Projects - FR (Federica) Schanz MSc
SEASEEDS: Seaweed Attachment onto Substrates and Economic Embedding into Dutch Society (2022 - 2026)
Seaweeds are a promising though barely exploited source of biomass and proteins. Small scale cultivation trials show that large and variable detachment of seaweeds results in inefficient and unpredictable cultivation with high economic risks and an unknown impact on marine ecology. Consequently, the sector fails to attract investments, which complicates the upscaling required for profitability. We will improve attachment of sugar kelp, study the consequences of large scale seaweed culture on the marine ecology and create business modelsfor Dutch seaweed. Our efforts will yield economic opportunities in, and societal awareness for the transition towards a sustainable blue economy. Within the SEASEEDS project, I am researching on the ecological consequences of detached seaweed and associated microbiota.
