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Algae Cultivation with Brine – IGZ Presents New Research Project SolKuBiM in Bad Saarow

08.07.2025
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Foto: IGZ/J. Vogt
Foto: IGZ/J. Vogt

How can high-quality macro- and microalgae be sustainably cultivated in inland regions – without costly seawater supply? This is the question addressed by the research project SolKuBiM. The goal is to establish an innovative, brine-based aquaculture facility for land-based algae biomass production. The project was presented on 5 July 2025 during the summer party at the Bad Saarow spa – the site where the pilot facility is to be built.

At the heart of SolKuBiM is the use of naturally occurring deep brine, which is already extracted and treated in Bad Saarow. In future, this brine will be used to cultivate both macroalgae and microalgae, in a resource-efficient manner and in direct connection with the thermal spa. By using waste heat and spent brine, the system can operate with particularly high energy efficiency. The resulting biomass is intended to serve as a basis for new applications in cosmetics, as well as in food and animal feed production.

After a welcome address by Axel Walter, Managing Director of Bad Saarow Kur GmbH, Dr Anna Fricke from IGZ presented the project’s objectives and outlined the vision for a regionally anchored, spa-based algae production. The direct integration of the cultivation system into an existing thermal spa represents a novel concept that enables multiple uses of the brine – with potential to strengthen the location in a rural area.

SolKuBiM is part of the innovation funding programme of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). The project emerged as a scientific spin-off from the initiative “food4future – Food for the Future”. Professor Dr Monika Schreiner (IGZ), as co-head of the coordination office “Agricultural Systems of the Future”, placed the work in the context of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s funding line.

Additional project partners were present at the summer festival: Marco Kreische from the Institute for Grain Processing (IGV GmbH) addressed the role of microalgae and brine as a resource; Professor Dr Susanne Baldermann from the University of Bayreuth presented findings from food chemistry research on traditional and novel vegetables. Algae-based products were available for tasting at the VivaMaris GmbH booth. Interactive elements such as an educational game developed by HTW Berlin – within the framework of food4future – invited visitors to join in.

In the long term, SolKuBiM aims not only to establish technological foundations for algae cultivation in inland regions but also to enable new value chains. A planned information platform, developed in collaboration with the food4future consortium, will further strengthen knowledge transfer and networking.

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