OCALA, FL (352today.com) – David Lighty has been brainstorming new ways to help save Florida’s ecosystem.

Lighty moved to Florida from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when he was just 13 years old. Today, he lives with his high school sweetheart and wife, April, in the small town of Dunnellon.

The two are more than just life partners; they run a business together called GreenInnovative Solutions.

According to their business development plan, GreenInnovative Solutions aims to “provide technical and administrative support for recycling and waste reduction at Florida landfill facilities through effective and efficient thermal conversion of biomass resources into renewable energy.”

Lighty shared two of the solutions he’s currently working on, starting with making biochar from trees to help clean water.

“I did a study on Lake Griffin in Leesburg, Florida, where I used biochar to clean 5 gallons of water,” he said.

He explained the process involves burning trees in air burners to create biochar, which is then bagged and placed in a river or stream to act as a natural filter.

Lighty said this method can help stop harmful chemicals, such as those from septic tank leaks, from flowing downstream. While not a complete solution, he believes it could significantly improve water quality by filtering out 10-15% of pollutants.

The filters can also stop the algae bloom and fertilizer from traveling downstream, which Lighty said drastically impacts the local manatees.

“What would happen if all these manatees leave Kings Bay and all the bays around here, or die off because of the algae bloom?” Lighty asked. “How many billions of dollars would that cost?”

His second solution focuses on converting old tires into oil.

“Did you know a 16-inch tire has about 1.5 gallons of diesel, carbon black, and steel in it?” Lighty said. “I can take tires from landfills and turn them into oil — and do the same thing with plastic.”

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The process, known as pyrolysis, is a form of chemical recycling that breaks down organic materials in a high-heat, oxygen-free environment to recover valuable components.

Jehangir Bhadha, an associate professor of soil, water, and nutrient management at the University of Florida, confirmed that both biochar filtration and oil extraction through pyrolysis have been researched and tested. Bhadha said biochar, in particular, has been used “extensively” to filter water.

Lighty’s biggest problem is money. He said he spoke with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which offers $50,000 grants to help improve water quality.

Lighty said even small amounts of money, like those grants, could buy him time to implement these solutions. Still, more investors are needed, especially for purchasing a small-scale pyrolysis machine.

He believes the long-term savings would far outweigh the initial costs.

“We can stop making tires today, and it will take us about 100 to 150 years to get rid of the excess tires,” he said. “Tires are being ground up and put into astroturf, but imagine how much money we’d save if we used them for oil.”

Lighty said his ultimate goal is to wake up the public to the possibility that these solutions could save the local ecosystem.

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