Evaluation of Algae-based by-products for commercial growth media and novel extractives

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Global seaweed-based products have an estimated value of $5 billion annually based on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization projections. Maritime BioExtracts Inc. (MBE) is a Nova Scotia based bio-venture enterprise extracting a nutraceutical product from a kelp seaweed. The current extraction process generates solid waste by-products which pose a significant financial and disposal challenge for MBE. Currently, the high cost of waste management is limiting Maritime BioExtracts' ability to expand their operations to meet the growing demand for their nutraceutical product. The proposed Engage project aims to evaluate low cost composting technologies including, a static pile composting system and an in-vessel composting system to manage and stabilize the seaweed solid waste generated by MBE. The compost products have potential to be marketed as horticultural soil amendments or plant growth enhancers to the organic agriculture sector. This Engage project will provide MBE with a low cost alternative to manage their waste products and examine how to value add value to the waste solids through composting. It is anticipated that the result of this project will result in stablilized compost products which will be marketable to organic horticultural growers. An additional feature of this project will be to use advanced chemical scanning techniques to identify the unique chemical components of the seaweed-based compost for future research into other bio-active products. An outcome of the six month project will be to enable MBE to expand the current production capacity of their nutraceutical product, which will support greater local employment, reduce the costs of managing their solid wastes, and set up the potential for a new value added compost product for sale to the horticultural sector. The benefits to Canada exists in supporting entrepreneurial the bio-venture sector which is a new and expanding area of the economy.