seaweed
Newsletter
Seaweed farms face hurdles in scaling up across the US
The seaweed farming industry, once promising for its climate benefits, now faces declining investment, regulatory gaps and financial strain, threatening its growth in the U.S.
In short:
- Seaweed farming, once a rising sector with climate potential, is suffering from dwindling investment and market instability.
- Major challenges include high startup costs, a lack of federal guidelines and the complexity of large-scale ocean farming.
- U.S. seaweed farmers also face competition from better-funded European and Asian farms, where government support is stronger.
Key quote:
“We are in what I call the ‘valley of disappointment.’”
— Steven Hermans, founder of Phyconomy.
Why this matters:
Seaweed has vast potential for carbon capture, sustainable food production and replacing petroleum-based products. However, without proper investment and regulation, this growing industry may struggle to thrive, limiting its positive environmental impact.
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Newsletter
Seaweed explored as a potential source for green-energy minerals
Exploring the seas for sustainability, U.S. scientists are testing seaweed as a possible miner of key minerals needed for green energy.
In short:
- U.S. researchers, backed by ARPA-E, are investing in projects to determine if seaweeds can efficiently extract and concentrate valuable minerals like platinum and rhodium.
- Experiments have indicated that seaweeds might also be processed into biofuel components and phosphorus-rich mineral extracts.
- Marine biologist Susete Pintéus highlights that while seaweed mining won't replace traditional methods, it can augment the supply of essential minerals.
Key quote:
"It’s worth exploring other possibilities that align more with our ideas of a greener world—or a bluer world."
— Schery Umanzor, lead researcher, University of Alaska at Fairbanks
Why this matters:
Harnessing seaweed for mineral extraction could lead to less environmentally invasive mining methods, offering a dual benefit of protecting marine ecosystems while sourcing critical materials for technology and energy solutions.
In push to mine for minerals, clean energy advocates ask what going green really means.
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Eelgrass is amazing. Here’s who’s saving it
Coastal livelihoods as well as our climate depend on the undersea fronds. Even a small buoy can play protector.
‘Like a 40-metre pizza’: the seaweed farms that could feed us all – at a cost
Mammoth seaweed farms are springing up in the Philippines and beyond, and they’re in line for Elon Musk’s ‘largest incentive prize in history’. Meddling with the ocean to grow them, however, has some scientists troubled.
Capturing carbon with seaweed: What we know, what we don’t, and what we’re totally unsure about
Towering underwater kelp forests are often likened to trees, but seaweed carbon sequestration is far more complex than in soil-bound ecosystems.
Watch: Can seaweed be a solution to help curb climate change?
Five years ago, Sam Elsom shocked his friends and family when he quit his job as a fashion designer to set up a seaweed farm in Tasmania, inspired by the potential of a special strain to radically reduce methane emissions in livestock.
Kelp wanted: How seaweed farmers can curb the vicious cycles of climate change
If you're seeking solutions to the climate crisis, one place to look is the shoreline — and the abundant seaweed that can grow there.
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