In recent years, Qingdao has been frequently visited by green algae. Besides turning the seaweed into fertilizer, China Ocean University Organism Project Development Co furthered their research on how to make the best use of the seaweed. Experts are now trying to extract polysaccharide, a type of sugar that can be applied in medicine and the food industry, according to Ifeng.com.

Qingdao has cleaned up 184,500 tons of seaweed this year, including 55,000 tons from the sea and 129,500 tons from land. Compared with that of the sea, seaweed on land is more difficult to deal with as it is often mixed with sand. Yet the company is confident that it can work out better methods.

China Ocean University Organism Project Development Co has successfully developed over 100 kinds of fertilizers made of seaweed. These fertilizers can be categorized into five types: granular, microbial, foliar, water flush fertilizer and fertilizer for special use. They are sold not only in China, but also in over 30 foreign countries including Germany, Canada, Italy and Holland. Today, with more advanced techniques, a bottle of seaweed fertilizer can be used for over six months after being diluted.

This year, the company has applied for patents for its extraction of polysaccharide. It has also invested 75 million yuan ($12 million) on a production line to extract polysaccharide. When completed, it will be able to yield 3,000 tons of polysaccharide per year. The extract can be later used to produce medicine, food, feeds and fertilizers.

Edited by Michael Thai, Li Xiaoliang and Zhao Jingchen