INTRODUCTION: (Lou): Hello everyone, we are group 4, and we will now be presenting our

research, titled: [Natural coagulants against harmful algal blooms].

Our group members are:

[insert members here]

STORY: (Queency): While having a long weekend, one of our group members came across a
vlog about Boracay island, while watching the vlog they noticed that there are unfamiliar green
looking things literally in the front beach, and out of curiosity, she searched about “green things
in boracay beach” then they found out that these are green algaes, which led us into
furthermore searching about algaes and its types then after that we found out about Harmful
Algal blooms that are also common in the water bodies of the philippines. And that leads us into
the questions:

Verification Question: What are harmful algal blooms (HABs)?

-It is when certain environmental conditions are suitable and incredibly favorable to a certain
species, that they dominate over the whole ecosystem. This in turn causes harm to other
species, and endangers the whole ecosystem. This phenomenon occurs quite frequently in our
country, an example being the red tides in manila bay. Red tide is an example of harmful algal
blooms in which it occurs when lots of algae, specifically Dinoflagellates are present in a water
body more than usual.

Significant Question: Why are these algal blooms so harmful?

-As stated in the previous paragraph, these algae blooms dominate over the ecosystem,
hogging nutrients that other species also need in order to live. An example of such are oxygen
and sunlight, which can cause the death of many organisms, and essentially make dead zones
in water bodies.

Experimental Question: How can we reduce HABs?

-This is what our presentation will be about, with the solution we came up with being; natural
coagulants, mainly, the seeds of the Moringa Oleifera.

First of all, para maexplain paano ito gumagana, kailangan ko muna explain more about HABs.
As I have already mentioned, HABs grow in environments where the conditions are favorable to
them. Mainly, water bodies that contain high levels of phosphorus—isang nutrient that is key to
their growth.

So naturally, naghanap kami ng ways to reduce phosphorus levels sa mga water bodies. Dito
pumapasok ang aluminum sulfate—also known as alum, ang most used chemical to counter
algal blooms. It reduces phosphorus levels in water through coagulation, isang process kung
saan trinatrap ng alum ang phosphorus na kailangan ng mga algae into mga clumps, kung saan
mas magiging madali ito ifilter sa tubig.
But, as with most things, meron pa rin itong drawbacks. Kaya kami ay naghanap ng possible
alternatives na pwedeng magact as a coagulant for phosphorus. At dito namin nakita ang mga
natural coagulants. They are species with naturally occurring water purification properties. With
the one currently recognized to be the best natural coagulant being the seeds of Moringa
Oleifera, also known as Malunggay.

Malunggay seeds have been widely used in water purification for a long time, especially in more
rural communities as it is much more easily accessible. Moringa seeds contain positively
charged proteins that act as natural coagulants, these positive charged proteins are identified as
Mo-CBP3 or the antifungal chitin binding protein,and the Mo-CBP4 IS is the purified
chitin-binding protein from Moringa oleifera seeds, it is also a potent antidermatophytic protein,
and when you combine these two components it will create a water purifying properties, which
are present in a Moringa Oleifera seed.

Because of this, we also explored if it can be used against HABs. And there has been a few
research about how it's used as a modifier against algal blooms, and also about its
anti-cyanobacterial properties. As such, we contemplated the idea of it being used to combat
large-scale algal blooms. But, we find little about its effectiveness against dinoflagellates.

Okay, background check muna, so everyone can better understand. Two of the most common
types of blooms are cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates. Cyanobacteria are what causes most
freshwater blooms. While dinoflagellates cause most saltwater blooms. This is true, even with
the previously given example of HABs in Manila Bay, a commonly occuring red tide.

However, it is important to note that not all algal blooms are harmful. An example of this are the
algal blooms in Boracay, where it occurs during the first quarter of the year. Fueled by the
effects of people's activities, like urinating and showering, nutrients build up in the soil, and get
discharged into the sea. But when it grows out of control, that is when it turns dangerous.
Contaminating the water and causing illnesses to humans and animals alike.

So, what we would like to propose as an alternative is the use of natural coagulants like Moringa
Oleifera seeds as a way of deterring and reducing HABs. Specifically, those that are caused by
dinoflagellates, as it's much more prevalent in our country.

There are also other natural coagulants aside from Moringa seeds, like cacti and rice husks.
And we also wish to explore the idea of combining natural coagulants together to create an
even better coagulant to better counter algal blooms. Actually, there have been experiments
about combining natural and chemical coagulants, so we would like to know if combining two or
more natural coagulants can also work as a good alternative to the many existing and widely
used chemical coagulants. Giving us more solutions for a serious problem, that can help save
the environment and the lives of many.

Outro: And with that, we will be finishing our presentation. Thank you so much for listening, and
once again, we are group 4!
Sponsor: Special thanks to the sponsor of this presentation, Jessica Salunga, ganda nyo po.
(Wag nyo to sasabihin ng naririnig ni maam HAHAHAH bka mapagalitan us huhu)

Possible Questions:

What are the disadvantages of using alum?

-intensive labor needs
-decrease in water ph levels
-produces a lot of sludge

What are the water purification properties of cacti and rice husks?
-Cacti contain a mucilage that attracts sediments, bacteria and other contaminants.

With your question, how did you come up with that? What is you scientific basis?
-Well, this is because we saw that the most common way that HABs are countered are through
coagulants like aluminum sulfate. And moringa oleifera seeds are known as natural coagulants.

Why do you need a natural coagulants? What is the action of coagulants to habs?
We need a natural coagulant for our problem because we are looking for potential alternatives
that we can present for our research, The coagulants can trap phosphorus, a nutrient needed
for HABs to bloom into sediments, making it easier to filter.

Are you mitigating or preventing habs?

We'd say a bit of both. We mainly want to see if it can be effective in reducing phosphorus levels
and reduce HABs, but we would also like to know if it can work against blooms directly.

Flow:
-HABs and how it works
-alum
-natural coagulants; moringa oleifera seeds
-explain ang properties ng seeds, how its been used for water treatment
-explain how it could potentially be used for large-scale water treatment against blooms
-discuss other natural coagulants (cactus and rice husks)
-possible combination of natural coagulants for better things
-conclusion; the combination of natural coagulants as an alternative for treatment against
harmful algal blooms.
REFERENCES:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/water-quality/algae-watch/
what-are-algae/causes-of-an-algae-bloom#:~:text=Algae%20blooms%20can%20occur%20whe
n,%2C%20and%20stable%20wind%20conditions).

https://www.lenntech.com/phosphorous-removal.htm

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13201-016-0499-8

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13201-016-0499-8#:~:text=Moringa%20oleifera%20(M
O)%20is%20a,for%20water%20and%20wastewater%20treatment.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC2898099

https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/21330/20190506/rice-husks-can-effectively-remove-micro
cystin-from-water.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/habs/environment.html

Mo-CBP3, an Antifungal Chitin-Binding Protein from Moringa oleifera Seeds, Is a Member of the
2S Albumin Family - PMC (nih.gov)

Mo-CBP4, a purified chitin-binding protein from Moringa oleifera seeds, is a potent

antidermatophytic protein: In vitro mechanisms of action, in vivo effect against infection, and
clinical application as a hydrogel for skin infection

Shareworthy: Yucky green algae? Scientists share tips to protect Boracay’s Environment
(emb.gov.ph)

Rice Husks Can Effectively Remove Microcystin from Water

Blend of natural coagulants as a sustainable solution for challenges of pollution from
aquaculture wastewater - Applied Water Science