Kelp Bioreactor Companies Listings or Directory
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Hi, everyone. I had seen the job posting from Plankton Industries (you'll have to ask them about their name, I was confused too) and I've been looking for other companies that also make & sell kelp bioreactors (link to Plankton Industries' SBR).
Do you all know of any other companies that design, manufacture & sell this kind of product? I've looked through Phyconomy's database for related companies and haven't found any last I had looked.
Correction: It looks like at least 1 other company, Seawiser, also sells a modular (hatchery + bioreactor) system.
@stephen_lowery What size are you looking for? There are some designs that aren't specific to continuous gametophyte but many bioreactors are readily modifiable.
@philip_madden, thanks for the comment. I'm not looking to buy a system right now (a little confusing, I know).
Right now I'm investigating these markets, trying to see if there is a niche in providing particularly good components for the companies that make and sell the modular hatchery & bioreactors.
I'm also compiling the information for a database (to be shared publicly through a website, website & database not yet made) on a variety of companies in the maritime industry, to help others get started faster. Right now this information just "lives" in an open-source Excel/spreadsheet book that I've given to people I've met.
@stephen_lowery This paper details a bioreactor system for kelp gametophyte production.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10811-021-02638-2
@toby_sheppardbloch, great, thanks!
@philip_madden, thanks for the comment. I'm not looking to buy a system right now (a little confusing, I know).
Right now I'm investigating these markets, trying to see if there is a niche in providing particularly good components for the companies that make and sell the modular hatchery & bioreactors.
I'm also compiling the information for a database (to be shared publicly through a website, website & database not yet made) on a variety of companies in the maritime industry, to help others get started faster. Right now this information just "lives" in an open-source Excel/spreadsheet book that I've given to people I've met.
@toby_sheppardbloch, great, thanks!
@stephen_lowery That's very interesting. Thanks for the information. It's worth pointing out that this company's list of compatible seaweeds does not include several economically important varieties that farmers may be interested in cultivating such as sugar kelp. I will probably reach out to them for clarification. I also wish they listed some kind of price basis on their website for their products. Would be really interested in one of these systems for producing Spirulina or other microalgae for aquaculture feed.
@joshua_jmayes801gmailcom1288
Ya, unfortunately it's very common for original equipment manufacturers to tailor quotes to the prospective customers they meet, in my humble experience. One ocean farmer mentioned that he received a ~50k quote, although I don't know at this time whether that was in Canadian or United States dollars.
Thanks for the comment about the types of seaweed that are most relevant to you all. What microalgae are you particularly interested in cultivating (you've mentioned Spirulina & others for aquaculture feed)?
@joshua_jmayes801gmailcom1288 @stephen_lowery Firstly, Industrial Plankton and Seawiser to my knowledge are the only folks who build seaweed-specific bioreactor products, but many folks design photobioreactors in general that can be modified for gametophytes. I'm sure someone else is also producing them, but these are the primary companies at the present. Second, Industrial Plankton is named this because their primary product line is equipment for cultivating phytoplankton (PBRs), with the SBRs as a new product in the last few years. There is only a species list on the website for phytoplankton in their PBR product line currently as the SBRs are new products and being tested, but they are originally designed for Saccharina/Sugar kelp and I have personally confirmed these will work fine for any species of kelp gametophyte and for nori conchocelis. Lastly, yes for most manufacturers, you will have to reach out for accurate quotes because manufacturing parts fluctuate in cost a lot.
@maisie_musor1057, thanks for the insight & explanation. Congrats on your success so far w/ Saccharina & Sugar Kelp.
@joshua_jmayes801gmailcom1288
Ya, unfortunately it's very common for original equipment manufacturers to tailor quotes to the prospective customers they meet, in my humble experience. One ocean farmer mentioned that he received a ~50k quote, although I don't know at this time whether that was in Canadian or United States dollars.
Thanks for the comment about the types of seaweed that are most relevant to you all. What microalgae are you particularly interested in cultivating (you've mentioned Spirulina & others for aquaculture feed)?
@joshua_jmayes801gmailcom1288 @stephen_lowery Firstly, Industrial Plankton and Seawiser to my knowledge are the only folks who build seaweed-specific bioreactor products, but many folks design photobioreactors in general that can be modified for gametophytes. I'm sure someone else is also producing them, but these are the primary companies at the present. Second, Industrial Plankton is named this because their primary product line is equipment for cultivating phytoplankton (PBRs), with the SBRs as a new product in the last few years. There is only a species list on the website for phytoplankton in their PBR product line currently as the SBRs are new products and being tested, but they are originally designed for Saccharina/Sugar kelp and I have personally confirmed these will work fine for any species of kelp gametophyte and for nori conchocelis. Lastly, yes for most manufacturers, you will have to reach out for accurate quotes because manufacturing parts fluctuate in cost a lot.
@maisie_musor1057, thanks for the insight & explanation. Congrats on your success so far w/ Saccharina & Sugar Kelp.
@stephen_lowery Ocean Seeders Collective (OSC) is a new manufacturer of affordable seaweed bioreactors. Our goal is to make kelp farming accessible for youth, schools, and small-scale farmers. At the core of our innovation is #BioSeedeX, a modular, scalable bioreactor with 2 different types of users: 1) BioSeedeX Gameto for Seed Banking by Citizen scientists or small farmers that collaborate with kelp researchers. 2) BioSeedeX Production for volunteers that inoculate and outplant Seed Strings. With 15+ years of algae cultivation experience, my previous company, AlgBloom International, won NASA & CSA (Phase 1, Deep Space Food Challenge) awards for an algae bioreactor for Mars. Now, through a #CrowdKelping movement, we’re empowering youth to restore our oceans and learn a trade. I’d love to connect and explore potential collaborations. Feel free to reach out at soheyl@oceanseeders.com