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March 31, 2008
Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Offshore Seaweed FarmingforBioenergy and Biobased Products
Independent Research and Development ReportIR Number: PNWD-3931
Battelle Pacific Northwest Division
California kelp macroalgae seaweed underwater (Copyright: Jane Thomas, IAN, UMCES)
Authors
G. Roesijadi, A.E. Copping, M.H. HuesemannPacific Northwest National LaboratoryJ. Forster Forster Consulting IncJ.R. BenemannBenemann Associates
Reviewers
R.M. ThomPacific Northwest National LaboratoryM.D. Hanisak Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
Sponsors
Battelle Pacific Northwest DivisionAquacopia Ventures, LLC
IR Number: PNWD-3931
2
TABLE OF CONTENTSPageABSTRACT
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CHAPTER 1. BIOLOGY OF SEAWEEDS
7General biology of seaweeds 7
Seaweed life cycles 8
CHAPTER 2. THE SEAWEED INDUSTRY
11Worldwide production of seaweeds 11
Traditional uses of seaweed products 11Seaweed farming 15
Traditional nearshore systems 15Land-based systems 20
CHAPTER 3. BIOBASED SEAWEED PRODUCTS
22Anaerobic digestion and extraction of valuable coproducts 22 Nutritional value of energy coproducts 25Alginates and other chemicals 28
CHAPTER 4. OFFSHORE SEAWEED FARMS FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION
31Past attempts at offshore seaweed farming 31Initial concept for biofuels from open ocean seaweed farms 32The open ocean farm concept – the ISC report 33The Dynatech report 35The marine biomass program 37Conclusions regarding open ocean seaweed biomass production 38
CHAPTER 5. STRUCTURES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR OFFSHORE FARMS
40
Floating vs. Anchored platforms 40Integrated aquaculture operations 47Aquaculture operations in conjunction with wind farms and other infrastructure 48Selection of the seaweed species for culture 50
CHAPTER 6. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT OFFSHORE SEAWEED FARMING
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Physical and chemical limitations to production 52Biological limitations – disease, predators, and epiphytes 54
CHAPTER 7. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF LARGE-SCALE OFFSHORE SEAWEEDAQUACULTURE INSTALLATIONS
56Current issues with nearshore marine aquaculture 56Potential consequences of offshore culture of seaweeds 57Potential decrease in ocean productivity due to offshore seaweed farming 58Optimum species selection and potential conflict with native/non-native and genetically 59modified organisms
CHAPTER 8. SEAWEED BIOTECHNOLOGY
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Genetics and breeding seaweeds 61Vegetative approaches to propagation 64Advances in seaweed tissue and cell culture 67Advances in seaweed cell and molecular biology 71Genetic modification of seaweeds 72Potential of marine biotechnology products 74
IR Number: PNWD-3931
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CHAPTER 9: TECHNO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF OFFSHORE SEAWEED PRODUCTION
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Offshore seaweed farms 76The offshore seaweed cultivation concept 76Economic aspects 77Public policy perspective 78Biofuels from seaweeds 78Seaweed production potential compared to other biomass resources 81Potential co- and by-products from seaweed digestion 82Other market sectors for seaweed products and services 86Human Food 86Polysaccharide gels 87Other polysaccharides and biologically active materials 88Minerals 89Soil conditioners and supplements 89Animal feed 90Cosmetics 91Bioremediation 91
CHAPTER 10: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP
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Conceptual system for the Offshore Seaweed Farm 95The Marine Biorefinery as part of the Offshore Seaweed Farm 97Preliminary Cost Estimate
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Environmental considerations 99Visual Roadmap 100Roadmap for Growth of Seaweed for Energy and Coproducts 101Timeline 102Economic Analysis 103Technical R&D (Near-term) 104
REFERENCES
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. FAO figures for world farmed seaweed and
Spirulina
production in 2004. 12Table 2. Annual production in metric ton dry weight of the main farmed seaweed genera by country in 2004. 14
Table 3. The chemical composition of
Ascophyllum nodosum
. Water content is given as a percentage 24of the fresh weight. All other components are given as the percentage of the dry weight(Horn, 2000).
Table 4. The amino acid composition of some seaweed proteins (Fleurence, 1999). 27Table 5. Relative digestibility of some seaweed proteins (Fleurence, 1999). 27Table 6. Selected data on coproducts and byproducts from giant kelp methane production (Tompkins, 1983). 29Table 7. Estimates for amount of kelp in cattle and poultry diets. 30Table 8. The most common diseases affecting
Laminaria
in Chinese farms (FAO, 1989). 55Table 9. Calligenic potential of selected seaweeds (Garcia-Reina
et al.
, 1991). 69Table 10. World seaweed market in 1991 after Indergaard and Jensen (www.surialink.com). 83Table 11. World seaweed market segments after Perez 1996 (www.surialink.com). 83Table 12. Worldwide seaweed production (McHugh, 2003). 84Table 13. Summary of worldwide seaweed production. 84
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. A small kelp plant with major structures identified. 7Figure 2. Generic representation of alternating life cycle of seaweeds (Collado-Vides, 2001). 9Figure 3. Variation in clonal in seaweeds. (A) stoloniferous growth, (B) two thalli arising from a buried 10stolon, (C) new growth arising from attachment of branch to bottom, (D) fragmentation,(E) fronds growing from a holdfast, (F) crustose growth (Collado-Vides, 2001).
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