Biorefinery of terrestrial biomass has been ongoing for decades with the progression of technology enabling the supply of a wide variety of biocompounds to the food, feed and chemical sectors. GENIALG recognizes the advantages of Macroalgae biomass, over terrestrial biomass, as aside from their unique chemical composition, they do not require arable land, fresh water or phytochemical treatments. Seaweed farms in European waters are uncommon and serve only niche markets, i.e. food, health and cosmetics, due to the high cost of cultivation labor and infrastructure. Since a decade, the academic interest for seaweeds has been growing exponentially, but this recognition has not been reflected in an industry perspective.
Therefore, the main aims of the GENIALG project were:
To increase the production scale and the sustainable exploitation of two high-yielding species: the brown alga Saccharina latissima (SL) and the green algae Ulva spp.
To demonstrate the economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of cultivating and refining seaweed biomass in multiple use demanded products of marine renewable origin with zero wastes in 2 demonstrator pre-industrial pilot plants.
By cracking the biomass and supplying a wide diversity of chemical compounds for existing as well as new applications and markets, GENIALG has investigated the economic, social and environmental impacts of such developments in term of economic benefit and job opportunities liable to increase the seaweed value chain. In a larger frame, conservation and biosafety issues were addressed as well as social acceptability and licensing.
GENIALG has involved companies already positioned in the seaweed sector in order to strengthen interactions for developing a bio-refinery concept and accelerate efficient and sustainable exploitation of the biomass to bring new high-value products on the market.
The demonstration of the techno-economic feasibility of environmentally sustainable large-scale algae biomass production by the GENIALG demonstrators has provided numbers that are indicative of the cost of production for several types of value-added products that could be obtained within the operating biorefinery plants.
The implementation of new operational ponds adapted in a Natura 2000 protected area for the integrated land-based cultivation of Ulva indicates that these facilities provide similar production rates than concrete tanks with reduced costs and energy consumption. The use of cultivated Ulva is producing similar products outputs but with reliable and higher yields. The work of GENIALG on Ulva strain selection helped by identifying local strains with higher growth rate, and other traits of interests.
A techno-economic model was developed to evaluate the financial viability of kelp production in Europe, from hatchery to farming, pre-processing and processing. For the biorefining developments, it is yet to early to predict how the enzymatic cracking of the seaweed biomass will develop for specific markets, but GENIALG cross sectorial work has provided a ground for innovation, unlocking market opportunities in pharmaceutical application.
