The Plan to Turn the Caribbean’s Glut of Sargassum Into Biofuel

IN the Caribbean, summer is supposed to be the season of sun, sand, and crystal clear waters—for decades, Mexican vacation destinations like Cancun, Cozumel, and Tulum have been synonymous with paradise. But then the sargassum began to arrive. For the past 15 years, large quantities of this brownish-colored seaweed have been invading beaches around the Gulf of Mexico every summer, its arrival from the open seas coinciding with high tourism seasons.

Forecasts from the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida indicate this summer could be the worst on record, with up to 400,000 tons of sargassum predicted to wash up on Mexican coasts. As well as covering up the sand and spoiling the appearance of the country’s pristine beaches, the seaweed releases gases as it