Harnessing Marine Macroalgae for Industrial Purposes in an Australian Context: Emerging Research and Opportunities (Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies)

In today's environmental and economic climate, it is important for businesses to drive development towards sustainable and zero-waste industries, responsibly leveraging renewable low-cost inputs to generate high-value outputs for the global market. Marine macroalgae presents modern businesses with opportunities for the development of a new and vibrant industry sector that largely fulfills these requirements. Harnessing Marine Macroalgae for Industrial Purposes in an Australian Context: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides emerging perspectives on the theoretical and practical aspects of developing a new business sector within the bio-marine industry. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as competitive advantage, food industry, and production systems, this publication is ideally designed for environmental researchers, business students, engineers, and academicians seeking current research on the economics, regulation, and policy in supporting the development of the macroalgal industry sector in the global market.

Göran Roos is a member of the Economic Development Board of South Australia, the advisory board for Investment Attraction South Australia, METS Ignited Australia Limited’s Innovation Advisory Council (MIAC), an Invited Chair of CSIRO Manufacturing Business Unit Advisory Committee and a strategic Advisor to Defence SA and the Defence SA Advisory Board. He is a Stretton Fellow appointed by the City of Playford at University of Adelaide; Adjunct Professor at University of Technology Sydney Business School. Göran is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA).

Anthony Cheshire has been involved in the seaweed industry for over 35 years, beginning with an ecological study of the southern bull-kelp – Durvillaea potatorum – on King Island. He then worked more broadly as an academic (including as Head of Botany at the University of Adelaide), Chief Scientist (Aquatic Sciences) and Director of Research and Development (SARDI) and is now an independent science consultant. Anthony has led large research teams in the development and delivery of major research programs and initiatives including Marine Innovation SA (which has resulted in over $50 million of investment into South Australian based marine science programs) and in the development of the successful bid for the Australian Seafood CRC (which resulted in over $140 million of investment into RD&I programs to support the seafood industry in Australia). Anthony has held a number of Board Roles including as a Director of two Cooperative Research Centres (CRC for Sustainable Finfish Aquaculture and CRC for Environmental Biotechnology) and as member of a number of ministerial advisory boards including as Chair of the SA Fisheries Research Advisory Board and Chair of the SA Scientific Working Group for Marine Parks and Marine Planning. Anthony also has experience in private sector governance roles having been a Board Member or Chair of a number of Public and Private Companies. In 1986 he wrote the first management plan for seaweed harvesting in Australia (on behalf of Kelp Industries on King Island) and subsequently has undertaken research, development and innovation programs across a variety of marine industries including fisheries and aquaculture sectors. He has a particular interest in the ecophysiology and production ecology of seaweeds including the development of ecological models of both natural and created production systems. Anthony has an ongoing interest in working with industry and supporting them to identify and develop new opportunities by facilitating linkages between industry, regulatory authorities and the RD&I communities.

Sasi Nayar leads the Algal Production Group and manages the Algae and Biofuels Facility (ABF). ABF, hosted at SARDI’s Aquatic Sciences facility at West Beach, which is funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. He has over 20 years experience researching environmental and biotechnological applications of microalgae / phytoplankton. Current research is applied, undertaken for several Australian and overseas industry partners and clients. His research on seaweeds commenced unravelling the ecological role of epiphytic algae in nutrient assimilation in anthropogenically impacted seagrass meadows off the Adelaide metropolitan coastline. Over subsequent years he has diversified his expertise in ecology, biology and physiology of seaweeds, to biotechnological, environmental and industrial applications of cultivated seaweeds. In 2008, in partnership with Science to Manage Uncertainty, he was involved in successfully developing a proof-of-concept seaweed based nutrient scrubber system to remediate the effluent stream of a nitrogen constrained industry in South Australia. Later, in 2010 he co-led a joint industry and state government funded project on developing sustainable land based seaweed production to supply a diverse range of marketable seaweed products and services such as novel abalone feeds, bioactives, human food, and bioremediation of nutrient and carbon enriched industrial waste water streams. The collaborative project involved several commercial companies, policy makers and researchers from multiple institutions. He has also been involved in assisting an Australian industry group establish a seaweed production facility in conjunction with finfish cage farming in Southeast Asia for food and feed applications. More recently he was lead author on a comprehensive report that reviewed global efforts in seaweed production and utilisation with a specific focus to develop a sustainable South Australian seaweed industry. He has a keen interest in progressing the development of sustainable land based seaweed cultivation to support industry by meeting their demand for biomass for various applications. He serves on the executive committee of the International Society for Applied Phycology and was a member of the Local Organising Committee of the 5th ISAP Congress in Sydney in 2014.

Steve Clarke undertook Honours and PhD projects on seaweeds during the late 1970s to mid 1980s at the University of Adelaide, before being employed by the then SA Department of Fisheries to manage a large multi-disciplinary seagrass project. For about 25 years thereafter he led the Aquaculture Program at the Department of Fisheries and then SARDI Aquatic Sciences, and was involved at various times in projects that included seaweeds (as abalone feed, for the production of select chemicals, and for bioremediation, including as a component of Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture). He has also provided advice to entrepreneurs interested in the collection of wild drift seaweeds and the harvesting of naturally growing seaweeds. His ambition over the last 30 years has been to develop and grow South Australia’s aquaculture industry, which has and continues to occur; seeing the development of a substantive seaweed industry in South Australia would be an exciting milestone.

Wei Zhang has been involved in the seaweed R&D and industry development for over 15 years, starting out with the advanced clean biorefinery processing of red algae for the production of multiple products with minimal wastes. He then extended this to advanced clean processing technology for a range of other seaweed species used in the production of high-value and high quality polysaccharides such as alginates, carrageenans, fucoidans and laminarins. These technologies can result in significant savings of energy, water and chemical uses, therefore making it a clean and sustainable process. He has established a significant collaboration with the second largest seaweed processor from China, and several local companies, with a research and development program worth over $10m. He is interested in doing R&D in seaweed biorefinery and novel products development that can support the growth of an advanced seaweed manufacturing industry in South Australia. Wei also has a significant network of science, government and industry internationally in marine biotechnology as the President of Australia-New Zealand Marine Biotechnology Society.