Binder2020

The seaweed sector is a huge global industry worth over $11billion per year, however it is still in relatively early stages of development in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. The industry in the UK has significant potential to deliver products for UK and international markets, from fresh seaweed for use in gourmet restaurants, to high-end pharmaceuticals, as well as large volume markets such as animal feed. All of this can be done with minimal carbon footprint and very nearly at net zero carbon, using no fresh water and only minimal land-based infrastructure. However, the growth of UK seaweed industry has struggled as a result of high input costs for seeded material (juvenile seaweed), which is traditionally done using a hatchery technique to produce a 1-2mm twine and then wrapped around ropes at a farming site. The issue is that this process can be highly time and labour intensive and therefore expensive both in terms of hatchery and farm deployment. SAMS have been involved in projects to develop an innovative solution to this problem, with a direct-seeding method, whereby the seed is attached straight onto a deployable rope and is held in a gel substrate until it has had time to bind onto the rope. Although this process will be ground breaking for the seaweed sector, the current barriers have been formulating the hydrocolloid gel to bind the seaweed and provide it with required nutrients while it goes through initial growth phases, and also developing a mechanised way of spreading the gel onto the rope substrate. The Binder2020 project will use the world-renowned seaweed expertise at the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS), combined with the UKs leading rope manufacturer and hydrocolloid developer, to address both of these key issues. The hydrocolloid chemistry will be refined through expert input and assessment, and a new technology will be developed -- the Seaweed Binder Solution (SBS) The initial development of the Seaweed Binder Solution (SBS) through Binder 2020 will have an immediate impact for SAMS through knowledge gained. However, it is also hoped that a successful proposal will proceed through Phase 2 to allow further development and enable growth of the sector as well as contributing to recovery from economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.