AgriSea’s Paeroa seaweed nanocellulose biorefinery aims to tap green materials market

Florian Graichen, Bioeconomy Science Institute's general manager for forests to biobased products.

The partnership behind the world’s first commercial seaweed nanocellulose biorefinery, which opened in Paeroa in October, says it will positively impact a range of industries while minimising waste.

The biorefinery, owned by family company AgriSea, will convert seaweed left over from the biostimulant production process into nanocellulose hydrogel, which can be used for medical, agricultural, manufacturing and cosmetic purposes.

Nanocellulose is a highly versatile material with exceptional properties, making it valuable in various applications.

Most of the world’s nanocellulose is produced using chemically treated wood pulp.

AgriSea and the Bioeconomy Science Institute have collaborated to create this material from seaweed.

AgriSea chief executive Clare Bradley said seaweed offered a surprising advantage over traditional wood-pulp sources.

“Its cellulose chains are up to four times wider and longer, giving the resulting hydrogel twice the thermal conductivity of plant-based equivalents.”

Bradley said the extraction process used non-aggressive chemicals compared to those usually used to produce nanocellulose, which made it significantly more workplace and environmentally friendly.

“The finished material, an opaque gel, is stronger than steel and can absorb greater than 100 times its mass in water.”

The biorefinery can produce up to 1600kg of eco-friendly nanocellulose hydrogel a week.

This hydrogel can be used for advanced wound dressings and drug delivery, or as a potential biodegradable performance material for adhesives, batteries and electronics manufacturers.

Cosmetics companies also see it as a renewable cream base.

In agriculture, it can be used to improve seedling survival thanks to its water-retentive properties.

The new plant can process a wide range of local seaweeds and has already trialled species from around the world – opening the door for New Zealand to take a leading role in global markets.

The technology also creates multiple pathways for growth, through the ability to contract-manufacture nanocellulose for other industry players, sell its own high-value materials into global markets, or license the process to seaweed farmers in other countries.

This flexibility strengthens New Zealand’s position as a leader in sustainable ocean-based innovation.

Florian Graichen, Bioeconomy Science Institute general manager for forests to biobased products, said the biorefinery was a textbook example of New Zealand’s circular bioeconomy in action.

“This partnership has led to a blueprint for ocean-based green technologies that could help global industry transition from fossil-derived materials, while minimising waste and revitalising local economies,” he said.

“The potential market is enormous.”

Graichen said the global seaweed cultivation industry was projected to reach US$69.5 billion (NZ$120b) by 2034.

“The broader biorefinery market is forecast to expand at nearly 8% annually, topping US$392 billion in the next 10 years.

“This shows what can be achieved through collaborative research.”

- Supplied by Bioeconomy Science Institute