interviewed Mrs. Pu Wang, the chief manager of BlueGreen Water Technologies Ltd (China). BlueGreen Ltd is a company providing potential solutions to water blooms and it has come up with mature chemical-based algicidal products and has participated in environmental governance projects worldwide. The interview was conducted in Chinese and lasted for more than an hour. A summary of the interview in English is shown below.
Question 1:Have you encountered any difficulties when developing algicidal products?
Yes. We do experience technical problems. When we were developing the algicidal products, we try to wrap our algicidal chemical in the membraneous capsules. We had difficulties finding the coating materials. We have tested hundreds of different materials and finally found out the best solution which is applicable. Meanwhile, the coating material is not the only problem. Other than that, we have to carefully examine the property of different water-bloom species. The interactions between the algicidal product and different species vary a lot so that we have to optimize our product to let it function in different water conditions. Besides, we first decided that the product should be based on chloride as it is proved to be super effective. Many stakeholders show great interest in our project but not anymore when they realize we use chloride. My advice is that, even if you prove your product to be effective, you need to carefully evaluate public opinions whenever you want to bring it into the markets.
Question 2: What is your understanding of water bloom? Is there any relation between water bloom treatment and economic development?
Answer: Water bloom is indeed a serious problem around the world. In China, water bloom is especially severe in three of the big lakes including Lake Taihu, Lake Chaohu, and Dian Lake. It is a long-lasting problem without a perfect solution. The government and related investors have dumped 143 billion RMB till now in solving the water bloom in Lake Chaohu, ending up receiving no significant improvement at all. We urgently need people and organizations from society to cooperate so that we can control the water bloom as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the control of water bloom contributes a lot to the tourism and real estate economy close to the water system, not to mention the aquaculture itself. If we solve the water bloom properly, not only the economy can be improved, but also the health concern of the citizens living around can be relieved. For example, we once received a call from a real estate company in South Africa asking us to help solve the local water bloom problem so that the houses can be sold well.
Question 3: Have you encountered any opposing opinions from the public when executing the algicidal products?
Answer: Since we usually cooperate with the local government, the opposing opinion is mostly from the government itself. We have two products among which one is based on copper while the other is based on peroxide. Even if we prove our product to be safe for the animals in the water system, whenever we tried to advertise our copper-related algicidal product, there are concerns about the safety of the products. The government usually does not allow copper to be released into the natural water system. We have no choice but to use the peroxide. In terms of the way of executing the product, we pour it on the water surface to let it flow with the current, which is extremely simple. Thanks to this, we didn’t receive disagreement on the way of using the product.
Question 4: Where did you find your fundings? Who are the investors and stakeholders in terms of solving the water bloom problem?
Answer: Our initial fundings were from our families and friends, and sometimes from investors who are interested in this topic. After the products become mature, we can then find investments from more Angel investors. A real product is essential to attracting potential investors.
Question 5: When you are dealing with the water bloom problem, do you cooperate with the governmental department or social groups? What type of cooperation is it?
We mainly cooperate with the local government to solve the water bloom problem. Usually, such cooperation is conducted in a way that it is integrated into a bigger environmental governance project led by the government. Therefore, we cooperate with bigger environmental governance companies to utilize our product while providing technical advice. Our product is executed together with other methods to improve the environmental conditions. Other than that, we contact researchers in water bloom fields for advice even if their research is mostly at a theoretical stage. Although our product is quite mature, there are a lot of aspects from which the product can be improved. To cut down the price, we tried to find the local foundries close to the natural water system frequently struck by water blooms because water bloom requires long-term control for years. In this way, once the water bloom happens, the product arrives as soon as possible. The transportation cost is then cut down. Response to water bloom becomes more efficient.
Question 6:Before the product enters the market, did you test your product in a natural water system or simply test it in the lab?
Answer: We have tested the algicidal effect of our product in the natural water system, and we surprisingly found out that compared to our experiment in the lab, the expected minimum inhibition concentration is a lot higher in the natural environment. Our later research suggests that the water bloom not only stays at the water surface but also drops to the deeper water if the environment is unfavorable. Since it hides at the water bottom, it is more difficult to kill it.
Question 7:Could you please provide some suggestions to the Duke Kunshan IGEM team?
Answer: As I mentioned, a field experiment is really essential. The experimental conditions in the lab are carefully managed: no other bacteria in the culture, optimized pH value of media during the algicidal tests, even the sunlight and temperature are strictly controlled. The experimental condition in the lab is too simple that it hardly resembles the natural environment where the product should be executed. You might notice strong algicidal effects under such simple conditions, but the potential problem can never be found without a field experiment in the natural water system. I strongly recommend you test your products in a small water system struck by water bloom as soon as you have your products ready, but no need to rush, and don’t forget to get permission.