Seaweed cultivator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A seaweed cultivator is a device used to grow and harvest seaweed biomass, usually in weekly or bi-weekly cycles.[1] It remains distinct from manual seaweed cultivation using large nets in open waters, mainly in Asia.
The devices are slowly becoming available to the public, mainly because the implementation of LED has made waterproof illumination low-cost and reliable.[2]
Currently, chlorophyta are the most practical species for cultivation using this device due to their high tolerance to temperature, salinity, and light intensity.[3] Species such as sea lettuce can be grown at room temperature,[4] whereas others such as nori require more complex control of the water temperature and other variables, making them harder to cultivate at scale.[5]
Seaweed cultivators have been developing in recent years in response to demands for seaweed in food, medicine, and biofuels. They emerged as an adaptation of the algae scrubber, invented in the 1970s by Smithsonian scientist Dr. Walter Adey.[6] The algae scrubber was initially designed to remove harmful, excess nutrients from aquariums, and use them to stimulate biomass growth.[6]
The seaweed cultivator adapts this technology to maximize biomass production. By replacing an aquarium with a reservoir of fertilized seawater, a stand-alone cultivator becomes a sound mechanism for seaweed production.[7]