BPH Global Subsidiary to Investigate Commercial Extraction of Critical Minerals from Seaweed

Commercial seaweed development and export company BPH Global (ASX: BP8) has taken a step forward in its research into critical minerals recovery using seaweed as a natural bio-accumulator.

The company’s Singapore-based subsidiary Stemcell United has entered into a 12-month agreement with Marchwood Laboratory Services (MLS) for the measurement of metal content from 500 grams samples of sea plant and seaweed tissue per month.

Marchwood’s labs are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to enable precise measurement of rare earth elements (specifically lanthanum, terbium, yttrium, and neodymium), precious metals, and critical minerals in seaweed samples.

Metals Extraction

Previous studies with Temasek Polytechnic (Singapore) have proven the seaweed species Sesuvium portulacastrum can be a hyperaccumulator of key metals including gold, silver, copper and lithium which have potential for commercial extraction.

The new studies represent an upgrade to that work and strengthen BPH’s platform in the rapidly-emerging intersection of blue economy solutions and advanced materials recovery.

MLS is a professional and accredited laboratory based in Singapore that specialises in testing and analysis across a wide range of environmental and industrial matrices including soil and sediment, water, and air.

Innovative Solutions

BPH chair Paul Stephenson said the Stemcell agreement marked an important step in the company’s mission to explore innovative bio-based solutions for rare earth element recovery.

“Working with Marchwood under the supervision of our research and development consultant Gaia Mariculture enables us to accurately quantify rare earth elements and other valuable metals in seaweed,” he said.

“The insights we gain will build on our earlier work and guide our efforts in developing scalable and environmentally-responsible approaches for resource recovery in affected regions.”

Rare Earth Demand

Rare earth elements are critical enablers of the global energy transition and advanced defence technologies.

Global demand continues to grow rapidly due to surging electric vehicle adoption, renewable energy expansion and digital infrastructure requirements.

However, supply remains heavily concentrated, with more than 80% of global processing controlled by a small number of countries, exposing industries and governments to potential supply chain vulnerabilities and geopolitical risk.

As a result, rare earth elements have become a high-priority resource, with governments across the world implementing policies to secure alternative and sustainable sources.