Biotech Pioneer BPH Discovers Precious Metals in Seaweed Research Programme

Australian biotechnology company BPH Global has unveiled groundbreaking research revealing significant concentrations of gold and copper in seaweed, opening new possibilities for sustainable metal extraction from seawater.

Recent assays conducted in partnership with Temasek Innovation Holdings in Singapore have identified gold concentrations reaching 14.85 milligrams per kilogram and copper levels of up to 10.88 milligrams per kilogram in seaweed cultivated off Sentosa island.

The company’s innovative research programme centres on the hypothesis that seaweed acts as a natural accumulator of minerals, with potentially higher absorption rates in polluted waters compared to pristine environments. This discovery adds to previously identified deposits of cobalt and silver within the same specimens.

BPH Global’s Managing Director Matthew Leonard emphasised the significance of these findings, noting they reinforce the company’s theory about seaweed’s potential as a natural mineral extractor. The success of the initial phase, which focused on controlled laboratory conditions using unpolluted water, has prompted the company to advance to Phase 2.

The next stage of research will examine mineral absorption in brackish, polluted waters near Johor, Malaysia, where researchers anticipate potentially higher concentration levels. This development positions BPH Global amongst an emerging group of innovative companies exploring sustainable mineral extraction methods.

The research aligns with growing industry interest in alternative mining solutions, exemplified by California-based Blue Evolution’s similar initiatives in critical mineral extraction through seaweed farming, particularly focusing on rare earth elements deemed strategically important by the US government.