Blue Evolution

Going Beyond Mining As we look for sustainable ways to meet the world’s growing mineral needs for technology like electric cars, three methods have surfaced with stark contrasts in impact: Seaweed Biomining, Deep Sea Mining, and Land-Based Recovery. ?? Seaweed Biomining: an environmentally-friendly approach that has potential to utilize the natural absorption abilities of seaweeds to extract #essentialminerals from the ocean. Blue Evolution is currently researching how we can extract critical minerals from seaweed. This process aligns with #regenerative practices, as seaweed not only draws minerals but also helps restore marine ecosystems through photosynthesis (C02 in, oxygen out). Plus, it’s a renewable resource that can be farmed and harvested without harming the ocean floor or its inhabitants. ???? Deep Sea Mining: on the flip side, #deepseamining involves drilling into the ocean floor to extract minerals, such as cobalt and nickel. While these minerals are critical for technologies like batteries, this method can devastate marine ecosystems. The disruption to delicate seabed environments is often irreversible, and it risks releasing harmful sediments that threaten deep-sea creatures and biodiversity. Unlike Seaweed Biomining, deep sea mining damages ecosystems that take thousands of years to recover, if they ever do. ?? Innovative Land-Based Recovery: an approach that uses techniques like urban mining and #biomining to recycle valuable minerals from e-waste, industrial by-products, and low-grade ores. While promising, it faces challenges such as scalability, high costs, energy-intensive processes, and inefficiencies in material collection. Additionally, improper disposal and processing in regions with weak regulations limit its ability to fully meet the growing demand for critical minerals. Let's support methods that respect the balance of nature while addressing our mineral needs! ??? Stay tuned for more information about our hope for the alternatives using the power of #seaweed.

Seaweed can sequester carbon 10 to 75 times more effectively than terrestrial forests, but its benefits extend far beyond being a carbon sink. It plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors and replaces carbon-intensive feedstocks in manufacturing. This supports decarbonization efforts in human food and health, crop and animal health, biomaterials, critical minerals, industrial biochemicals, and more. Learn more: https://blueevolution.com/ #carbonsequestration #seaweedfarming #seaweed

Seaweed farming goes one step past sustainable - It’s regenerative. “It soaks up a lot more carbon than any terrestrial biomass per area, and it really only needs sunlight and seawater.” -Beau Perry, Blue Evolution Founder. Bonus: it also soaks up excess minerals and rare earth elements that we may be able to extract and use for technology like batteries for electric vehicles. “They’re a prolific sponge – they soak up nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and a lot of minerals, and so in this first pass at the content analysis, we got a certain set of signals around REEs and precious metals, like rhodium, palladium and scandium.” -Beau Perry, Blue Evolution Founder. Learn more about this via the mining.com article: “Could seaweed farms become the next generation of mines?” https://lnkd.in/gnAmuXZU

Could seaweed farms become the next generation of mines? While testing how to render biofuels from seaweed, our team started to find some unusual levels of minerals designated as in the strategic interest of US economic development and national security, but what really got the Department of Energy’s attention was the rare earths. The discovery is a positive development for a nascent North American rare earths market and taps into the broader issue of the glaring lack of domestic production. China has a near monopoly on mining and refining the group of 17 metals that are crucial to the development of smart electronic devices and wind turbines, and which are notoriously difficult to extract and expensive to process. “This was sort of a beautiful accident, and it’s all a function of what’s in the water where the seaweed is growing.” -Beau Perry, Founder, Blue Evolution Learn more via “Could seaweed farms become the next generation of mines?” on mining.com: https://lnkd.in/g9EUq-se

Pictured here is Rikirangi Gage, CEO of Te Rūnanga o te Whānau, and Beau Perry, CEO of Blue Evolution, formalize their partnership with a Hongi, which symbolizes shared trust and commitment. Blue Evolution is honored to bring its biotechnology and seaweed farming expertise to a meaningful partnership with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, a community that has cared for the land and sea for generations. Together, we’ll create sustainable, carbon-negative seaweed-based products—like biostimulants, nutraceuticals, pigments, and essential minerals—designed for global markets. This collaboration also opens the door to new opportunities, as we establish pilot facilities for both onshore and offshore seaweed farming, nurturing a rich variety of green, red, and brown seaweeds, including Ulva, Ecklonia, Pyropia, Gigartina, and Lessonia. We’re deeply honored to work hand-in-hand with the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui people, blending innovation with deep-rooted environmental care to shape a greener future. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gymENENZ #seaweedfarming #aquaculture #seaweed

?? Landmark Partnership in Regenerative Aquaculture ?? Blue Evolution and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui’s Te Huata have launched Te Huata Blue, a joint venture to cultivate 5,000 hectares of seaweed in Aotearoa New Zealand. We’re incredibly proud and honored to be able to co-create this initiative, which combines advanced biotechnology and indigenous knowledge to create a global model for environmental restoration, cultural preservation, and economic empowerment. Read about it here: https://lnkd.in/gymENENZ #seaweedfarming #blueconomy #biotech

At Blue Evolution, we’re proud to farm two types of kelp in Kodiak, Alaska, where our operations are powered by the island’s #renewable wind and #hydroenergy. The island of Kodiak has a nearly 100% clean energy grid, which aligns with our mission to create sustainable practices that minimize the environmental footprint of ocean-based farming. Additionally, seaweed farming has very little environmental impact and helps sequester carbon from the sea. We’re building a more eco-friendly #aquaculture system and reducing our carbon footprint at every stage of production. https://blueevolution.com/ #seaweedfarming #seaweedfarm

We’ve been talking a lot about the potential for Seaweed Biomining as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional critical mineral mining, but let’s talk about *why* we need a better solution. First of all, what are they mining for? Rare Earth Elements (REEs), is a group of 17 metals including neodymium (Nd), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), and yttrium (Y), critical for high-tech devices like smartphones, wind turbines, and? electric vehicles. These metals are incredibly difficult to extract and refine, and traditional mining of these REEs is devastating for the environment. Environmental Impacts of Traditional Mining: ?? Deforestation: Mining activities contribute to around 10% of global deforestation. This not only destroys ecosystems and biodiversity but also reduces the planet's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, which is a huge problem. ? Carbon Emissions: Mining is energy-intensive, relying heavily on fossil fuels for mining machinery, which results in greenhouse gas emissions. ?? Resource Depletion: Traditional mining leads to over-extraction of non-renewable resources, often without considering the long-term sustainability of ecosystems. ????Human Rights Issues: Mining often leads to human rights abuses, including land degradation and community conflicts. Learn more about our plans for alternatives using the power of seaweed: https://lnkd.in/gW-yKj5E ?? ?? #seaweed #biomining #seaweedbiomining #rareearthelements

Some plants can accumulate lithium, zinc, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements, among other critical minerals. This special group of plants, called hyperaccumulators, accumulate high levels of metals through absorption of minerals from the surrounding atmosphere. Of the 350,000 known plant species, only about 750 have this hyperaccumulating property. One of them that we’re currently testing as a climate-friendly solution for traditional mining: seaweed. ?? ?? Learn more about hyperaccumulators and why we’re so excited about the future of Seaweed Biomining via the TriplePundit article: These Plants Are Made of Metal, And They Might Be the Fix the Clean Energy Transition Needs: https://lnkd.in/gfu4r6rS #seaweed #biomining #seaweedbiomining #criticalminerals

“Mining for minerals needed for wind turbines and other clean energy technologies has a high environmental cost, but some kinds of seaweed could offer an alternative source. The transition away from fossil fuels has led to a rush for new sources of minerals needed to build green technologies like batteries and solar panels.” - a recent article by New Scientist “Can seaweed provide the minerals we need for clean energy?” published May 28, 2024. Extracting minerals is essential for modern technology, but traditional mining devastates the environment, causing up to 10% of global deforestation and massive carbon emissions. It’s time to turn to the ocean. Biomining can reduce environmental impact by up to 90%, offering a sustainable alternative that preserves our planet’s resources. Blue Evolution is committed to researching and implementing modern technologies around Seaweed Biomining to drive significant advances in the field of critical minerals. Learn more on our website: https://lnkd.in/gW-yKj5E #seaweed #seaweedtech #criticalminerals