UNAM Scientists Develop Construction Panels from Sargassum
What if a tourism-wrecking blight of unwanted macroalgae in the Caribbean could be repurposed into a valuable building resource, such as construction panels? Taking it a step further, what if it could be developed with a high resistance to bending, fire, and had good thermal insulation properties? This is exactly what is in development at the Center for Applied Physics and Advanced Technology (CFATA) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Sargassum invades Caribbean beaches
Between May and August of each year, sargassum invades Caribbean beaches, threatening marine life as well as local tourism and commerce. In 2023, according to NASA, 13 million tons of this macroalgae floated in the so-called Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (an area that stretches from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, across the mid-Atlantic), and some of it made its way to the Caribbean. In 2024, in Quintana Roo alone, nearly 37,000 tons were collected in shallow and coastal waters.