SeaH4 was recently a winner in the OceanLove Innovation Awards for its plan to make biofuel from seaweed, and it could start producing the fuel at scale as early as 2028.

SeaH4 founder Johannes Bochdalofsky told MyBroadband that the company would aim for its fuel prices not to exceed that of the consumer fossil fuel equivalent.

It is currently building a field testing station in Saldanha and plans to build a revenue-generating pilot plant in Namibia.

“We are busy building our field testing facility in Pepper Bay, Saldanha, financed by V+A Investments,” said Bochdalofsky.

He noted that V+A Investments managing director Leonel Fernandes is also the group CEO of African Marine Products.

“Meanwhile, we are completing the design for our revenue-generating pilot plant in Namibia, which we anticipate to have up and running towards the end of next year,” he added.

The matter of whether the biofuel will be commercially available in South Africa is uncertain.

Bochdalofsky said SeaH4 is currently concentrating on fuels for the maritime sector, and commercial availability will depend on its investors’ desires.

“If we are being approached by an investor, who wants to develop fuel production capacity for the African road transport sector, we can have production up and running as early as 2028,” he said.

“SeaH4 as a company aims for their carbon neutral fuels not to be more expensive for the consumer than the fossil equivalent.”

However, he noted that market and consumer prices are influenced by government policy.

Bochdalofsky said SeaH4 is planned as a major employment driver for South Africa’s West Coast and is designed to avoid negatively impacting nature or food production.

His company is a finalist in the OceanLove Innovation Awards, which aims to provide a platform for ideas with the potential to restore and protect the seas.

Bochdalofsky told News24 that producing biofuel from seaweed is simple and involves using the plant to produce biogas using cow dung.

The biogas can then be separated into carbon dioxide and bio-liquified natural gas (bioLNG), the latter of which is ready to use as fuel.

The OceanLove Innovation Awards committee described SeaH4’s plan as “a win for the planet and its people”.

“An innovative solution using seaweed and green hydrogen to produce alternative fuels at scale,” it said.

“This sustainable approach not only tackles climate change but also brings economic opportunities to rural coastal communities.”

SeaH4’s plan involves farming fast-growing seaweed in ponds along desert shores for biogas production.

It notes that 18,000km of low-lying desert shores are available to scale the solution, where it could be expanded to aviation markets and, ultimately, African road transport.

“Biogas, in turn, can be upgraded into bioLNG (carbon neutral) and biogenic CO2, which, together with the African emerging green hydrogen industry, can produce carbon neutral e-fuels.”

The company wants to use its relatively low-tech solution and indigenous biomass to replace fossil fuels at scale.

The OceanLove Innovation Awards also alluded to the job creation that could result from the project, which will also help reduce the poaching of marine resources.

For many in rural coastal communities, poaching marine resources has become one of the only sources of income.

It also noted that electric vehicles won’t be affordable to many driving on African roads and that biofuels could further decarbonise the use of combustion engines on the continent.

“The company challenges the narrative that Africa cannot supply sustainable biomass at the required scales to merit the transition to biofuels,” says SeaH4.

“SeaH4 is now inviting partners to join them in realising the next stage, a pilot plant in Namibia, with a scheduled begin for construction in 2025.”

source:The South African company making fuel from seaweed (mybroadband.co.za)