In California, seaweed technology startups Umaro and Sway have been awarded a $1.5 million Department of Energy grant to jointly develop new processing techniques to convert alginate sidestreams from Umaro’s seaweed protein production into Sway’s seaweed-based bioplastics. The collaboration aims to produce both biobased plastics and protein from a single regenerative resource.
Umaro’s products include plant-based bacon made from red seaweed, which is available in California Whole Foods locations. The company also recently developed a method to separate protein from kelp, a common brown seaweed, and is exploring sustainable uses for the remaining polysaccharides.
Sway creates home compostable, seaweed-based bioplastics. Its flagship product, TPSea™, is a 100% biobased pellet made entirely from seaweed and plants and is designed to be used in various applications including packaging.
The new DOE funding will help integrate Umaro’s alginate into TPSea™, enhancing its mechanical properties and lowering production costs.