Gothenburg, Sweden — October 2025 – SEAlgaePower project launches to transform seafood
industry processing water into sustainable blue value
A new EU research project, SEAlgaePower, coordinated by Professor Cornelia Spetea Wiklund from
University of Gothenburg, brings together leading universities, research institutes, industry partners,
and innovation experts to develop microalgae-based technologies that convert nutrient-rich residual
water from aquaculture and seafood processing into valuable, sustainable products. SEAlgaePower
has officially launched with a kick-off meeting hosted by University of Gothenburg on 6–7 October
2025.
Addressing a dual challenge
The fast-growing aquaculture and seafood processing industry generates large volumes of nutrient-
rich residual water, which is costly to discharge. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for
new, carbon-neutral sources of food, materials and energy.
SEAlgaePower addresses these challenges by harnessing the natural ability of microalgae to capture
and recycle nutrients. The project will design and demonstrate innovative systems that clean residual
water while producing biomass for new products such as fish feed, food ingredients, fertilisers,
nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and medical materials.
“Our goal is to turn a cost into an income,” said Professor Cornelia Spetea Wiklund, coordinator of
SEAlgaePower. “By linking aquaculture with algae cultivation, we can reduce environmental impact,
recover valuable nutrients, and create new market opportunities for sustainable blue growth.”
Scientific ambition and scope
SEAlgaePower explores two major research questions:
- How can marine microalgae from the North and Mediterranean Seas be used to clean
nutrient-rich residual water from aquaculture and seafood processing? - How can the resulting biomass be transformed into carbon-neutral, bio-based ingredients for
multiple industrial sectors?
By combining expertise in marine biotechnology, biorefining, circular value chains, and sustainability
assessment, the project will advance the state of the art in blue biotechnology and contribute directly
to the EU’s Green Deal and Zero-Waste objectives.
An international partnership
Thirteen partners from seven countries bring expertise across the entire value chain:
- University of Gothenburg – Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences (Sweden)
(Prof. Cornelia Spetea Wiklund) – Project coordination, lab-scale cultivation in aquaculture and
process water, and data management - NORCE Research AS (Norway) (Dr. Hanna Böpple) – Pilot-scale cultivation at the National
Algaepilot Mongstad - University of Aveiro – Department of Chemistry (Portugal) (Prof. Rosario Domingues) –
Biomass characterisation, biorefinery-based extraction of lipids, pigments, and
polysaccharides, and bioactivity testing to assess nutraceutical potential - University of Palermo – Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and
Technologies (Italy) (Dr. Valeria Villanova) – Isolation of new Mediterranean strains and
bioactivity testing to assess pharmaceutical potential - Chalmers University of Technology – Department of Life Sciences (Sweden) (Prof. Ingrid
Undeland) – Process-water characterisation, biorefinery-based protein extraction and food
applications - DTI Danish Technological Institute – Division of Food and Production (Denmark) (Dr. Praveen
Kumar Ramasamy) – Microalgae-based RAS water nutrient recovery, integration with BioPod
system (Biopod Container | Nordic Flex House), lipid and carotenoids extraction, and fish feed
prototype development & testing. - RISE Research Institutes of Sweden – Division of Materials and Production (Sweden) (Dr.
Markus Andersson Trojer) – MedTech materials for wound care and regenerative medicine - NIBIO Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research – Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (Norway) (Dr. Astrid Solvåg Nesse) – Evaluation of algae-based fertilisers and
nutrient recovery - NFH NordicFlexHouse ApS (Denmark) (Anders Thomsen, CEO) – BioPod container integration
and circular aquaculture systems. - SITES Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Ltd (Ireland) (Leonardo Piccinetti) –
Communication, stakeholder engagement, socio-economic and circularity assessment - University of São Paulo – Oceanographic Institute (Brazil) (Prof. Mary Gasalla) – Sustainability
and social-impact assessment - Industry partners Klädesholmen Seafood AB (Sweden) (Jonas Lundberg, CEO) and Ragn-Sells
Havbruk (Norway) (Ole Arthus Vaage, CEO) – Providing real wasted water streams and
validation environments
Expected results
Over the next three years, SEAlgaePower will:
- Identify microalgae species adapted to Nordic and Mediterranean seawaters and suitable for
cultivation in aquaculture and process waters - Demonstrate >90 % nutrient removal and high-yield biomass production
- Develop cascade biorefinery protocols for proteins, omega-3 oils, pigments, and
polysaccharides - Develop prototypes/ingredients for food, feed, fertilisers, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals,
and MedTech applications - Assess environmental, social, and economic performance to guide responsible scale-up
By closing the loop between, on the one hand primary and secondary seafood production, and the
other hand, algae cultivation, SEAlgaePower aims to help establish a climate-neutral, sustainable, and
zero-waste blue economy for Europe.
Funding
The SEAlgaePower project partners acknowledge the transnational funding of the Sustainable Blue
Economy Partnership (SBEP) under Horizon Europe and the national/regional funding organisations
for research and innovation.
Media contact:
Lesley Tobin
Sustainable Innovation Technology Services (SITES)
Email: lesleytobin.sites@gmail.com
Image: The SEAlgaePower Consortium, 6th October 2025