Abstract
Brown algae is an abundant biomass worldwide and can contribute greatly to the current and future need for more sustainable feedstocks due to their high productivity and low environmental impact. Whereas wild brown algae are highly valued resources for a variety of applications, there are still challenges in fully utilizing all parts of the biomass. At the same time, seaweed cultivation is still at an early stage in Europe due to high production costs and a lack of developed markets requesting large biomass volumes – highlighting a large, unrealized potential.
The presentation provides an overview of brown algal resources in Europe and their uses, before addressing current research challenges tied to expanded biomass production, processing, and utilization. Ongoing research at SINTEF provides examples of novel large-volume applications of underutilized algal biomasses that can contribute to reduced use of today’s non-sustainable fossil- and bio-based resources and to increased value creation in the European Blue Bioeconomy, including uses in packaging materials, textile fibres, and biostimulants for agriculture. The research shows key hurdles and bottlenecks to be addressed along the value chain, as well as the opportunities through transnational and cross-disciplinary collaboration.