SPAIN – The first breeding ground Algae

Algafrés, linked to Porto-Muíños Gallego Group Company, its pioneering advances Seaweed farming land project, and makes it through the experimental plant that has located in Puerto de Sada.

This project began in 2011 with an investment of 300,000 euros, although it was not until two years later when they began the first trials. The initial idea was to cultivate Laminaria Saccharina a brown seaweed called kombu sugar, characteristic of the North Atlantic. “Our intention was to provide the park outdoor cultivation we have since 2002 near the port of Lorbé, which also cultivate kombu”Says the biologist and head of R & D company, Manuela Buján, explaining that are currently involved in the development of other species. “We are testing different types of gigartinas Red algae. We started having data that are going to serve to rule out or select the most appropriate species for cultivation. The next year we do an analysis of crop yield will be crucial”Clarifies Buján.

The plant has 24 tanks of 2,000 liters of clean water de Mar, in the will that grow about five kilos of Alga, reared in suspension with air and water on the move, without being subject or rooted as they would in their natural environment

Manuela Buján incident, moreover, in the administrative obstacles that must be overcome to get to work.

The obstacles are now different, once the plant is built. There are other invasive algae, parasites besides that hinder the growth of the species under cultivation. The two plant managers perform controls monitoring and production growth. To do weigh Algae each tank and bi-weekly, and are responsible for maintaining and cleaning the filters and piping installation.

The results of the experimental plant growing Sada are positive two years after its launch, so Porto-Muíños hopes to bring to market some of these species in 2016. “The goal is to have a fresh production, continuous and profitable. We will test with small amounts, to test customer before making the next escalation in the production process”Clarifies the responsibility of the plant. “We gave a lot of work to get here but we are happy. This plant serves mainly to learn and serve to shift production to industrial level in the future if all goes well. But we will not make gold, as people think”, Manuela assures Buján.

SOURCE: Farodevigo.es