Processing

Having extensively explored the Western seaweed industry, Steven Hermans set off at the end of last year on a new adventure to Asia – the epicentre of seaweed cultivation.

Kelp culture is still in its infancy in Alaska, but Evie Witten of the Kachemak Kelp Hub has plenty of ideas to unlock the market potential of the world’s fastest-growing seaweed.

The kelp farms of Kodiak are now ready to expand, if buyers - and the necessary processing infrastructure to serve them - emerge on time.

Brazilian startup Phycolabs is in the process of developing threads made purely from seaweeds as an eco-friendly substitute for traditional materials.

A new collaboration between one of the West’s most advanced seaweed technology providers and one of the sector’s most effective product developers could help the nascent industry reach critical mass.

Mussel farming can help to restore and regenerate aquatic ecosystems and there are a number of emerging companies and projects that - if successful - could help to spark a much-needed renaissance in the sector.

Pond farming of Gracilaria seaweeds has seen steady growth in Indonesia over the past 30 years. While demand continues to grow, both seaweed farmers and upstream processors are aware that methods need to improve, as the industry hits environmental limits.

As BioMara kicks off its bid to raise £2 million to fund its processing scale-up to deliver orders for customers, Jay Dignan details how the Scottish startup aims to catalyse the growth of the country’s seaweed sector – right along the value chain.

Sea6 Energy has the ambition to transform seaweed markets through radical improvements in cultivation techniques. The vision is big, and bringing that vision to life takes time, according to chief business officer Sowmya Balendiran.

While most people on Mexico’s Caribbean coast are driven to despair by the severe blooms of Sargassum that have been dumped on their beaches, Paulina Zanela is looking to find ways of putting “kelp’s ugly sister” to good use.

Buoyed by the success of their first seaweed farm, Atlantic Mariculture Limited not only has plans to dramatically increase its own growing capacity but also to catalyse the growth of UK’s entire seaweed sector - by developing transferable technologies and est…