The new initiative builds on a decade of seaweed infrastructure to deliver mineral sourcing via photosynthetic systems.
In response to the growing global urgency around strategic mineral supply, Blue Evolution has launched Orca Minerals: the first U.S.-based platform to deliver regenerative biomining of critical minerals using cultivated seaweed.
“Orca’s platform spans both offshore and controlled onshore cultivation, tailored to species, site, and mineral profile,” said Matt McGarvey, initiative lead for Orca Minerals. “Its modular systems enable localized production in alignment with biodiversity goals and ocean stewardship protocols.”
By cultivating seaweed to absorb trace elements like rare earths and strategic metals, Orca introduces Blue Evolution’s Zero+ framework into the mineral economy. This means no waste, no depletion, no human exploitation and measurable co-benefits for ecosystems and communities alike.
Alternative mining
The launch of Orca Minerals coincides with the United States’ efforts to secure and refine critical minerals without depending on overseas processing. While traditional mining relies on global supply chains for refining, Orca takes a different approach by exploring onshore, nature-based methods for mineral harvesting and processing. By using seaweed to absorb trace elements from seawater and applying green chemistry to refine them domestically, Orca supports national goals to strengthen resource security while reducing environmental impact.
Backed by a major grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) and a strategic collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Orca team is working with leading U.S. research institutions to develop processes that:
- Use seaweed to optimally absorb minerals from seawater.
- Refine extraction techniques to efficiently recover those minerals.
- Ensure economic viability in local and global supply chains.
- Can be implemented both offshore
and in controlled onshore environments.
Orca is also pioneering next-generation measurement, reporting and verification systems and carbon accounting protocols – including new frameworks for nature-based blue carbon capture, utilization and storage – to transparently track and monetize ecological co-benefits.
“This research is about understanding how marine plants like seaweed can be harnessed to bioconcentrate rare earth elements from seawater and thus solve a complex mineral sourcing challenge,” explained Dr. Michael Huesemann, algae research team lead at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
“In our partnership with Blue Evolution, we’ll explore scalable, non-extractive and sustainable solutions that may one day complement or even reduce the need for traditional mining.”
Blue Evolution CEO Beau Perry added, “Our work with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory uncovered something we hadn’t seen before – rare earth elements and platinum group metals in our seaweed. That discovery, backed by the Department of Energy, opened the door to something bigger. It’s what led us to launch Orca Minerals – a focused platform built to advance regenerative mineral recovery at scale.”
Blue Evolution estimates that a first working prototype will be operational by 2027, with commercial viability targeted for 2028.
Initial development is focused on red, green and brown seaweed species already in production through Blue Evolution’s Alaska and Mexico operations.