The integrated process as illustrated with Kappaphycus alvarezii allows both carrageenan and liquid seaweed fertilizer to be recovered from fresh seaweed which would make cultivation of the seaweed more lucrative. For a one hectare area of cultivation which conservatively yields 100 tons of fresh biomass per annum 60-80 tons of liquid biofertilizer can be produced in addition to 2.5-4.5 tons of carrageenan, depending on the grade, The sap which has proven efficacy as biofertilizer is obtained without thermo-chemical cycling and external addition of water. It may be marketed directly requiring no further processing other than addition of preservatives, Simple equipment such as a grinder-cum-mixer and a press filter installed preferably near the site of harvesting may suffice for homogenizing the fresh seaweed and allowing sap to be separated, As compared to the ca. 850-900 kg water that needs to be removed from one ton of fresh Kappaphycus alvarezii as per the conventional
, Method of drying the whole plant, only the moisture in the wet residue amounting to 100-200 kg per ton of fresh seaweed needs to be removed as per the method of the invention thereby greatly reducing drying time and area, The free flowing, granular residue obtained from the fresh plant is superior to be dried whole plant as raw material for carrageenan since the former is less bulky, easy to transport, easy to store, easy to handle, contains very little colour, has a higher carrageenan content, and can even be used directly for gel formation in certain applications.
Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI)
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