A limu (seaweed) native to Hawaiian waters, Dictyota sp., is gaining attention for its potential to produce compounds that have high-value ingredients in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food processing, medical and dental industries. University of 51²è¹Ý at Mānoa researchers are exploring ways to establish an Indigenous limu commercial industry in the islands using the second of two $150,000 Sun Grant Western Region awards granted to Samir Khanal of the .
Although the limu is currently “unexplored” as an algal feedstock, Khanal of the 51²è¹Ý believes it could potentially launch a significant commercial industry—if researchers could figure out a way to boost its growth rate.
“If we can develop a biorefinery, focused on this Indigenous Hawaiian seaweed, to produce high-value compounds while simultaneously remediating aquaculture effluent [waste], this will introduce sustainable macroalgal-based bioproducts to the 51²è¹Ý marketplace and create new avenues for a circular bioeconomy in the state,” said Khanal.
Creating a biorefinery
Khanal and his team of researchers including Surendra KC, Manpreet Kaur and graduate student Ty Shitanaka are using CO2-nanobubbles and aquaculture waste as a nutrient source.
The team¡¯s approach includes lab-scale experiments to optimize growth conditions, followed by pilot-scale cultivation trials. They plan to refine extraction methods for fucoidan (sulfated, fucose rich polysaccharides) and alginate (natural polymer), investigate potential applications for the limu¡¯s biomass residue—and most importantly—assess the economic potential of scaling up a Dictyota-based biorefinery.
“The outcomes of this project have the potential to develop larger extramural grants and strong collaborations between private and public institutions, with special emphasis on commercialization,” said Khanal.