Projects Sustainable Energy Circular Economy
3 min.
It looks like the Caribbean Netherlands are becoming a popular hub for algaculture and related projects. A few weeks ago, we already wrote a piece about the ambitious AlgaePARC project, a large-scale algaculture initiative in Bonaire, and this time we want to shift the spotlight to another very interesting local project called CaribAlgae, a state-of-the-art microalgae production facility in Curaçao. The company creates cycles of sustainable solutions by transforming waste resources into valuable products by means of algae, as the non-profit organization states on its own website.
An ideal place for settlement
The origins of CaribAlgae lie in the European Netherlands, where a group of algae science specialists, marine biologists and businesspeople recognized the potential of (micro)algae and decided to dedicate a project to it. Curaçao was chosen as the ideal place to start, thanks to the island’s beneficial climate and co-operative government, on top of the need that exists on small remote islands like Curaçao for local initiatives and self-sustainability. The climate in particular, with its few intensities throughout the year, is perfect for the cultivation of algae. In combination with the latest production technology, CaribAlgae is confident that it will soon be able to produce a steady stream of microalgae biomass for both local use and export. This can be used in a variety of contexts, including for biofuel, pharmaceuticals, and health supplements.
Promoting the circular economy
The environmentally friendly way in which algae can be produced and the many uses they have when it comes to creating a more sustainable world make local algae production an activity with considerable potential for Curaçao. The primary goal of CaribAlgae is to work according to the so-called five principles of the Circular Bioeconomy:
- Safeguarding and regenerating the health of our (agro)ecosystems.
- Avoiding non-essential products and the waste of essential ones.
- Prioritizing biomass streams for basic human needs.
- Utilizing and recycling by-products of (agro)ecosystems.
- Using renewable energy while minimizing overall energy use.
These are no small principles and by implementing them in their operation and thinking, CaribAlgae is setting the right example in terms of the transformation of our current economic system that is so desperately needed to preserve our planet.
After extensively testing the entire facility and all of the processes that will be taking place there at a constant basis, the CaribAlgae project on Kòrsou is now ready to move into the next phase, the fund-raising phase. Would you like to help get this project off the ground or get more information on how to support the project in any possible way? Get in touch with CaribAlgae here.
You can also always get in touch with us at Future Islands for more information and references.
The basis for this article was originally published on www.whatscookingincuracao.com in April 2022.
