Converting invasive species to bioplastics
Plus more algae news, jobs and reviews
Hello and welcome to Paxtier’s weekly roundup for February 2, 2022! Today it’s a kinda cloudy day in the UK but that won’t change the awesome stuff that’s been happening in algae-tech this week.
Paxtier’s Top 3
Seaweed mariculture gets a sustainability check:
As the world demands more sustainably sourced food, what role can marine aquaculture (mariculture) play? In this article, we explore a recent research paper by Jones et al. from 2022, which investigates the future of GHG emissions from three key mariculture sectors: seaweed, bivalve and fed finfish.
The team details how GHG emissions in the seaweed sector can come from upstream, on-farm, or downstream (e.g transportation) operations, and give various recommendations to industry leaders on how to improve sustainability in the space. These suggestions include the need to shift to low-emissions energy sources to run farms, and use sustainable building materials whenever possible.
Activist scientists create bioplastic from invasive seaweed:
Seaweed bioplastics have become a topic of hot discussion, but where can we get the seaweed from for these products? While some argue mariculture is our saviour, can collecting invasive species present an attractive alternative?
Santana et al. certainly think so. In their detailed investigation, this Spanish research team explains a process to convert the invasive pacific seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae into a neat little bioplastic. We take a quick look at their paper here.
Seaweed proteins get a deep dive:
You may have heard of the nutritional benefits of seaweed proteins, but what about their bioactive properties? In this article we explore Echave el al's interesting paper from 2022, which gives a breakdown of bioactive seaweed peptides. Many of these proteins are of major interest to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or nutraceutical industries.
Algae-tech in the news
The many face of Architectural Algae: who’d have thought it could look so good??
Kelp and Carbon Credits get a look-over in hakai magazine.
High-school students in Ireland try to grow Asparagopsis in Clonakilty bay
BettaF!sh and Nordic Oceanfruit describe their seaweed snacks
Indonesian Fisheries Ministry innovates to develop seaweed fertilizer
A Serge from Surge Seaweed outlines his indoor process for growing seaweed.
Topics we’re pondering this week:
Want to bring more laughter into your life and work? Check out this talk from behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker and corporate strategist Naomi Bagdonas of Stanford's Graduate School of Business.
Can you ever go wrong with a re-read of Crossing the Chasm?
New jobs in algae-tech:
Thanks again for joining us this week! Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Best,
Peter
Paxtier