Photo: Puerto Morelos, Mexico (CC BY-SA)Sargassum processing equipment · Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa
Sargassum processing equipment — from beach-cast biomass to product
Washing, de-sanding, shredding, screw-press dewatering, drying and extraction lines designed for sargassum: sand-laden, salty, seasonal and arriving by the thousand tonnes.
Containerised units · 1 t/h standard module · multi-module hubs · AISI 316/L
Sargassum is not kelp. It arrives in pulses, carries sand and shell, is high in salt and moisture, and must be processed within days of landing. Sirputis builds the sargassum processing equipment that turns this into a stable product stream instead of a landfill cost — the same modules we use for cultivated seaweed, configured for beach-cast biomass.
What makes sargassum processing different
Sand and shell
Beach-cast biomass comes with grit that destroys pumps and presses. Sargassum lines start with de-sanding — a washer-elevator with sedimentation — before anything touches a screw.
Salt and moisture
Fresh sargassum is mostly water and sea salt. Washing with controlled water use, then screw-press dewatering, cuts the mass to be dried or extracted by more than half before the energy-intensive steps.
Pulses, not seasons
Landings vary by week. Modular capacity — containerised units that can be added or moved — matches a peak without paying for an idle plant the rest of the year.
Composition matters
Sargassum composition varies by landing and can carry contaminants; product routes are chosen per batch on the basis of testing. Our lines log batch data so the route decision is documented.
The sargassum processing line, stage by stage
- 01
Intake & de-sanding
Washer-elevator with grit removal; reception hopper sized for truck or trailer unloading. - 02
Washing
Fresh- or seawater washing with controlled water use; wash water recycled or treated. - 03
Shredding & grinding
Two-stage size reduction for even particle size into pressing and drying. - 04
Screw-press dewatering
SP-series screw presses split the biomass into press liquid and press cake. - 05
Drying or extraction
Belt or drum drying for fibre, compost and material routes; extraction for biostimulant routes.
Capacity options
| Option | Throughput | Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Containerised unit | pilot scale | First processing at a landing site or hotel zone; Biostim Compact extraction or a wash-shred-press unit. Movable between beaches. |
| Standard module | ≈ 1 t/h wet | Municipal or cooperative hub: intake, wash, shred, press, dry. Add modules as landings grow. |
| Multi-module hub | several t/h | Regional sargassum processing hub with extraction — structured as an Ocean Circular Hub programme for coastal authorities and funders. |
Product routes for sargassum
Biostimulants & soil inputs
Press liquid and extracts for agriculture — the nearest-term route, subject to per-batch composition testing.
Fibre, compost & materials
Dried and milled press cake for compost, construction and packaging material trials.
Energy feedstock
Dewatered biomass as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion or hydrothermal routes.
Every route starts with the same first four stages — which is why the line is modular: build the front end once, add the product step the market pays for.
Where we work on sargassum
Sirputis is engaged with sargassum initiatives in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico — transformation facilities, municipal programmes and private operators — and screens joint-venture partners in the region. Programmes are sized to the landing data: every hub is capacity-matched to the resource assessment before a machine is specified. Read the sargassum FAQ answer or see the sustainability & impact mechanisms.
Planning a sargassum processing facility?
Send us landing volumes (tonnes per week in the peak), the site and your target product — you get an indicative line, footprint and budget quotation, normally within one business day.