18-year-old Colorado student Natalie Muro invents wave-powered device that fights toxic algal blooms using invasive weed

An 18-year-old student from Colorado Springs has developed a floating device that uses wind-driven waves, hydrogen peroxide and biochar made from an invasive weed to fight toxic algal blooms in freshwater lakes.

Natalie Muro’s prototype reduced targeted cyanobacteria by up to 99% and captured as much as 96% of floating organic material in tests. Her work earned her a place as a national finalist in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search.

Harmful algal blooms occur when toxin-producing cyanobacteria multiply in warm, nutrient-rich water, often fueled by agricultural runoff. They can contaminate drinking water, harm aquatic life and make people and animals sick. Common treatments such as copper sulfate can also introduce heavy metals into the environment.


Muro designed her system around a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, which breaks down into water and oxygen. Instead of relying on an external power source, her floating buoy uses natural wind-driven waves to move through the water and control the release of the treatment into the upper layer.

But eliminating algae creates another problem: dead cells can release nutrients back into the water and help trigger another bloom.

Muro addressed this by turning Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), an invasive plant found widely in Colorado, into biochar. She placed the porous material inside fine mesh bags attached to the buoy so it could capture the organic material left behind after the cyanobacteria were killed.

Laboratory and field testing showed that the selected hydrogen peroxide dose reduced cyanobacteria such as Dolichospermum by 99% over 48 hours compared with untreated samples. Tests also found that beneficial, non-target aquatic microorganisms remained unharmed during the treatment period.

The Great Mullein biochar simultaneously captured up to 96% of the floating organic material, helping prevent nutrients from decomposing in the water and potentially fueling another bloom.

Muro eventually tested the device in a local reservoir that had been closed because of severe toxic blue-green algae.

“I really loved that I got to be able to test [my device] in a reservoir near my house,” Natalie said. “That had been a goal of mine, to actually be able to take my research from the lab into the field.”

Her interest in wave mechanics began after watching the Netflix drama Outer Banks. After working on wave-energy projects in high school, a teacher encouraged her to apply that knowledge to inland water-quality problems in Colorado.

Developing the device required months of research and collaboration. Muro contacted academic experts to refine her chemical formulas and engineering plans.

“The people,” Natalie said when asked about the most important resources behind her project. “I have cold-emailed so many professors ... to ask if they would meet with me on Zoom so I could bounce some ideas off of them.”

Her mother, Sarah Muro, also supported her throughout the testing process.

“She was there through the early mornings, the late nights, every success, every failure. And I absolutely could not have done it without her support and her encouragement,” Muro said.

Outside her research, Muro is an Eagle Scout, leads her school's Science Olympiad team and participates in varsity flag football, soccer, tennis and swimming.

Her advice to other young scientists is straightforward: “You never know unless you try. Taking those leaps and having some bravery to approach people will get you the farthest in your research.”

With communities spending heavily on managing seasonal algal blooms, Muro’s wave-powered approach points to a potentially low-cost way to treat affected freshwater bodies while avoiding some of the environmental concerns associated with conventional chemical treatments.