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Presentation at the Aquaculture Europe Conference, August 2013 in Trondheim.
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Economic feasibility of offshore seaweed
production in the North Sea
Sander van den Burg, Paul Bikker, Marinus van Krimpen & Arie-Pieter van Duijn
Increasing interest in seaweeds
Interest in sustainable marine production
● World population growth
● Environmental pressures of imported feed and food
● Recovery of phosphor
● Alternative to land-based production
Offshore wind energy
● Large spatial claim (1,000 km2 for projected 6000 MW)
● Resistance from fishing community
● Responsible use of space
Against this background: TripleP@sea
Wageningen UR initiated research project
On Multi-use platforms in the North sea
4 year, multi-disciplinary project
Link to other projects, e.g. FP7 Mermaid
2012/2013: zooming in on offshore seaweed production
Our focus: economic research within TripleP@sea
Outline
Basic info on seaweed production in North Sea
Assess production costs
Review of seaweed applications and market values
Prospects for offshore seaweed production
90% of world production from aquaculture
Only just started in Netherlands
Production in Netherlands
On-going experiments with different production techniques (long-lines, nets)
Focus on indigenous species:
● Laminaria digitata
● Saccharina latissima
● Palmaria palmata
● Ulva lactuca
Experiences with seaweed aquaculture
Group: Brown algae Red algae Green algae
Species: Laminaria digitata,
Saccharina latissima
Palmaria palmata Ulva lactuca
Growth season September-May Summer Summer
Optimal water
temperature
<18 15-20 15-20
Grow speed Up to a daily increase of
DM of 20% under optimal
conditions
Up to daily increase of
35% of DM under optimal
conditions
Up to a daily increase in DM of
50% under optimal conditions
Yield/ha (DM) 15 15-20 20
Vulnerability
diseases
Colonised by several
organisms, thus hindering
its growth during spring
and summer
Unknown It tends to be free floating
under harsh conditions
Production risks Fast degradation in spring
(Saccharina latissima)
Uncertain whether the
plant will recover after
wintertime
Sudden disappearance
Estimate production costs
Analysis of publications on the costs of seaweed production show great differences:
Technology Invest Lifespan Operational Yield €/ tonne
DM
Source
€ Year €/year Tonnes DM
Ring 1,000
per unit
10 n.a. 0.040 2,500 Buck and Buchholz
(2004)
Long-lines n.a. n.a. n.a. 121-409 Reith, Deurwaarder et al.
(2005)
25,000
per ha
10 n.a. 35 71 Florentinus, Hamelick et
al. (2008)
25,000
per ha
n.a. 750 per ha
+ 104 per
tonne of DM
50 669 Lenstra et al. (2011)
45,615 10 12,155 1.6 10,448 Petrell, Tabrizi et al.
(1993)
Estimate production costs
Based on own experiences
Per ha lifespan
(year)
Per year Per tonne of
DM (20 tonne
yield)
Investment
in systems
Low
scenario
50,000 10 2,500 250
Investment
in systems
High
scenario
150,000 10 7,500 750
Seedlings 13,000 1 13,000 650
Labour 300 1 300 15
Harvesting 104
Total Low 1,019
High 1,519
Use of seaweed
Various applications of seaweed possible:
● Food
● Thickener/Alginates
● Feed
● Production of green chemicals
● Biofuel
● Research on:
● Plant hormones
● Omega-3
● Pharmaceuticals (e.g. Mannitol)
Use of seaweed
Various applications of seaweed possible:
● Food
● Thickener/Alginates
● Feed
● Production of green chemicals
● Biofuel
● Research on:
● Plant hormones
● Omega-3
● Pharmaceuticals (e.g. Mannitol)
If only...
Food
Worldwide: largest use of seaweeds
Niche market in the Netherlands
● Import from Asia, France
● Organic segment
● Restaurants
Niche developments
And in major supermarket chain
Thickener
Worldwide second-largest market
Up 1 million tonne seaweeds used
Value dependent on contents
Roughly 600 euro per ton DM
But alternatives available (tapioca, potatoes)
Feed applications
Although traditional use, literature review shows seaweeds are better not fed directly
Addition to pre-mix of feed is possible
Calculation using Bestmix:
Value (euro/100 kg
94%DM)
Value (euro/tonne of
DM)
Laminaria digitata 0.00 0.00
Saccharina latissima 4.40 46.64
Palmaria palmate 11.50 121.90
Ulva lactuca 4.60 48.76
Use as feed additive
Green chemicals
Production of basic chemicals (aceton, butanol, ethanol)
High value chemicals
Product Market
value
Production Value
€/tonne Kg/tonne of dry
seaweed
€/tonne of dry seaweed
Acetic acid 570 247 140
Butanol 707 123 87
Lactic acid 235 486 114
Propylene glycol 1,000 133 133
Citric acid 1,414 429 606
Prospects
Human food offers highest value
Challenge to develop market for seaweed
Other current applications offer too low values
Some high value applications are foreseen, but under development
How to reduce costs and increase benefits?
Conclusion
Reduce costs
● Improve production system (year round, two yields?)
● IMTA as alternative?
● Increase yield and control product characteristics
● Examine synergy with offshore wind
Multi-use platforms
Synergy with offshore wind energy in construction and/or transport?
Conclusion
Reduce costs
● Improve production system (year round, two yields?)
● IMTA as alternative?
● Increase yield and control product characteristics
● Examine synergy with offshore wind
Increase benefits:
● Look for combinations: high + low value
● Biorefinery required for high value applications
● And: bringing together different market actors
