Skip to content

Three research projects on seaweed/macroalgae for AD

A research paper has just been published on using seaweed for biofuels, including for biomethane production. Professor Jerry D Murphy of University College Cork and others conducted the research “to assess the effect of ensiling of seaweed (5 species) on  biomethane production.” The results can be found here.

Much of the research community clearly see seaweed as having potential for adding value to the economy. Miriam Cogan of Edinburgh Univerity is conducting research on using seaweed to support the anaerobic digestion of food waste. Miriam spoke at the R&D Hub at our trade show and was one of the most interesting speakers at the Hub – clearly becoming a leading expert in this area. See Miriam's details here. And a consortium lead by the Centre for Process Innovation are also now starting a project to use seaweed for AD. They have been awarded £2.78 by Innovate UK's Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst to develop a “novel storage system” to support a 12-month AD operation, which will “counter seaweed availability and variability”. The project will also “facilitate uptake by AD end users and initiate the building of a viable supply chain for farming and storage of seaweed”.

These three exciting projects will give the industry useful information on whether seaweed can be a viable part of the AD industry, and a great deal of expertise will also be developed within the academic community that will be useful for the industry. 

 

 

 

Back To Top