Sustainable use of marine resources for high value end products: Realization of a blue biorefinery in Sweden (MAREFINE)

Ocean resources are limited and should be used wisely. While capture fisheries cannot be expanded, aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector globally.

Today half the of side stream biomass from fisheries and seafood processing are, at best, used for low-value purposes such as feed.

Seafood companies increasingly recognize the importance of increasing the value of their side streams, which due to tight margins in the seafood sector can mean shifting from being non-profitable to being profitable.

The key to make use of and refine as much as possible of the biomass is the biorefinery.However, there are many hurdles to overcome for the realization of both the refinery (legal, logistical, economical) and the resulting valorized products (regulatory, technological).In MAREFINE, an experienced team of researchers together with actors along the value chain from side stream generation to end product use, will create a basis for a blue biorefinery.

This will be done by developing and scaling up new processes and products from underutilized blue side streams, guided by technoeconomic and sustainability assessments.

Target supply chains in MAREFINE are herring, salmon, shrimp and seaweeds, but once established, the biorefinery will work with any type of raw material. A business plan for such a blue biorefinery will be written.

The formation of MAREFINE will enable Sweden to participate in the fast development of the blue bioeconomy that is currently taking place in Europe.