This project - titled A2S (Alginic Acid to Safety) - centres on the transformation of a key product from seaweed processing, Alginic Acid ("AA"), into novel materials ("Starbon") with superior performance in the field of toxic gas filtration.
Scotland has a long history of seaweed processing dating back to the 18th century. Although primary alginate production in Scotland ceased early in the 21st century, local company Marine Biopolymers Ltd ("MBL") has invented state-of-the-art seaweed biorefining technology to make seaweed-derived products with a wide variety of end-use applications, especially in nutrition and health care. MBL's product portfolio also includes Alginic Acid.
Partnering MBL in this project is Starbons Ltd ("SBL"), a company that holds patents for the manufacture of cutting-edge adsorbents (Starbon) which are manufactured from AA. Additional project partners are the University of York (specifically, the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence), the Biorenewables Development Centre (an RTO associated with the University of York) and ICMEA- UK Ltd, an engineering company which specialises in scale up of processes from pilot to commercial.
The project's aim is to achieve product scale-up from already demonstrated pilot scale processes currently operated separately at MBL and at SBL. The longer-term vision is to invest in an integrated full scale production facility, co-locating MBL and SBL manufacturing to make use of indigenous and sustainably available seaweed and abundant renewable energy, in an optimised, low emission process. This will not only create a positive environmental impact but also highly skilled employment opportunities.