Researchers hope to turn algae, which piles up along the Portuguese coast and would otherwise end up in landfills, into a bioplastic that decomposes and has fertilising qualities that can be used on agricultural soils. The team also plans to address the accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics and their "poorly controlled" use.

Raquel Vaz of the University of Coimbra, who is presently working towards a portion of her doctorate at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environment Research at the University of Porto (CIIMAR), explained, “We are developing a bioplastic with fertilising properties to cover the soil and which degrades over time”. The researcher explained that the project’s goal is to turn the algae that grow in coastal areas into “sustainable and valuable resources for society”, particularly for agriculture. “Our idea is to try to solve these two problems”.

The initiative, called AlgaBioTec, won the fourth iteration of BluAct, a program run by the Matosinhos City Council with assistance from the University of Porto’s Science and Technology Park (UPTEC). Along with Raquel Vaz, the AlgaBioTec team consists of a manager and two CIIMAR researchers, Isabel Cunha and Isabel Oliveira.

The company will be able to improve the solution prototype that has already been produced thanks to the 5 thousand euro reward, free enrolment in the UPTEC start-up school, and a year of incubation at UPTEC Mar. Therefore, optimising the bioplastic's breakdown time and the properties of this marine resource, by the researchers words "reducing waste and improving efficiency" are the major goals.