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Sargassum Bioeconomy: From Coastal Biomass to Advanced Sustainable Materials

Objective

The proliferation of sargassum has emerged as a pressing global ecological challenge, with far-reaching impacts on marine ecosystems, public health, and coastal economies. While Europe has so far been largely insulated, climate change and associated factors—rising sea temperatures, shifts in oceanic currents, and increased nutrient loading—heighten the risk of sargassum blooms in European marine ecosystems. Regions like the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, and Northern European freshwater systems are increasingly vulnerable, threatening sectors such as fisheries, agriculture, and tourism, which collectively contribute over €1.3 trillion annually to the EU economy.

In the Caribbean, Cuba illustrates the devastating consequences of sargassum inundations, with annual blooms exceeding 24 million tonnes. These have inflicted severe economic damage on tourism, fisheries, and public health. European-owned hotels and tourism operators in the Caribbean report annual losses of €120 million, compounded by clean-up costs of €30,000 per kilometer of coastline and ecosystem degradation affecting fisheries and biodiversity. Hydrogen sulfide emissions further exacerbate public health risks, underscoring the urgency for innovative and proactive solutions.

SARGEX is a transformative project designed to address these challenges by providing scalable, sustainable, and circular solutions for marine biomass valorization. The project integrates modular processing plants equipped with biodigesters for zero-waste transformation of sargassum into valuable outputs, including bioinputs, biochar, and biogas. These bioinputs, capable of replacing up to 30% of synthetic agrochemicals, are projected to increase agricultural yields by 30%. Additionally, biogas generation (20 m³ per tonne) and biochar production contribute to renewable energy goals and soil enhancement, aligning with the EU’s Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, and Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE - HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-SE-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 320 640,00
Address
EDIF A CAMPUS DE LA UAB BELLATERRA CERDANYOLA V
08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles
Spain

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Region
Este Cataluña Barcelona
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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Participants (5)

Partners (3)

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