• Short general project overviewHarmful algal blooms are a globally increasing problem that are having severe consequences on the health of citizens, ecosystems and nature reserves around and downstream of the infected area. Also, aquatic organisms living in the infected area are affected and may die. Specifically in larger attachment areas, nutrients have been building-up in the sediment from years of urban and agricultural pollution. Because of this, algal blooms will not easily be halted and solutions which are not chemical based are scarce.LG Sonic, based in the Netherlands, is one of the few companies in the world, that has a viable solution to effectively reduce algal blooms without negatively affecting the aquatic ecosystem. The ultrasonic based solution that LG Sonic has invented has already been used successfully on smaller reservoirs (between 20 and 200 ha of surface area) since 2011 and is currently the only technology present that seems to have a potential to be upscaled to even larger reservoirs and lakes. To do so however, LG Sonic will need to radically change the current design of the technology to make it fit for a wider range of waterbodies.They intent to do so, though this Partners For Water programme, which will allow them to upscale their technology to solve this tremendous environmental problem globally. By developing the MPC-MultiBuoy (MPC-MBS), LG Sonic will have access to a wider range of lakes and reservoirs for which their current MPC-Buoy technology is not fit, such as:- Lakes with a large surface area, which would otherwise require the installation of hundreds of MPC-Buoy systems;- Lakes with a complicated shape or islands that would also require the installation of too many systems;- Lakes and reservoirs that are remote or outside an area with cellular reception;- Lakes and reservoirs in which the technology cannot be protected against theft or vandalism, either because they lie within an urban area or too far outside of it.LG Sonic is already advanced in the design of the MPC-MBS and would like to use this programme to speed-up the development of the system and facilitate a pilot of the technology. For the location of the pilot, we have chosen Dubai, mainly because the potential of upscaling after the pilot is very high here and the negotiations about the upscaling is already advanced. Another important reason is the presence of the local partner in Dubai Globe2Cloud (G2C), who is designing the communication method and can provide local support to the pilot installation.In Dubai Municipality lies the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve. This is the first unfenced nature conservation reserve in the United Arab Emirates. It is in the desert area of Saih Al Salam in the emirate of Dubai and comprises some 10% of the total land area of the emirate, including the extensive man-made desert wetlands: the Al Qudra Lakes. Unfortunately, these lakes are filled with harmful algal blooms due to high phosphate levels.In 2018, LG Sonic has successfully demonstrated their MPC-Buoy technology in lake no. 44 in Dubai. The technology has reduced their phycocyanin levels (Blue-green algae) with 70% in this lake. Because of this, Dubai Municipality is eager to install the technology in their other 48 lakes as well.However, with the current MPC-Buoy technology, this would not be feasible, for the following reasons:- The lakes have an odd shape and include many islands, which would require the installation of too many MPC-Buoy systems to effectively treat the entire surface area;- The MPC-Buoy is completely based on the water, requiring a boat for maintenance activities. Due to local sandstorms and lack of rain, the MPC-Buoys need to be cleaned frequently. With the number of MPC-Buoys needed for all lakes (around 200), maintenance would become a fulltime activity;- The lakes are in a remote area where the 3G/4G network is insufficient. The MPC-Buoys require a good connection to send water quality data via satellite to the LG Sonic office for analyses and receive specific ultrasound frequency instructions based on this data.The MPC-MBS that LG Sonic is developing together with G2C will feature a shore-based power platform, that will include solar panels and batteries, along with an interactive station that can be used to inform the public about water quality. To this power station, multiple ultrasonic transmitters and sensors can be connected that can be placed at strategic locations in the lake.To do so however, LG Sonic and G2C need to restructure and redesign the ultrasonic transmitters and programmes, develop an optimal communication protocol and design the on-shore power system. Dubai Municipality offers the consortium of LG Sonic (developer of MPC-MBS) and G2C a perfect pilot project to develop the MPC-MBS and to demonstrate it in a challenging operational environment with a highly interesting potential project request when good results are delivered.• Initial activities and results of the projectTo structure the work necessary to complete this project, the different activities in this study are divided into five different work packages:- WP1: Development in the Netherlands: Design and production of MBS construction, software and optimization of ultrasound.- WP2: Development in Dubai: Selection, assembly and programming of telemetric system.- WP3: Integration of all components and local (NL) testing.- WP4: Installation and operation of the MPC-MBS, including training.- WP5: Validation of the project and dissemination to stakeholders.Objective:- Validate the effect of the MPC-MBS to prevent algal blooms in the lakes. Define the potential to upscale to other sites.Core activities:- Validation report and article: The validation report will be produced and shared with leading magazines in water technology industries, as well as conference programmes.- Define further steps for upscaling: Based on the results in the reservoir and the validation results, LG Sonic and Globe2Cloud will look at the possibilities to further upscale the system. This will be specifically for the following points:(1) Determine the exact range of the multi buoys and look at possibilities to increase the range for larger water bodies, (2) Look at the possibilities to implement the system in other environments and weather conditions.Definition of installation requirements:Finally, this project will lead to a set of requirements that can help LG Sonic and Globe2Cloud to implement the system in similar and different water bodies.