Paeroa, a small New Zealand town, has became home to the world’s first seaweed nanocellulose biorefinery. Developed by family-owned AgriSea in partnership with Bioeconomy Science Institute-Scion, the facility converts waste seaweed into nanocellulose hydrogel, producing up to 1,600 kg per week.

Seaweed offers an advantage over traditional wood-pulp sources: Its cellulose chains are up to four times wider, giving the resulting hydrogel twice the thermal conductivity of plant-based equivalents. The extraction process uses non-aggressive chemicals compared to those usually used to make nanocellulose, making it significantly more workplace and environmentally friendly. The finished material, resembling malleable white clay, is stronger than steel and can absorb greater than 100 times its mass in water.

This green material has an array of high-value applications. In medicine, it can be used for advanced wound dressings, drug delivery and tissue engineering. Agriculture could benefit from its water-retentive properties to improve seedling survival and micro-encapsulation of bio-stimulants and nutrients. Cosmetics companies see it as a renewable cream base, while manufacturers of adhesives, batteries, and electronics are exploring it as a biodegradable performance material and heat-dissipating substrate.

The global seaweed cultivation industry is valued at $22 billion USD in 2025 and projected to reach $69.5 billion USD by 2034. The broader biorefinery market—already worth $146.4 billion USD—is forecast to expand at nearly 8 percent annually, topping $392 billion USD within a decade.

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