lecture: Marc Wejda, Baltic Materials

15.04.2024, Halle (Saale)

Every year, thousands of tons of seaweed wash up on Germany’s beaches, where coastal municipalities often dispose of it as costly biomass waste. Baltic Materials challenges this practice by recognizing seaweed’s significant potential. Abundant, requiring no farmland or fertilizer, weather-independent, and capable of sequestering substantial CO2, seaweed offers advantages not found in many plant-based materials.Marc Wajda and Tjark Ziehm harness this readily available biomass for their products. Their offerings include Baltic Seed, a fertilizer made from pyrolyzed seaweed, Baltic Fill padding material, and Baltic Therm insulation material, all derived from robust, fire-resistant seaweed. To ensure a holistic and sustainable manufacturing process, Baltic Materials manages every stage from logistics to production and distribution. This involves collaborating with municipalities to collect seaweed, which is delivered in large quantities, requiring 2000m² of storage space. Sixty percent of this volume is sand, which must be removed. The remaining biomass is dried using waste heat from the pyrolysis plant, with an additional 75% of its weight evaporating as water. The final product is a small, usable yield from the initial massive delivery. Challenges also include the irregular supply of seaweed, as it washes ashore unpredictably. Processing is more manageable in summer than winter, though seaweed and algae growth are affected by climate change, leading to a decrease in washed-up material.

thanks to:

Marc Wejda
from Baltic Materials
project:

The Plant Project
– Resilience Part II
year:2024
text by:Emilia Sonntag