Stefan Kraan

1
The Irish Seaweed Industry An Historical
Overview

• Stefan Kraan
• Irish Seaweed Centre, MRI,
• National University of Ireland, Galway

2
Introduction

• A sustainable natural resource with industrial
  potential
• Green, Clean, Organic and Environmental friendly
  label
• Provides employment in
• rural coastal communities
• Indigenous industry
• Huge potential to grow

3
Brief history (I)

• Used as fertilizer and food by coastal dwellers
  for hundreds of years
• Traditionally fertilizer to make soil
• During famine used as food (negative association
  with poverty and famine)
• Only now realisation that seaweeds are superior
  source of minerals, trace elements and vitamins

4
Brief history (II)

• 18th century, kelp burning (soda). Used for soap
  and glass making. Discovery of iodine in kelp ash
  kept industry alive till WW II.
• Gathering blackweed (mix
• of drift seaweed) used for
• animal fodder and fertilizer
• till late 80s. Quality variable
• and mostly poor.
• Introduction liquid seaweed extracts, used as
  growth stimulant and corrector of deficiencies.

5
Brief history (III)

• Establishment alginate industry
• late 40s. Arramara Teoranta in
• 1955,backbone of the
• Irish Seaweed Industry
• Knotted wrack and kelp are
• harvested by seaweed pickers
• network along the west coast
• Dried and milled, exported for secondary
  processing into alginates. Increasing proportion
  is sold to other Irish producers (cosmetics and
  fertilizer)

6
Brief history (IV)

• Niche markets explored,
• thalassotherapy,
• seavegetables,
• biomedical applications

7
Current status

• 12 million

• Employment 700

• SMEs in 6 areas

• Value-added sectors required

• Focus on raw material processing

• Laminaria resource not exploited

• Too small for world market (niche markets)

8
The Resource

• Over 500 species of seaweed
• 19 commercially exploited
• Devided over 6 market categories
• Little research into other species to determine
  specific compounds and potential high-value
  applications.

9
The Markets

• 1 Biopolymers
• 2 Agriculture/Horticulture
• 3 Maërl
• 4 Sea-Vegetables (aquaculture)
• 5 Cosmetics and Thalassotherapy
• 6 Biochemistry/Biomedicine

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1. Biopolymers

• Polysaccharides (alginates, Laminarins, Agar,
  Xylan) from Brown and Red Algae
• Gelling/thickening properties
• Biocompatibale, biodegradable, bioadhesive and
  non-immunogenic
• Many applications in Industry (Pharmaceutical,
  food, textile, etc.)

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1.Current status

• Raw material exported (no value added)
• Reliance on processors outside Ireland
• 500 t alginate
• are imported
• Potential for
• extraction in Ireland
• Large resource
• and sustainable

12
1. Examples of Applications

• Alginates
• Dermatology and wound healing
• Enteric drug delivery
• Dental impression material
• Bioremediation
• Water treatment
• Printing of textiles
• Feed application

• Laminarans
• Increases resistance to bacterial, viral and
  parasitic
• Inhibition of tumour growth
• Protection against radiation damage
• Wound repair
• Reduction of Cholesterol
• Anti oxidant
• Nutraceutical properties
• Anti-inflammatory

13
2. Agriculture/Horticulture

• Organic fertilizers from bulk seaweed
• Liquid seaweed extracts/soluble powder
• Feed supplements in agriculture
• Many applications, competitive market

14
2. Current Status

• European market US 30 million
• Growing concern of use of chemical herbicides,
  pesticides and fertilizer
• Potential for seaweed based agrochemicals,
  fertilizer and liquid seaweed extracts
• Considerable success of Celtic Sea Minerals
  (liquid extracts) and Arramara (Organic Seaweed
  fertilizer)

15
2. Current Status

• 25,000 wet t harvested of Ascophyllum nodosum
  (70.000 t is sustainable)
• Dried and milled, yields 8,000 dry t seaweed
  meal, 300 t for soil conditioner and liquid
  extracts rest for alginate extraction
• Improves soil and
• enhances crop growth

16
3. Maërl

• Collective name for detached corraline algae
• Calcereous seaweed
• Soil conditioner/ improvement
• Calcium additive
• Cosmetic formulation
• Water purifying

17
3. Current status

• Extensive beds found all along west coast of
  Ireland
• Galway Bay 8 million t alone
• 10.000 t harvested annualy
• Under-utilised
• Huge potential
• 6 species?
• Slow growth
• Subjected to management measures (EU directive)

18
4. Sea-Vegetables

• Collective name for seaweeds that are edible
  (makes it more accepted)
• Used for a variety of dishes
• Sushi-nori, dillisk bread, carrageenan pudding
• High in vitamins, minerals
• and trace elements

19
4. Current status

• Asia US 3 billion market
• 10 species commercially exploited in Ireland
• Already supply shortage (dulse and carrageenans)
• Life histories and habitat knowledge
• Markets small but growing very rapid
• Traditional hand harvesting vs cultivation
• Pilot trials 2 species for Aquaculture
• Lack of knowledge of constituents
• (nutritional analysis, seasonality)
• Quality control standards

20
5. Thalassotherapy Bodycare products

• Treatment with seawater or
• seaweed
• Seaweed (hydro)baths
• Treatment of arthritis,
• rheumatism and stress relief
• Many bodycare products and
• cosmetics include seaweed extracts

21
5. Current status

• Small quantities used in this sector
• 200 wet t per annum
• No scientific data
• Increasing popualrity
• Small but fast growing market sector
• High value added

22
6. Biotechnology biomedicine

• Bioprospecting/bioscreening
• for novel compounds
• Specialised molecules
• (many applications)
• Many Irish seaweed species,
• many suitable candidates!
• Huge potential
• Research and back-up information poor

23
6. Examples of applications
Laminarans and fucoidans

• Anti viral and bacterial working
• Treatment of tumors
• Anti-oxidants
• Neutraceuticals
• Stimulation of immune system
• Anti fouling (halogenated compounds)
• Reduction of serum cholesterol

24
6. Examples of applications

• Enzymes (food industry and manipulating
  biochemical pathways)
• Iodine (uptake and control, breast cancer
  therapy, acts as alternative for chemotherapy or
  in combinations with less severe treatment)

25
Other areas of interest

• Phycodepuration/ bioremediation (environmental
  biotechnology)
• Polyculture

26
Phycodepuration

• Cleaning of polluted bays from excess nutrients,
  heavy metals, radio active contamination
• (Seaweeds are harvested and removed from the
  water together with the contaminant)
• Proven to work e.g. Fucus and Ulva

27
Polyculture

• Seaweed aquaculture in vicinity of fish farm to
  mop up waste of fish (excess nutrients)
• Fast growth rates and high protein levels
• Acts as food additive or complete feed for other
  cultured organisms (fin fish, abalones, urchins)

• Proven to work (Gracelaria or Porphyra Salmon,
  Norway, Canada and Chile)
• Studies have started in Ireland
• Should be explored as an environmental friendly
  system of production

28
The Irish Seaweed Industry

• 19 commercially exploited
• Expanding markets
• New product development
• Set to increase strongly over next 10 years

A bright future ahead!