Seacell Fibre

You may be familiar with the slimy, briny joys of edible seaweeds, and may have even come across it in your skincare products, but did you know that there could be kelp in your clothing? 

This luxuriously silky ball of fluff is a kind of lyocell (a semi-synthetic fibre that is chemically rebuilt from pulped plant cellulose) that has been made from a combination of eucalyptus wood and seaweed. Several seaweed species have been found to contain particularly high percentages of cellulose, and because they are a form of algae and therefore have no woody stems, the cellulose is easier to extract. These fast-growing marine vegetables also have no roots, so they require fewer energy-intensive inputs to grow: no land, no fertilisers or pesticides, and no fresh water irrigation. 

The tightly-packed cellular structure of seaweed means it is often flame-retardant, which is why fibres treated with alginate are being used as protective clothing for firefighters, and why researchers are experimenting with seaweed-derived aerogels for building insulation.