Scientists Converting Cars to Run on Invasive Seaweed

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Seaweed Sedan

Mountains of brown, sludgy sargassum—an invasive seaweed species—have turned once-pristine Caribbean beaches into unsightly messes. The crisis escalated dramatically when Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared the invasion a national emergency in 2026.

Yet scientists see a silver lining. As the BBC reports, sargassum can be transformed into biogas, a renewable fuel capable of powering converted combustion-engine vehicles. A team of Caribbean researchers has now launched the first vehicles running on this innovative fuel, converting an environmental crisis into a practical opportunity.

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Biogas Boon

Researchers at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Barbados have created an affordable $2,500 conversion kit that allows conventional gasoline cars to run on biogas derived from sargassum. The process involves combining the seaweed with rum-distillery wastewater inside a bioreactor, where anaerobic digestion rapidly produces usable methane-rich gas.

“Tourism has suffered a lot from the seaweed; hotels have been spending millions on tackling it,” UWI lecturer and renewable energy expert Legena Henry told the BBC. Student Brittney McKenzie, who collected the seaweed for the experiments, added: “Within just two weeks we got pretty good results. It was turning into something even bigger than we initially thought.”

Sargassum now threatens endangered wildlife and human health through the hydrogen sulfide released during decomposition. Climate change has further accelerated its spread, blanketing many Caribbean beaches. “By repurposing it in vehicles you protect tourism and prevent people from inhaling it,” biologist Shamika Spencer explained to the BBC. “When we scale up to fuel more vehicles it will require a very large volume.”

While sargassum-based biofuel is not a complete solution to the crisis, the team is moving forward with real-world testing. “My goal is to help build up this region,” Henry noted. “We are now setting up a four-car pilot to demonstrate real-life working prototypes to convince funders that this is workable and scalable.”

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