Building trust in target groups for ALUM treatment – an effective, yet misunderstood method for water quality improvement (TRUST ALUM)

Building trust in target groups for ALUM treatment – an effective, yet misunderstood method for water quality improvement (TRUST ALUM)

The project solves one of the biggest water management challenges in the Baltic Sea region – eutrophication, and more specifically – historical phosphorus load in lakes. Excessive algal blooms due to increased phosphorus levels in lakes reduce the value of ecosystem services and negatively impact human health. Eutrophication can be limited by the ALUM method, which is based on the use of aluminum compounds to convert phosphorus in sediments into insoluble compounds. In the project, we will build trust in the ALUM lake cleaning method. It is widely used in water treatment, for example in Sweden, where it has been applied for more than 60 years.

Yet the ALUM method has never been applied in the Baltic States due to the following identified obstacles: lack of knowledge, belief that it is too expensive and fear of aluminum as chemical element. ALUM is a safe method that is often thought of as a chemical treatment, when in fact the method involves the addition of a phosphorus-binding mineral. Aluminum is one of the most common elements in the earth’s crust, it naturally enters the environment in small amounts.

Project aim is to reduce eutrophication by building trust among target groups and thus spread the use of ALUM method more widely.

Project partners

• Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology – lead partner
• Ministry of Energy and Climate of the Republic of Latvia
• Riga City Council
• State Environmental Service of the Republic of Latvia
• Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre (SEI Tallinn)
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
• Company “Lake Restoration Sweden Incorporated”
• Vattenresurs Sverige AB
• Environmental Center for Administration and Technology (ECAT)