10181848Feasibility Study of Marine Biomass Phytoremediation for Heavy Metal Removal in UK Coastal WatersClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKSea2Carbon Ltd is developing a new, nature-based method to clean up toxic metals such as arsenic, cadmium, zinc, copper, and lead from UK coastal waters affected by historic mining. Many of these pollutants continue to enter estuaries and nearshore environments decades after mining ceased, harming wildlife and threatening food safety and local economies. According to the UK Environment Agency, more than 1,400 km of rivers and estuaries in England remain contaminated by heavy metals from abandoned mine sites. Recent investigations by the _Financial Times_ (2025) have drawn attention to the scale of this issue and the need for new, low-impact technologies to tackle it. The UK Government has already committed to halving the length of polluted waters by 2038\. Sea2Carbon's approach uses seaweed, one of nature's most effective natural filters, to capture and remove toxic metals from seawater. The company has developed a process for invasive _Sargassum_ seaweed in the Caribbean. This new feasibility project will adapt and test the same process using native UK species such as _Fucus vesiculosus_, _Ulva lactuca_, and _Laminaria digitata_. Over a two-month period, Sea2Carbon will collect small samples of seaweed from a few coastal areas in the UK known to be affected by metal contamination. Laboratory testing will then measure how efficiently different seaweed species absorb and remove heavy metals from water. The company will also study how the process can produce safe, useful by-products. The project will create valuable evidence on how UK seaweed could be used for coastal remediation, supporting government targets for clean water, circular economy growth, and nature recovery. Sea2Carbon ultimately aims to turn a long-standing pollution challenge into a sustainable opportunity for the UK's emerging blue economy.