Growing sustainable biomass in the blue fields

‘Seaweed is a sustainable raw material that grows much faster than plants on land and requires few inputs to cultivate at scale. All it needs is sunlight and nutrients that occur naturally in seawater,’ says Maren Sæther, Head of Biomass Processing and Quality Control at Seaweed Solutions and a biotechnology graduate from NTNU.

With brown seaweed, blue seas and green ripple effects, Seaweed Solutions now plans to scale up seaweed production significantly, helping to address the global raw materials crisis.

The company operates an offshore seaweed farm off Frøya and has ambitious plans to expand industrial seaweed cultivation along the Norwegian coast. Its goal is to capture the European seaweed market, and there is good reason to believe it will succeed.

In a world where we need to transition rapidly to meet our climate and environmental targets, kelp has a unique role to play. It is hard to find a more sustainable raw material anywhere on the planet.

'Kelp is not only one of the world's largest renewable and sustainable sources of biomass, sustained solely by sunlight and seawater. It also has qualities that make it 100 per cent climate- and environment-positive, actively helping us tackle the challenges we face,' says Sæther.

The plant grows slowly during the darker months, but when the light returns in spring, its growth accelerates – along with its remarkable ability to absorb CO2 and remove waste substances from the sea.

‘During the six-to-ten-month growing season from autumn to spring, kelp captures CO2 through photosynthesis and absorbs excess nitrogen and phosphate from the sea, helping to purify the water,’ Sæther explains, adding:

– Kelp production is also an environmentally gentle process in itself. Kelp needs neither feed nor fertiliser to grow, making it a highly sustainable raw material to produce.

In Asia, kelp production has long been a billion-pound aquaculture industry and a traditional source of nutrition. As we seek new, sustainable food resources and transition towards a circular bioeconomy, kelp is now also gaining a foothold in Norwegian aquaculture. Within a few years, it could develop into a major green industry in Norway and Europe.

With support from Bionova, our new bioeconomy initiative, Seaweed Solutions is leading the way. The company was the first in Norway to invest significantly in kelp and has pioneered Norwegian kelp production since it was founded in 2009. With a vision to develop large-scale kelp farming, Seaweed Solutions produces seeds and seedlings in Trondheim and farms kelp at offshore facilities on Frøya. To date, the company has invested EUR 24.5 million in research and development.

‘We established our first pilot farm on Frøya in 2014, focusing on gaining control of the entire value chain, from hatchery to finished product. Since then, we have worked continuously to improve efficiency. In 2016, we entered the food market with the aim of raising awareness of kelp as a food and an ingredient in a wide range of products. In recent years, we have increasingly focused on market development and processing techniques,’ says Sæther.

And it is precisely as a food ingredient that kelp could make its biggest breakthrough. Major food producers in Norway and Europe actively use kelp in product development, including as a nutritious umami seasoning, a salt substitute and a snack. Alginate is a component derived from kelp that acts as a thickener in products such as soft-serve ice cream and jam. But its applications are wide-ranging and continue to expand and grow.

‘Kelp is emerging as an important alternative to plastics made from fossil fuels, such as drinking straws and plastic cups. The food and animal feed industries need new, sustainable raw materials. For example, the aquaculture industry must become less dependent on soya transported halfway around the world,’ says Sæther.

She elaborates:

‘Although kelp cannot directly replace soya, bristle worms fed on kelp could become a sustainable alternative to soya-based feed. Many feeding trials using kelp for both salmon and livestock are also under way, and studies show that kelp can have a positive effect on the animals’ gut health. Kelp-based feed may also increase milk production in cows.’

After several years of research and development, Seaweed Solutions now manages the entire value chain, from the hatchery production of seeds and seedlings to deployment at sea, harvesting, processing and packaging. At its laboratory near Trondheim, seaweed seeds are produced in small glass containers and sown onto thin carrier ropes, where they develop into small seaweed plants. They are then deployed at the aquaculture facilities on Frøya, where they grow throughout the winter months.

‘In autumn, the young kelp is transferred to the sea and wound around thicker ropes so it can grow. When it is harvested in spring, it must be processed quickly to preserve its quality,’ says Sæther.

In 2023, 600 tonnes of seaweed were cultivated along the Norwegian coast, but according to a SINTEF report, Norway's seaweed production could increase to 20 million tonnes by 2050.

As seaweed farming is not yet a well-established industry in Norway, Seaweed Solutions has had to continuously innovate its production equipment and methods. To reduce costs and increase production capacity as it expands in the years ahead, the company is now developing entirely new preservation and fermentation methods. Until now, the standard practice has been to freeze the seaweed before sending it to the customer – a process that is both energy-intensive and costly.

'We are exploring more efficient processing methods, such as acid preservation and fermentation, which are established methods for preserving food and animal feed in agriculture. By lowering the pH through the addition of acid, we prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and microorganisms that can break down and damage the seaweed. This also preserves the seaweed's bioactive properties and reduces energy consumption,' says Sæther.

Seaweed Solutions is now preparing to scale up production and expand into new markets. Maintaining the quality and properties of the seaweed is crucial. The support the company has received through Bionova has been invaluable in this work.

– The support we have received from Innovation Norway enables Seaweed Solutions to develop new, mechanised harvesting and processing methods. These methods are essential for moving from manual pilot-scale production to seaweed farming, which could become a new and profitable industry along our coast,' Sæther concludes.

'We believe Seaweed Solutions is well positioned to succeed in the seaweed industry and has everything in place to expand into the European market. We are confident that the company can contribute to sustainable growth in Norway's aquaculture industry in the years ahead,' says Silje Lesjø, Acting EVP of Bionova at Innovation Norway.

Read more about how Seaweed Solutions presents its solution to international audiences on Business Norway.