Befriending the Lake Monster

As featured in Dezeen, Befriending the Lake Monster is a project about transforming the invasive plant species Hydrilla, into a shared resource amongst three municipalities of Lake Atitlán. The proposal is to find ways to optimise the possible outcomes of hydrilla in a way that can give back to the local communities while helping clean the lake.

Proposal

In order to adapt to the local culture, the process is meant to be carried out in three phases: the first is about a transition to a compost made from hydrilla, the second is about a producing a power made from hydrilla, to be turned into biomaterial or consumed, and the third is about energy, and fuelling the system through a hydrilla-based Biogas. The aim is to generate a demand for hydrilla, and provide the local communities with economic opportunities, working towards a cleaner lake. The project deliveries include three diagrams for each phase, four photomontages and a research report.

BioGas Facility

For the placement of the facilities, it was important to study the factors that might have an impact. For example, the quality of the water is different in different areas of the lake. East of the lake contains heavy levels of arsenic, (because its a volcanic lake). Hydrilla has a high capacity to absorb metals, making the hydrilla from this side of a the lake more beneficial for a BioGas facility. 
The plant would first be extracted from the lake manually and with adequate machinery, and transported on land. It would then be taken to a facility where it would be mixed in with sewage waste (that would’ve otherwise end up in the lake) and turned into BioGas.

Hydrilla Compost Facility

Hydrilla would first be air dried and then placed into giant compost dumps together with organic waste, and after 20 days would generate a locally produced organic compost. This could be used as an alternative to the fertiliser that is used around the lake and which runoff contaminates the lake. In contrast to the previous two facilities, this one produced two possible outcomes.

Hydrilla Powder Facility

To be transformed into a fine powder, the hydrilla is cleaned with ionised water, dryed, and then powdered with a cold dry vent. This powder can later be used for bioplastic, serving as an alternative to pla plastic that contaminates the lake, or also as a nutritional supplement. It has been found that hydrilla is actually the plant with the highest amount of calcium on the planet, along with other health benefits. This way, using the hydrilla powder as a nutritional source and adding it to the local gastronomy, could benefit the rural communities around the lake that struggle with health issues (mostly from drinking the contaminated water of the lake) and malnutrition. 

  • Compost Facility

  • Edible Hydrilla Superfood

  • Powder Facility

  • Hydrilla Extraction Process

Presentation

This thesis project was presented to a jury of recognized designers, amongst them Igor Bragado, Andrea Carruso, Ritxi Ostariz, Edgar Gonzáles and Jeffrey Ludlow.
It was combined with a 70 page research paper going into detail about the sustainable methods and techniques that are proposed. In it’s totality, the projects received a grading of 10/10.
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