“I hope we reach the stage where we have developed efficient and effective techniques and have solved all the other issues too, so that commercial powers can take over and construct an algae-based biorefinery.”

Fredrik Gröndahl, Associate Professor of Industrial Ecology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, is Project Manager for Seafarm, an interdisciplinary research project which grows and uses macroalgae for many different purposes in a closed loop system that produces zero waste. The goal is to use the full potential of the algae.

About Seafarm:
“The algae that live in our oceans are an untapped fountain of wealth whose value we have not fully understood. Not yet, at least. Algae are full of beneficial ingredients. If we were able to use them as a source of energy and as a raw material for the production of materials, it would be a step towards a bio-based society. Algae are also rich in many essential nutrients that can be used in the production of food and animal feed. What’s more, the substances found in algae are different to those of land plants, which means that algal biomass can potentially be used to make unique products.

It goes without saying that we need to find alternative ways to produce energy and materials than using fossil resources. As the global population grows and more and more people around the world are encouraged to enjoy resource-intensive lifestyles, it becomes vital to find ways to create a global economy based on sustainable and renewable methods of production. One step in this direction might be the cultivation of macroalgae.”

Find more information about the project here. For english version go to page bottom.

Related links

• Seafarm (for english version see page bottom)
• Mistra - The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research
• Submariner - Sustainable Uses of Baltic Marine Resources