‘Super cool’ project turns Lake Bonnet’s algae into jet fuel
By Cindy Glover - LkldNow
June 1, 2025 at 7:50 AM EDT
City officials hope innovative tech will help clean Lakeland’s lakes.
The water in Lake Bonnet isn’t supposed to be the murky green of an exotic cocktail. And it might not be in the future, if an innovative algae-harvesting project works as expected.
The city is nearly halfway through an eight-month test of cutting-edge algae harvesting equipment from Texas-based AECOM.
Tanks, pumps and pipes are set up near the northeast bank of Lake Bonnet, steps away from the Bonnet Springs Park nature center.
The equipment has been filtering about 100,000 gallons a day since February, removing algal overgrowth that blocks sunlight from beneficial plants, deprives fish of oxygen and can be toxic to people and animals.
The machinery will continue running through November, Lakes and Stormwater Manager Laurie Smith said. At that point, the city will decide if it could be deployed on a larger scale.
“We have this amazing science experiment happening at Bonnet Springs Park,” Commissioner Stephanie Madden said at a recent City Commission meeting.
“Take your children or go yourself. It is super cool.”
AECOM's algae harvesting system at Lake Bonnet filters the water through three tanks. (661x499, AR: 1.3246492985971945)
From green to clean
A large intake hose draws murky water from the lake into a tank. There, it’s mixed with a coagulant that makes the algae clump together. In the next tank, air “microbubbles” float the clumped algae to the surface, like foamed milk on a cappuccino.
The slimy algae biomass is skimmed off in a third tank and then dehydrated. The newly clear water is returned to the lake.
It’s called hydronucleation flotation technology, and AECOM — which stands for Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations and Management — worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop it.
Sustainable products
Harvested algae has a surprising range of uses.
Jet fuel: AECOM provides harvested algae to Genifuel, which uses a hydrothermal system to convert it into “biocrude” to refine into aviation fuel.
Genifuel worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the process, which “accomplishes in less than an hour what would take millions of years in nature to form fossil fuels,” Genifuel says on its website.
Biocrude oil is “nearly identical” to the fossil equivalent, Genifuel says.
Foam shoes: Harvested algae has a foamy quality that is comparable to the material used to make Crocs and yoga mats.
A company called Bloom refines algae and blends it with conventional materials to make a cushiony plastic used by major shoe-making brands including Adidas, Puma and Dr. Scholl’s.
Fertilizer: Dehydrated algae can also be used as fertilizer without any extra processing.
“Bonnet Springs Park has been a lucky recipient of having some of that great fertilizer, because it’s full of nutrients,” Laurie Smith said.
A display at the Bonnet Springs Park nature center shows products made from algae. (1145x858, AR: 1.3344988344988344)
Lakeland’s murkiest lake
Lake Bonnet has undergone an extensive transformation in recent years, but it is still one of the city’s most polluted lakes with a high level of nutrients that overstimulate algae growth.
“Lake Bonnet is our most murky lake, without a doubt,” Smith said.
The pilot project has had a positive impact on water quality, but the equipment is not large enough to clean the entire lake in eight months.
Lake Bonnet contains about 99,725,980 gallons of water over 79 acres.
Making the entire lake less murky “would be the goal of a long-term project,” Smith said. “This is just a demonstration to see: Is it feasible? Does it work?
“And yes, it does. It takes algae out of the water and returns clean water into the environment.”
Not ‘one and done’
Smith cautioned that the water-clarifying effects are unlikely to be permanent. As long as stormwater and runoff send high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus into the lake, overstimulated algae will proliferate.
“Algae is the fastest-growing plant on Earth. It can double its size in as little as 24 hours,” Bloom’s website notes.
Not cheap
The pilot project is being funded by a pair of grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection — $1.7 million awarded to the city of Lakeland and $450,000 to Bonnet Springs Park.
The combined $2.25 million was enough to cover eight months of one of AECOM’s smaller harvesting units.
Other cities have invested in harvesters that process 1 million gallons per day, some on barges.
It would be a pricey proposition to filter all of Lakeland’s most troubled lakes and keep the water clear. But Smith said the benefits are not just local.
“Lake Bonnet discharges into a drainage system that goes to the Hillsboro River and eventually Tampa Bay and the Gulf,” Smith said.
“By reducing the amount of nutrients leaving the lake, we also help improve water quality downstream.”
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
The city is nearly halfway through an eight-month test of cutting-edge algae harvesting equipment from Texas-based AECOM.
Tanks, pumps and pipes are set up near the northeast bank of Lake Bonnet, steps away from the Bonnet Springs Park nature center.
The equipment has been filtering about 100,000 gallons a day since February, removing algal overgrowth that blocks sunlight from beneficial plants, deprives fish of oxygen and can be toxic to people and animals.
The machinery will continue running through November, Lakes and Stormwater Manager Laurie Smith said. At that point, the city will decide if it could be deployed on a larger scale.
“We have this amazing science experiment happening at Bonnet Springs Park,” Commissioner Stephanie Madden said at a recent City Commission meeting.
“Take your children or go yourself. It is super cool.”
AECOM's algae harvesting system at Lake Bonnet filters the water through three tanks. (661x499, AR: 1.3246492985971945)
From green to clean
A large intake hose draws murky water from the lake into a tank. There, it’s mixed with a coagulant that makes the algae clump together. In the next tank, air “microbubbles” float the clumped algae to the surface, like foamed milk on a cappuccino.
The slimy algae biomass is skimmed off in a third tank and then dehydrated. The newly clear water is returned to the lake.
It’s called hydronucleation flotation technology, and AECOM — which stands for Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations and Management — worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop it.
Sustainable products
Harvested algae has a surprising range of uses.
Jet fuel: AECOM provides harvested algae to Genifuel, which uses a hydrothermal system to convert it into “biocrude” to refine into aviation fuel.
Genifuel worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the process, which “accomplishes in less than an hour what would take millions of years in nature to form fossil fuels,” Genifuel says on its website.
Biocrude oil is “nearly identical” to the fossil equivalent, Genifuel says.
Foam shoes: Harvested algae has a foamy quality that is comparable to the material used to make Crocs and yoga mats.
A company called Bloom refines algae and blends it with conventional materials to make a cushiony plastic used by major shoe-making brands including Adidas, Puma and Dr. Scholl’s.
Fertilizer: Dehydrated algae can also be used as fertilizer without any extra processing.
“Bonnet Springs Park has been a lucky recipient of having some of that great fertilizer, because it’s full of nutrients,” Laurie Smith said.
A display at the Bonnet Springs Park nature center shows products made from algae. (1145x858, AR: 1.3344988344988344)
Lakeland’s murkiest lake
Lake Bonnet has undergone an extensive transformation in recent years, but it is still one of the city’s most polluted lakes with a high level of nutrients that overstimulate algae growth.
“Lake Bonnet is our most murky lake, without a doubt,” Smith said.
The pilot project has had a positive impact on water quality, but the equipment is not large enough to clean the entire lake in eight months.
Lake Bonnet contains about 99,725,980 gallons of water over 79 acres.
Making the entire lake less murky “would be the goal of a long-term project,” Smith said. “This is just a demonstration to see: Is it feasible? Does it work?
“And yes, it does. It takes algae out of the water and returns clean water into the environment.”
Not ‘one and done’
Smith cautioned that the water-clarifying effects are unlikely to be permanent. As long as stormwater and runoff send high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus into the lake, overstimulated algae will proliferate.
“Algae is the fastest-growing plant on Earth. It can double its size in as little as 24 hours,” Bloom’s website notes.
Not cheap
The pilot project is being funded by a pair of grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection — $1.7 million awarded to the city of Lakeland and $450,000 to Bonnet Springs Park.
The combined $2.25 million was enough to cover eight months of one of AECOM’s smaller harvesting units.
Other cities have invested in harvesters that process 1 million gallons per day, some on barges.
It would be a pricey proposition to filter all of Lakeland’s most troubled lakes and keep the water clear. But Smith said the benefits are not just local.
“Lake Bonnet discharges into a drainage system that goes to the Hillsboro River and eventually Tampa Bay and the Gulf,” Smith said.
“By reducing the amount of nutrients leaving the lake, we also help improve water quality downstream.”
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.