[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6928\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESeaweed-powered trucks - hope or hype?\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The potential is there, all the data points to it,\u2019 said Dr Jaap van Hal, innovation manager at ECN, part of TNO (formerly Energy research Centre of the Netherlands). \u2018But you have to learn how to crawl before you can walk.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach year\u0026nbsp;\u003Cu\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.fao.org\/3\/a-i3720e.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E25 million tonnes of seaweed is harvested\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E, most of which is in Asia and used for human consumption and cosmetics. The industry is small in global terms, but in the last few years researchers found out seaweed could also be used as a sustainable alternative for livestock feed, chemicals and energy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, the infrastructure for such applications is still in its infancy. And before the public or private sector can scale up such solutions, more knowledge is needed to guarantee its sustainability credentials while also proving they could work in the market.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne promising application is to use seaweed as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Dr van Hal is the scientific coordinator of a project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.macrofuels.eu\/\u0022\u003EMacroFuels\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;which is aiming to put in place all the steps to develop an industry for producing biofuels from seaweed \u2013 from cultivation to fuel production and testing - that could power heavy transport including trucks and ships with diesel engines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut Dr van Hal says this type of clean energy cannot be developed over night.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018First we have to look at high-end applications like cosmetics, then you can have a ten-hectare field, then you grow it to a hundred and a thousand,\u2019 said Dr van Hal. \u2018This is one of the steps in a long line of developing seaweed as an alternative sustainable raw material source.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr van Hal says that to turn seaweed into a sustainable energy source requires a supply on a \u2018huge scale\u2019, but currently it is a \u2018dot on the horizon\u2019 that they will work towards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShould all the steps be put in place, however, seaweed\u2019s environmental credentials compared with that of other crops mean it has the potential to not only replace fossil fuels but also improve on the sustainability of current biofuels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists are beginning to realise that seaweed has an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/ngeo2790\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eimportant role to play\u003C\/a\u003E in terms of storing carbon dioxide that is taken from the atmosphere. \u2018Current assessments of the cultivation process reveal that each tonne of seaweed we produce actually stores more CO2 than the amount of seaweed produced,\u2019 said Dr van Hal. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnlike other crops, seaweed cultivation also does not need fresh water, arable land or added fertilisers to grow, which would cut emissions associated with irrigation, deforestation and manufacturing of conventional biofuel ingredients like maize.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018First we have to look at high-end applications like cosmetics, then you can have a ten-hectare field, then you grow it to a hundred and a thousand.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Jaap van Hal, innovation manager, ECN\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESeaweed cultivation could also help tackle the problem of nutrient runoff from fertilisers used in farming. \u2018To a certain extent it will also help remediate excess nutrients (from artificial fertilisers) in the sea by removing them because seaweed absorbs those nutrients. One of the side streams of the project is then using these minerals in the seaweed as organic fertilisers,\u2019 said Dr van Hal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMomentum\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMacroFuels researchers have been harvesting seaweed from their own one-hectare farm where they hope to lay the foundations of an environmentally focused industry. As part of this they are developing a new way of breaking down seaweed that can extract the maximum amount of sugars - the building blocks for green chemicals and biofuels. They do this by using specialised enzymes for the different types of seaweed to find the most effective process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy the end of the project in 2019 the researchers hope to have enough evidence to back a pilot project that could see their sustainable seaweed supply chain begin to grow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it\u2019s not just biofuels where researchers see potential. In Norway, a start-up called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/alginor.no\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EAlginor\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003Eis already looking to expand the range of applications for European seaweed by harvesting wild supplies in the North Sea region, which they say contains large amounts of seaweeds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of a research project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Cu\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/207951_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EAORTA\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E, they are developing a biorefinery that focuses on total utilisation of the entire plant. They are creating ingredients that could be used for biodegradable food wrap or bottles, feed additives, natural pharmaceutical products and crop products like fertilisers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEnvironmental impact\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlginor\u2019s SME project manager, Kjetil Kristiansen, says that current harvesting and processing practices create large amounts of pollution because of the chemicals used in the production of seaweed products, like preservatives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA 2016 report from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/inweh.unu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/unu-seaweed-aquaculture-policy.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EUnited Nations\u003C\/a\u003E (UN) says that the seaweed industry is undergoing a rapid global expansion and, as with any rapidly expanding industry, this can result in unforeseen ecological consequences such as the introduction of non-indigenous pests and a reduction in genetic diversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome industrial seaweed farms also use algaecides and pesticides to prevent unwanted algae or fight pests and diseases. According to the UN, this has \u0027unknown but likely detrimental\u0026nbsp;consequences for the wider marine environment\u0027.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlginor\u2019s biorefinery aims to ensure sustainability by using 100% of the wild seaweed they harvest. Their approach to turning seaweed into usable products will also use less water and chemicals than mainstream processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKristiansen said: \u2018Today\u2019s (seaweed harvesting and processing) technology inefficient, as well as rough on the environment. State-of-the-art (production) is utilising only a fraction of the raw material, whereas we are working towards total utilisation.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo maintain the environmental advantages of seaweed as they scale up production, Dr van Hal and the MacroFuels team are also looking at maximising utilisation of their crop for biofuel and examining the environmental impacts of their farming. They are working with other researchers that study how best to use the limited space in the North Sea to create a sustainable seaweed supply chain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd, should they succeed, Dr van Hal says biofuels are just the start.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Seaweed-to-energy is only a small part of a blue growth revolution towards sustainable use of the sea for a local production of raw materials for energy, food and chemicals,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003ESeaweed in our everyday lives\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou may not know it, but you\u0027ve most likely used seaweed in the last 24 hours. Seaweed is surprisingly ubiquitous in everyday life. From being a thickening ingredient in toothpaste to a cement strengthening additive, kelp is also used in many cosmetic products and in dietary supplements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrent research is exploring how to create sustainable seaweed-based biofuels that can one day power boats, cars and airplanes. Seaweed, also processed to make yarn and with cashmere, is being used to develop a stronger, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/kth.diva-portal.org\/smash\/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1247304%22\u0026amp;dswid=-1213\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Emore resilient fibre\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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