Laura Briggs: Ecologist   Biofuels from seaweed?

Seaweed is known for its culinary uses and has seen a renaissance in past years thanks to its health claims and a distinctive taste – but there are more ecological benefits to seaweed that currently remain untapped. More research is needed in the areas of bioactives and conversion technologies linked to developing a seaweed biorefinery whereby we reduce the waste products – making the most of the biomass produced. The primary reason for seaweed farming right now is for bioenergy research projects funded by the UK and the EU and although already widely used in food, marine scientists believe this demand will also grown quickly over the next few years.

A relatively modest amount of seaweed is produced in the UK compared with the global picture. Approximately 10 tonnes of the slimy stuff is cultivated in the UK each year, yet globally tens of millions of tonnes of seaweed are harvested each year, with China, Korea and Japan growing the most for food.

Extract of seaweed is found in a huge number of products, and you’d be hard pushed to avoid it altogether, however it’s thought that seaweed can offer us far more and much of the beneficial health and energy-based potential hidden in seaweed remains unlocked. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is currently working on a Horizon 2020 project – MacroFuels, which aims to produce advanced biofuels from seaweed or macro-algae. The hope is that the project will achieve a breakthrough in biofuel production and ultimately develop technology for the production of fuels which can go on to be used within the heavy transport and aviation sector.

A recent Defra-Cefas report (April 2016) looks at the potential of seaweeds.