Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SeaMark (Seaweed based market applications)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-07-01 bis 2023-12-31
SeaMark will scale up sustainable cultivation of seaweeds on land and in the open ocean to develop and demonstrate various pre-processing and fractionation techniques, coupled with biorefinery methods, co-extraction, and fermentation processes. The processing will result in highly processed value-added products for industries with 12 seaweed-based marketable products, contributing to market segments such as functional feed, healthy and climate-friendly food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. The anticipated impacts extend beyond mechanisation and product development, presenting competitive business models, go-to-market strategies, techno-economic- and life cycle assessments. SeaMark's pathway to impact is multi-faceted, with strategic communication and industrial engagement at its core. The project envisions influencing policymakers, industrial stakeholders, and investors through dedicated webinars, workshops, and reports. The project aims to make the entire value chain attractive for commercial investments. SeaMark is positioned to enhance European economic resilience by diversifying value chains leaving a legacy beyond its term envisioned to create a ripple effect, fostering a broader understanding of the scientific, economic, and societal value of marine seaweed refinery for the entire European region. The project will provide scientific evidence of ecosystem services and climate change mitigation through environmental benefit and risk analyses, facilitating the green transition. It also aims to alleviate market barriers related to heavy metal levels. This will streamline the market introduction of new seaweed-based products. SeaMark will contribute to building capacity among regulators, policymakers, NGOs, and citizens to understand the economic and environmental benefits. The project intends to provide scientific evidence supporting legislative and financial measures, fostering political awareness and intervention for the upscaling of the seaweed industry. In essence, SeaMark aspires to revolutionize seaweed utilization, presenting a comprehensive and sustainable solution to various industries while contributing to environmental conservation and economic growth in Europe.
Eighteen months into the project lifetime the SeaMark consortium can report the following achievements: 1) breeding work of commercial interesting seaweed strains (Ulva sp. and Saccharina latissima) where the research partners the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Roscoff and the National University of Ireland in Galway have identified fast growing individuals that will be tested in situ to validate the better yield potential out of lab conditions; 2) a mechanised high-speed seeding machine was developed by the partner Sirputis and Ocean Rainforest, and tested in commercial scale with significantly lowered cost of seeding and faster direct seeding with a daily capacity of 20 km grow line; 3) large-scale biorefinery of S. latissima has been processed by Oceanium with fucoidan, beta-glucan, food grade fibre, and materials grade fibre products extracted; 4) fermentation of S. latissima was innovated and demonstrated with continued washing, grinding and blanching processes by Ocean Rainforest, and in-depth fermentation trials were conducted by Aalborg University leading to better control of the processes avoiding bloating and increasing lactic acid concentration; 5) Algaia successfully co-extracted fucoidan and alginate showing a commercial potential to reduce cost of processing; 6) industry relevant enzymes where identified by the research partners Matis, the Technical University of Denmark and Lunds University and the health benefit of refined oligosaccharides were tested with cell-cultures and human volunteers in collaboration with Utrecht University; 7) an initial market assessment of the seaweed-based products were completed and disseminated to project partners and stakeholders by Nofima; 8) a value chain assessment by Sjókovin showed a clear picture of the additional cost related to drying compared to fermentation of seaweed biomass including further recommendations on cost optimisations for increased profitability; 9) the SeaMark partners have attended close to 50 events where SeaMark was disseminated, flyers distributed and roll-ups visible; 10) the BlueBioMatch platform was established by Submariner where producers and off-takers can be connected; and 11) finally policy recommendations have been completed regarding ecosystem service valuation and regulatory hurdles, as well as partners being involved in standardisation work for example regarding carbon footprint of seaweed cultivation.
The SeaMark partners have demonstrated highly promising processing results with the potential to kickstart cultivated seaweed biorefinery and green extraction. Biorefinery using a cascading approach is still uncharted territory in terms of processing methods and business models. Through the pilot and demonstration tests of processes and market applications, SeaMark partners are providing more reliable knowledge regarding the potential for large scale production in segments within food, feed, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and medical devices. Additional key needs are to expand and diversify the market for seaweed-based products to develop uniform standards for existing products and production methods. Regulatory and administrative procedures must be simplified. Standardisation and regulatory issues are addressed by the commercial partners in relation to their products for example in relation to maximum levels of arsenic in seafood. The scale-up of the open ocean cultivation require high yielding lines that can be obtained by selective breeding and correctly designed and installed ocean cultivation units, combined with automated harvesting, can lower the operational and capital expenditures and enable price-competitive seaweed-based products on the market.