It all begins on an open ocean farm in Alaska
In the fall, farmers outplant millions of tiny sporophytes (see fairly accurate illustration of both, left). As the spring arrives, the small kelp plants rapidly grow into beautiful long blades. When the crop reaches maturity, the farmers quickly harvest it in a short 6-8 week window.
After harvest, the farmer delivers the crop to the dock where Macro Oceans immediately begins the processing phase to stabilize it. In order to avoid energy intensive freezing or drying, we have developed a technique to store the crop for up to 12 months at room temperature, creating a year-round feedstock for our biorefinery.
Then, comes the epic part (at least we think so)
With the kelp successfully stabilized, it now undergoes further processing. We have pioneered a new approach to gently extract the target carbohydrates and other valuable compounds. Once the extraction is complete, we have rich complex of seaweed carbohydrates which we formulate into a variety of low-carbon chemicals for our customers in the materials, food and cosmetics industries. (And did we mention our process is also zero-waste? Well, it is!) Any leftover pulp is transformed into raw materials for the packaging industry.