Technology
Macroalgae cultivation
Macroalgae cultivation involves growing large seaweeds (like kelp, sargassum, or rockweed) in ocean farms or coastal waters where they absorb massive amounts of CO₂ from seawater during photosynthesis, just like land plants do from air. These fast-growing marine plants can capture carbon at rates far exceeding terrestrial forests, with some species growing several feet per day while continuously pulling dissolved CO₂ from the surrounding water.
Once harvested, the carbon-rich seaweed can be processed into various products like biofuels, food ingredients, or fertilizers, or it can be dried and stored on land where the captured carbon remains locked away instead of returning to the ocean-atmosphere system. The cultivation process also helps restore marine ecosystems by providing habitat for fish and reducing ocean acidification in the surrounding waters.
Macroalgae cultivation transforms our coastal waters into productive carbon farms that provide sustainable income for coastal communities through seaweed harvesting while creating new blue economy opportunities and marine restoration benefits from what is essentially farming the sea for both climate and economic value.