Closeup view of seaweed washing machine.
Adobe Stock
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), has allocated $25 million (€23.8 million) to a deep-ocean seaweed cultivation project to promote the aquaculture sector.
The idea is to develop a supply of hydrocarbons and industrial products through deep-ocean cultivation of seaweed biomass at a million-ton scale, for a wide variety of energy products.
Moreover, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a couple of months ago a $250,000 grant to researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and Florida Sea Grant to explore the potential of seaweed aquaculture in Florida's subtropical waters.
Specifically, the Harnessing Autonomy for Energy Joint Ventures Offshore (HAEJO) program aims to popularize deep-ocean seaweed cultivation in the U.S., grow maritime industries, and diversify energy biomass production sources in U.S. waters.
To achieve this, it collaborates with South Korea, where the seaweed cultivation industry is already being exploited for the food market.
"HAEJO's offshore seaweed cultivation technologies could unlock new opportunities for the energy sector. They will both reduce the strain on land and freshwater resources and enable a new, domestic, megaton-scale supply source," explained ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang.
In October 2024, Dongwon F&B signed a memorandum of understanding with Jeju Technopark Yongam Seawater Center for technology development for smart land-based seaweed farming. Therefore, the South Korean company will use Island lava seawater to develop land-based seaweed cultivation technology and secure high-quality raw materials.
