Challenge
Agar, extracted from red seaweed, is a high-potential resource for biomaterials development. Its suitability for transparent gels and films makes it a useful alternative to petrochemical feedstocks in the creation of bioplastic packaging.
While Chile is a seaweed-producing nation, raw materials are often exported with little value added for seaweed farmers and local economies. The development of regional supply chains where agar-based bioplastics are produced for local markets could enable local communities to retain greater value and avoid exploitation of local ecosystems and resources.
Materiom worked with both local and international project partners to explore the development of an open-source platform that gathers and disseminates scientific data for biomaterials development and the commercial potential for a national bioplastics market in Chile.

Approach
The project focused on four key work streams undertaken in collaboration with our project partners:
- Regional scoping: Understanding the local context through partnering with local organisations like Fundación Chinquihue and running workshops with the community to identify relevant stakeholders, key actors and value chains associated with seaweed and agar.
- Biomass mapping: Mapping available algae biomass and alternative organic resources like food waste for Chile’s varying regions. This was done by drawing from official reports and academic literature, and then corroborating key insights with relevant local actors.
- Bioplastic Fabrication: Co-developing green chemistry techniques with Buta Huapi Chilhué Cooperative for the extraction of agar to fabricate biofilms for packaging.
- Data: Collecting scientific data through machine learning models to identify and share agar-based recipes with commercial potential.

Outcomes
Primary outcomes of the project included:
- A data platform providing access to the resources developed during the project, using the region of Los Lagos as a case study. The platform facilitates access to, and analysis of, biomaterials recipes from scientific data. It also provides a national biomass availability map, as well as recipes developed with local communities for agar extraction and film fabrication.
- A toolkit amplifying the platform’s resources with a set of techniques and tools that facilitate scalability and replicability in other localities. The toolkit is a helpful strategic tool for decision-makers in the public sector, researchers and local stakeholders interested in promoting initiatives around algae-based bioplastics.
Partners
- Grant name: Concurso Investigación Tecnológica – IdeA 2020
- Funder: Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID), Government of Chile.
- Participating project partners: Universidad de Santiago Chile (USACH), Pontificia Universidad Catolica (PUC), Fundación Chinquihue, Gobierno Regional de Los Lagos
- Collaborating Partners: Waymark Analytics, Triciclos, Metabolic, Cooperativa Buta Huapi Chilhué
Learn more
To dive deeper into Bioplastico Territorial, view the project website and toolkit.