PORT ANGELES — The Sequim-based Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory, the only lab with marine research facilities in the Department of Energy’s network, is investigating novel ways to use seaweed and other ocean resources.
Coastal Sciences Division Director Christian Meinig presented some of the laboratory’s most recent scientific endeavors on Tuesday to the Port Angeles Business Association at Joshua’s Restaurant.
“All local seaweeds have fascinating individual properties,” Meinig said. “I think there’s great promise in this research.”
One potential application is the use of seaweed as a binder in wood products. Binder glue is perhaps the greatest carbon footprint for companies that produce pressed-wood furniture, Meinig said. In addition, the glue makes the final product highly flammable.
Through research, Meinig’s team was able to press seaweed with wood pulp, resulting in a board that is stronger, has no glue additives and is less flammable than traditional options.
“We’re continuing to look at these things and evolve and evaluate them,” Meinig said. “We’re at the early stage of research.”
The lab also is examining the use of seaweed and its natural fats for more widespread food consumption.
“One could envision it as the soy of the future,” he said, noting that seaweed is grown naturally without the need for land, fresh water or fertilizer.
The ocean also is being examined as a potential source of rare earth metals. Although scientists are aware that the ocean contains these elements, Meinig said the question of how to extract and concentrate them remains.
In his mind, seaweed might be part of the solution. One species, commonly called sea lettuce, has the capacity to bio-concentrate metal up to 1 million-fold. Although that doesn’t amount to much due to the small quantity of metals that are in the sea water, Meinig said it’s is a property that the lab is exploring.
“Could seawater and the ocean be the mine of the future?” Meinig said.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is part of a complex of 17 national laboratories, supported by the Department of Energy (DOE), that crisscross the United States.
More than 6,500 individuals work with the PNNL. Most are based in Richland, although there are campuses in Portland, Ore., and Seattle, in addition to Sequim.
The PNNL does not do any weapons work, like larger labs do, Meinig said. Instead, it is focused on electric grids, battery integration, energy storage and more.
“Probably all of you have been touched by PNNL technology,” Meinig said.
Since it was established in 1965, he said technological innovations have included millimeter wave technology used for security checks in the airport, border security innovations and more.
Now, among all the individuals who are working across the different locations, Meinig said the PNNL averages out to about one invention disclosure per day.
Funding-wise, Meinig said he is riding through the turbulence of federal-level funding changes while working to figure out the priorities of the new administration.
Overall, Meinig said he hopes people get “insight into the value of fundamental research, what we do (and) where we’re going.”
“We’re turning PNNL … into a national asset that isn’t anywhere else,” he added.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
