Did you know that at least 70% of our oxygen comes from algae? But, that’s not the only miraculous thing about algae.
The uses of algae can replace many of the products we use every day plus serve as an aid to environmental restoration.
Algae is already being used in your daily life, but the future of this organism has tremendous potential to save the planet while giving you healthy options.
Read on to see the top 11 ways you can benefit from algae.
1. Food Additive
Many vegans and vegetarians might already know that algae is a great plant-substitute for ingredients like gelatin. It naturally thickens food within harming animals.
You can find it in foods that contain agar, an alternative sweetener made from red algae. This can include vegan desserts, salad dressings, and condiments.
2. Health Supplement
The benefits of algae include its nutrients that work as a superfood supplement.
Taken on a daily basis, algae supplements can regulate your metabolism and provide the body with vitamins and minerals. It contains significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, and iron.
These components have been known to aid in digestive health, boost the immune system, lower cholesterol, and even improve your memory.
Algae also assist with your body’s protein building production by supplying it with a surplus of amino acids.
3. Animal Feed
What does algae do for animals? The protein and high nutrient level is a perfect food for livestock and even pets.
It can replace other crops like corn, wheat, and soy that use a lot of land and water to produce. The amount of water to feed animals is one of the largest concerns among human food consumption.
In order to sustain our food source, we must grow food fast and effectively. Algae not only grows faster than others, it also doesn’t need any freshwater or fertilized soil to thrive.
So, giving algae to animals is a healthier and more sustainable option to a large problem of both environmental and consumer concerns.
4. Medical Treatment
In addition to preventative health as a supplement, algae can be used as a treatment.
In China, algae is being used to treat certain cancers as it breaks up mass tissues. This is also used for issues caused by swelling such as goiters. It also releases iodine in the blood that replenishes deficiencies that cause thyroid problems.
5. Fuel
The algae uses for energy are endless as it can produce biofuel in the form of biodiesel using the high concentrations of vegetable oil and refined fuel when the oil is removed.
It can also produce methane used to create electricity and fuel vehicles or ethanol, a fuel additive.
This type of fuel would burn clean energy without the production of harmful emissions. It also makes more fuel and energy without the hazards and destruction involved with fossil fuel, natural gas, and nuclear power plants.
6. Cleaning Marine Ecosystems
Sometimes algae can be a nuisance in ecosystems that are overly polluted which causes too many nutrients in the water. Algae spreads quickly as it devours the nutrients which can make the water toxic.
To combat this issue, surprisingly, algae is the solution. Macroalgae differs from the thinly spread bad microalgae. You can use macroalgae to slow down the spread of the toxic algae as it steals the nutrients without growing rapidly.
Learn about macroalgae and ways to restore algae-infested aquariums.
7. Cosmetics
How to make algae a part of your beauty regimen? It is simple because algae is already in many cosmetic products.
Seaweed has been used for face-masks for years in spas and at home. But, it can also be found in things like shampoos and toothpaste. The benefits of using algae on your exterior include anti-aging, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory perks.
8. Clothing
Synthetic clothing is uncomfortable and unfriendly to the environment. Clothing should be breathable and sustainable.
That is why algae is the next fashion trend. It can produce clothing that is biodegradable and even edible. Plus, since it is easy to grow mass quantities of it, algae makes clothes more affordable.
9. Carbon Reduction
Algae feeds off of CO2 more than any other plant organism. So, algae farms can be used as carbon-eaters to combat global warming and correct ocean acidification.
As algae eats more carbon, it grows faster and releases more oxygen. It can be used to purify our atmosphere and oceans.
10. Fertilizer
Algae fertilizer naturally provides crops with sufficient amounts of nitrogen that helps soil feed plants. It does this without any extra chemicals, so it is a plant-based organic option.
It is also a great fertilizer because it limits the runoff of chemical-based fertilizer and bacteria of manure-based fertilizer in the ocean.
11. Plastics
Using plants as an alternative to one-time-use plastics prevents the need for recycling and keeps plastic out of the landfill. Algae is a viable solution to create biodegradable plastics.
This is already a trend for many companies who make water bottles and will only continue to thrive as more businesses invest in algae farming.
What is Stopping the Uses of Algae?
As you can see, the uses of algae are endless. So, what is stopping it from becoming the sole proprietor of every business mentioned above? Algae is being produced on a small scale. It needs large companies to invest in mass production.
Check our national news section of the site to keep up-to-date on the business and production of algae of the future.
