Rome 27/11/2023 –The iCULTURE project is warming up its engines and it’s ready to get to the core of its research activities after the kick-off meeting, held in Porto on the 18th and 19th of September 2023. Funded by the European Commission as a Research and Innovation Action under Horizon Europe and coordinated by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, this four-year project aims at prospecting new seaweed resources and generating a catalyst that can convert seaweed residuals into high value bioactives.
“Currently, over 100 Megatons of seaweed constitute Europe’s largest biomass, but less than 0.25% is utilized. After extraction of important chemical compounds from the seaweed, the chemical companies are left with 50-70% remains or residual side-streams, that are largely unexploited. These residuals are discarded, or at best, sold as low-cost, low nitrogen fertilizers” explains Nadav Bar, professor and researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and iCULTURE project coordinator. He adds: “iCULTURE aims to contribute to answer the needs of the marine, feed, food, and pharma sectors by establishing a novel zero-waste value chain. The protection of ocean’s biodiversity life, and the utilisation of bioresources will be a combined goal of the project in an innovative way”.
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