From Lab Success to Pilot-Scale Decisions: SEAlgaePower at Month 6

On 24th February 2026, the SEAlgaePower consortium gathered online for its Month 6 progress meeting, hosted by the University of Gothenburg. The conclusion was clear: the project is scientifically on track, strategically aligned, and entering a decisive transition phase from laboratory screening to pilot-scale production

But Month 6 was more than a routine checkpoint. It marked the moment where technical performance, sustainability assessment, and future market potential began to converge.

In WP2, 11 microalgae strains were screened in water from a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), and all demonstrated the ability to grow. Beyond growth, all strains demonstrated effective nitrate removal, confirming their dual value: environmental remediation and biomass production. From this screening, four top-performing candidates have now emerged.

Images: Marine microalgae screening underway at the University of Gothenburg’s laboratories. Credit: Giorgia Carnovale.

At the same time, RAS waters were thoroughly characterized in terms of nutrient composition, and an interlaboratory comparison was carried out to confirm whether method adjustments are needed. Additional waters have also been collected, –so called maturation brines, from the herring industry- and, in the coming period, these will be characterized with and without pre-fractionation of their organic matter.

Five microalgae strains were isolated from Mediterranean salt ponds. Two strains were able to grow better in highly saline media, implying potential for remediation of maturation brines from seafood herring industry. Other two were characterized by high carotenoid concentration, indicating additional opportunities for valuable bioproduct generation.

Addressing these early strengthens the robustness of the work moving forward.

The strategic question now is no longer “Can the algae grow?” but rather: Which strains should we scale, and for what purpose?

Pilot Scale: Infrastructure Nearly Ready

WP3 discussions focused on readiness and timing.

At DTI, pilot infrastructure is nearing operational readiness, with photobioreactor integration expected by April 2026. Semi-continuous cultivation at 250 L scale has already been successfully tested, demonstrating the technical feasibility of scaling promising strains.

Meanwhile, NORCE is advancing reject-water adaptation strategies, currently having achieved stepwise tolerance up to 10% inclusion levels. Side-stream water variability and potential viscosity/exopolysaccharides (EPS) challenges were identified as key risks to manage proactively.

The consortium agreed that strain selection must now be finalised to avoid delays in biomass production and downstream testing.

This is the project’s first major scale-up decision point.

From Biomass to High-Value Ingredients

WP4 and WP5 demonstrated how closely strain selection is linked to end-use applications.

The project is targeting high-value applications across:

• MedTech

• Nutraceuticals

• Pharmaceuticals

• Food and feed

• Fertilisers

Particular interest lies in:

• Sulfated EPS with heparin-like functionality

• Chrysolaminarin (a high-value β-glucan-type polysaccharidete)

• Protein- and lipid-rich fractions

Material requirements are significant: up to 5 kg dry weight biomass for certain prototype pathways. This makes the pilot transition not just a scientific milestone, but a logistical and strategic one.

Sustainability Embedded from the Start

One of SEAlgaePower’s distinguishing features is that sustainability is not an afterthought.

WP6 has launched a structured framework integrating:

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• Environmental Life Cycle Costing (E-LCC)

• Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA)

A dedicated data collection sheet has been developed to capture inputs from WP2–WP5, ensuring environmental and socio-economic impacts are evaluated alongside technical performance.

Early stakeholder mapping and risk assessment have also begun, strengthening future market integration and policy relevance.

Building Visibility and Impact

WP7 confirmed that the project’s communication and exploitation foundations are firmly in place and over the coming months, attention will shift to stakeholder workshops, exploitation surveys, and stronger cross-partner content contributions.

SEAlgaePower is not only building a technical pipeline: it is building an impact pathway.

Strong Governance, Clear Next Steps

With Coordination structures in place, the immediate priorities for the next phase are clear:

• Finalise pilot strain selection

• Complete BioPod installation and begin scaled cultivation

• Activate structured WP6 data collection

• Align biomass production with prototype needs

• Continue strengthening stakeholder engagement

SEAlgaePower has successfully proven laboratory viability, established pilot readiness, embedded sustainability assessment, and positioned itself for decisive scale-up, all within its first six months.

Over the next six to twelve months, SEAlgaePower will finalise pilot strain selection, begin scaled cultivation, activate structured sustainability data flows, and align biomass production with prototype development.

For affiliated projects and initiatives, there is clear potential for collaboration on sustainability harmonisation, stakeholder engagement and biorefinery optimisation.

For industry, the upcoming pilot phase offers a concrete entry point for validation trials, co-development and early assessment of scale-up feasibility.

SEAlgaePower has demonstrated viability in real side stream water and positioned itself for the next step. The pilot phase will now determine how effectively side stream water from aquaculture a can be converted into scalable, high-value microalgae-based ingredients.

Image: The SEAlgaePower Consortium

If your organisation is active in algae, aquaculture, circular bioeconomy or sustainable materials, this is the right moment to engage. Get in touch with us here.