Valorization Project

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December 9, 2024 

Seaweed is healthy, diverse, sustainable, and suitable for a variety of uses. Yet seaweed is not widely used. Especially in Europe, seaweed is little found in food, cosmetics, and other products. A driver for the immaturity of seaweed in the Western market is due to the inconsistent and low-quality supply of seaweed. Traditional seaweed farming at sea is season-bound, resulting in resulting in unreliable, inconsistent quality. Quality also varies, due to animal predation as well as abiotic factors. In addition, cultivation in the sea allows seaweed to contain sand, microplastics, heavy metals, and allergens such as seafood. 

Therefore, project Valorization 2024 - development of seaweed products on land focuses on seaweed cultivation on land. 

Valorization 2024 - development of seaweed products

Supported by SNN, the Dutch Ministry of Economics and Climate, and the European Union, the SNN Valorization 2024 subsidy was funded out of the European JFT and EFRO funds. The subsidy supports a 2-year research project for valorizing seaweed among the whole value chain, thereby strengthening the seaweed chain in the Netherlands. 

Starting at the beginning of the value chain, clean, controlled seaweed production on land is a potential answer to all the difficulties of traditional seaweed farming at sea. This project supports research and development of land-based seaweed cultivation.  The technology will be applied, tailored, and upscaled in greenhouses in Sexbierum where saline groundwater is available. 

Another bottleneck of seaweed is market value. This project will research and valorize applications of seaweed for sustainable food, animal feed, and personal care. 

Partners

Seaweedland cultivates seaweed on land, a reliable, clean, and efficient way to grow seaweed. To cultivate seaweed that's suitable for various markets most efficiently, Seaweedland develops technology and knowledge for land-based cultivation. 

Hortimare is a supplier of high-quality starting materials to allow seaweed companies to harvest good yields. harvest, allowing these companies to expand and scale up essential volumes to make seaweed alternative products to products derived from animals. Together with professional

partners throughout the process chain, from global research institutes on one side to industry on

the other, the company is working closely to build a successful seaweed industry.

DL Plastics is a family business, which for more than 50 years has been a major player in the world market in the field of processing and assembly of flexible films. DL Plastics is distinguished by its

expertise, its flexible attitude and, of course, its down-to-earth Frysian mentality. All over the world,

their specialists have realized many projects for large national and international companies.

The last partner for making the production possible is The Centre of Expertise Water Technology (CEW). CEW is the knowledge and innovation center for practice-oriented research and product development in the field of water technology and is part of Water Campus Leeuwarden. CEW combines expertise from education, research, government, and businesses and is affiliated with NHL Stenden and Hogeschool van Hall Larenstein. CEW is a partner in the areas of interdisciplinary applied research, product development, and research facilities, working on the processing steps of the saline groundwater. 

Seaweed Food Solutions specializes in the processing and application of seaweed for the food industry, with solutions in taste, sustainability, and health. Chef Foppe Wiersma believes in the enormous potential of seaweed as a food ingredient. With his experience and creativity, Foppe finds applications for seaweed while keeping taste in the first place. Seaweed Food Solutions is part of Royal Smilde BV (Royal Smilde)/Smilde Bakery. 

Hanze University Groningen is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the north of the Netherlands. The college has around 31000 students and 3800 employees. With 7 multidisciplinary knowledge centers Hanze University Groningen integrates applied research, professional practice and innovation into education. The knowledge of Hanze University of Groningen is applied to further aplications of seaweed.