4.8 Commercial Production
89
Calcium alginate, more commonly used in the pharmaceutical industries for applications such as wound dressing, is estimated to reach a market value of 154.3 million
USD by 2025. The use of calcium alginate as a wound healing aid also makes it
applicable in food as a meat binder. This increased product use in newer applications
in the industry is suspected to result in increased demand and hence commercial
production.
Propylene glycol alginate, commonly used in the food industry as an emulsifier,
thickener and stabilizer, is also used in the beer industry for foam stabilization. The
beer industry is one of the largest industries from large-scale beer manufacturing
across the globe in both developed and developing countries and rising such application further points to expected growth in the alginate industry. Propylene glycol
alginate is also used in fruit juices and foamy dairy products. 26% of the demand for
alginate is allocated to propylene glycol alginate (Grandview Research 2017).
The commercial production of alginates can be said to be well explored across different countries. Key players in the alginate market includes as follows: ISP Alginates
Ltd. (UK), FMC Biopolymer USA, Degussa Texturant Systems in Germany, Kimica
Corporation in Japan, Danisco Cultor in Denmark, Figu Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.
in Japan, Algisa Compania Industrial de Alginatos S.S. in Chile and China Seaweed
Industrial Association In China (McHugh 2003), Seasol International, Acadian Seaplants Ltd., Yan Cheng, Chase Organics GB Ltd., Indigrow Ltd., Mara Seaweed, CP
Kelco, Aquatic Chemicals and Pacific Harvest. Many others exist operating at small
and larger scales across the globe.
Commercial alginate is priced around 12USD per Kg (Hermandez-Carmona et al.
2013), making it the second most expensive seaweed sourced polysaccharide, second
to Agar. By region, Europe took the lead in alginate production as of 2003 producing
16,000 tonnes of alginate (McHugh 2003), followed closely by Asia-Pacific which
produced 15,600 tonnes and then the Americas which recorded a production of
4500 tonnes. There was no alginate production recorded in Africa. As of 2013, the
combined production of alginates, agar and carrageenan from seaweed was worth
1.018 Billion USD as of 2013 alginate was valued at 12 USD per Kg (HernandezCarmona et al. 2013).
The main issue which surrounds future market of alginate is the future availability of seaweed for alginate production as the natural stocks available are a limited
resource. If well managed, with harvest rate balanced by the rate of regeneration
and recovery, long-term availability of raw material for alginate production should
be of little concern. The sustainable strategies being adopted by the alginate market
stakeholders which includes the manufacturer, government and regulatory bodies and
environmentalists include sustainable harvesting of seaweed for alginate production
and research and development into alternative and sustainable alginate sources. Other
factors which threaten the natural stock of seaweed are environmental disaster which
could destroy large stocks of seaweed at an instance such as tsunamis. These factors
are all important when considering the prospects of commercial alginate production.
Cost analysis of alginate production is presented in Table 4.3. The estimate used
below is obtained from the scenarios presented in literature (Konda et al. 2015)
where cost analysis is carried out for simulated scenario of the coproduction of
89
Calcium alginate, more commonly used in the pharmaceutical industries for applications such as wound dressing, is estimated to reach a market value of 154.3 million
USD by 2025. The use of calcium alginate as a wound healing aid also makes it
applicable in food as a meat binder. This increased product use in newer applications
in the industry is suspected to result in increased demand and hence commercial
production.
Propylene glycol alginate, commonly used in the food industry as an emulsifier,
thickener and stabilizer, is also used in the beer industry for foam stabilization. The
beer industry is one of the largest industries from large-scale beer manufacturing
across the globe in both developed and developing countries and rising such application further points to expected growth in the alginate industry. Propylene glycol
alginate is also used in fruit juices and foamy dairy products. 26% of the demand for
alginate is allocated to propylene glycol alginate (Grandview Research 2017).
The commercial production of alginates can be said to be well explored across different countries. Key players in the alginate market includes as follows: ISP Alginates
Ltd. (UK), FMC Biopolymer USA, Degussa Texturant Systems in Germany, Kimica
Corporation in Japan, Danisco Cultor in Denmark, Figu Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.
in Japan, Algisa Compania Industrial de Alginatos S.S. in Chile and China Seaweed
Industrial Association In China (McHugh 2003), Seasol International, Acadian Seaplants Ltd., Yan Cheng, Chase Organics GB Ltd., Indigrow Ltd., Mara Seaweed, CP
Kelco, Aquatic Chemicals and Pacific Harvest. Many others exist operating at small
and larger scales across the globe.
Commercial alginate is priced around 12USD per Kg (Hermandez-Carmona et al.
2013), making it the second most expensive seaweed sourced polysaccharide, second
to Agar. By region, Europe took the lead in alginate production as of 2003 producing
16,000 tonnes of alginate (McHugh 2003), followed closely by Asia-Pacific which
produced 15,600 tonnes and then the Americas which recorded a production of
4500 tonnes. There was no alginate production recorded in Africa. As of 2013, the
combined production of alginates, agar and carrageenan from seaweed was worth
1.018 Billion USD as of 2013 alginate was valued at 12 USD per Kg (HernandezCarmona et al. 2013).
The main issue which surrounds future market of alginate is the future availability of seaweed for alginate production as the natural stocks available are a limited
resource. If well managed, with harvest rate balanced by the rate of regeneration
and recovery, long-term availability of raw material for alginate production should
be of little concern. The sustainable strategies being adopted by the alginate market
stakeholders which includes the manufacturer, government and regulatory bodies and
environmentalists include sustainable harvesting of seaweed for alginate production
and research and development into alternative and sustainable alginate sources. Other
factors which threaten the natural stock of seaweed are environmental disaster which
could destroy large stocks of seaweed at an instance such as tsunamis. These factors
are all important when considering the prospects of commercial alginate production.
Cost analysis of alginate production is presented in Table 4.3. The estimate used
below is obtained from the scenarios presented in literature (Konda et al. 2015)
where cost analysis is carried out for simulated scenario of the coproduction of