RESEARCH & INNOVATION
After developing
negative effect of the influxes and explore the reaches of what it can be safely and sustainably used for, because that’s what innovation demands,” he said.
the product, he approached experts at the Cave Hill campus to conduct a 39-day trial on plants. The results showed that the biostimulant, combined with reduced rates of synthetic fertiliser, resulted in a significant increase in leaf production. Forte then gave the product to acquaintances and small farmers to test. But with costs rising, he decided to return to the drawing board to redesign and re- engineer the product. He later received support from the Bloom Barbados CleanTech Cluster hosted by Export Barbados (Barbados Investment and Development Corporation) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) .
Dr. Nikolai Holder
presented on the second day of the 3 rd UWI Sargassum Symposium held 9-10 March 2023 that featured presentations by experts and interactive sessions. Another expert was researcher and entrepreneur, Dr. Nikolai Holder , who is known for his groundbreaking doctoral research on the creation of biomethane from landscaping waste that was used to fuel Bunsen burners in the Biology Extension Laboratory for a semester in 2018. Dr. Holder gave insight into that research and indicated that his interest has segued
Kerri-Ann Bovell
Bovell , a Cave Hill alumna, is also keen on conducting further research into the potential of the seaweed. The Chemistry graduate successfully developed a biobased and biodegradable film-like material from Sargassum and agricultural waste as an alternative to plastic wrap during her final year on campus. She said it can be used in the agricultural sector as a weed suppressant or mulch and in the cosmetic industry. However, her efforts have been hampered by limited facilities in Barbados to conduct further research and development. The operator of EcoMycö , a biomaterials packaging company, said practical solutions were needed to encourage innovation. “It’s one thing for ministerial bodies to speak of the need for innovation and the need to utilise the resources that we have here, which are invaluable, but we need a way to test them, make them, [and] to get products to the local and regional markets.” Much of the presentations during the two-day symposium centred on research and capacity-building linked to the SargAdapt project, Sargassum management, and hearing from innovators. u
into the potential of Sargassum to boost the agricultural potential of plants. Innovators Joshua Forte and Kerri-Ann Bovell have similar
Joshua Forte
interests. Forte, an entrepreneur and sustainable environmental management practitioner, created Supreme Sea Horticultural Biostimulant from the algae, earning the Commonwealth Innovation Award in 2021 and the Canewood Award in the Barbados National Youth Awards 2023 . The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Red Diamond Compost Inc. said it was in 2016, the year after massive piles of Sargassum began washing up on beaches and shorelines, that he thought of its potential.
In 2022, he undertook another trial. This time, it was done over an 84-day period on lawn turf in the United Kingdom. The entrepreneur said around the 42 nd day, they started to see variations in the results, although all were positive. Currently, further trials are ongoing with other food crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers, among others. “For me, Sargassum is a biological material with so much potential to unlock; this is only the beginning. I would encourage people to look past the initial
CHILL NEWS 65
CONTENTS PAGE
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator