Dr. Kevin Sherloft, a chemistry professor at Utah Valley University, described a university-developed algae-harvesting boat and summarized multi-year field work on Utah Lake.

Sherloft said the project began after a severe 2016 algal bloom and that the team tested multiple separation methods in a lab before selecting a filtration approach that uses a filter aid and a press mounted on a mobile platform. "We had to add a filter aid," he said, naming diatomaceous earth and powdered wood fiber (cellulose) as the materials that prevent filters from plugging. He added that the team patented the use of a filter aid with a mobile harvesting platform.

The boat skims surface water with a front boom, adds filter aid, and pumps the water through two large filter presses that return filtered water to the lake, Sherloft said. The project was funded with a state grant of just over $400,000, and the vessel carries two large presses that provide about 291 square feet of filter area.

Field measurements from 2022, taken hourly at intake and output, show broad variation in one-pass removal but an average reduction in algae concentration of about 60% per pass, Sherloft said. He cautioned that the team used a conservative 50% removal figure when calculating some averages even though the measured mean was nearer 60%. "There are spots where we get 99% and spots where it was single digits," he said, explaining the range reflects incoming concentrations.

Sherloft gave operational details: the system filters roughly 400 gallons per minute; two students operate the boat (one drives, one runs equipment) for about five hours per day, five days a week during the May–August season. Using those figures, Sherloft described a daily average of about 96,000 gallons filtered and roughly 90 kilograms of dry algae removed, recognizing these are averages across variable conditions.

When a press is full the team opens it and discharges the dry filter cake into bins. Utah Valley University has placed that material into a campus compost pile and is using it as a soil amendment; Sherloft noted that cellulose-based cake could potentially be used as a biomass fuel if the cellulose filter aid were used.

Sherloft emphasized the project’s hotspot strategy: rather than attempting to treat the entire lake surface, the boat targets marinas and beaches where people interact with the lake. The vessel operates from Linden Marina and has served Utah Lake State Park, Saratoga Springs and American Fork marinas. He acknowledged limits: a late-summer bloom at Linden Marina outpaced the single boat after mechanical problems and rapid growth, and Sherloft said the team would like to scale to a fleet to provide ongoing spot control across the lake.

Sherloft relayed praise from Linden Marina manager Ron Madsen for the team’s contributions in areas they regularly service, and closed by thanking the audience. There were no formal votes or policy actions recorded during the presentation.