At a Glance

CGPP2004/1

This project set out to review the

existing environmental performance of
Arramara Teoranta at their Kilkieran
facility, and as a priority to investigate
cleaner efficient seaweed drying
technologies to replace the current coal
slack-fuelled process. The existing
system, unchanged since the 1970s
burns 2,160 tonnes of coal slack per
annum producing CO2 emissions and
associated particle emissions in an
otherwise pristine rural coastal area.
Alternative drying technologies using
lower temperatures and powered by
cleaner, more sustainable energy (gas,
solar, wind or possibly seaweed) will
result in improved efficiency and
produce meal of a higher nutritional
quality while reducing energy use and
carbon emissions. Given the recent
increased share of the State in the
company ownership this initiative was
a timely step to investigate ways of
modernisation to fully embrace the
ethos of sustainability in the production
of the companys organic certified
seaweed meal products. In addition to
the drying process other aspects of
energy use within the company were
audited for potential savings and
improved efficiency.

Environmental review of seaweed

meal production at Arramara
Teoranta and exploration of
alternative cleaner seaweed drying
technologies

Seaweed harvesting

Investigate the possibility of utilising more

environmentally friendly fuel for the dryer
for example, waste vegetable oil.
Install a heat exchanger along the drying
process to recycle energy from steam emitted
during the drying process.
Investigate the possibility of utilising bio diesel
for load-alls.

Project Description
Arramara Teoranta, Cill Chiarin,
Conamara, Co. na Gaillimhe.
Arramara Teoranta is a semi-state body with
dars na Gaeltachta. (Irish Government)
holding 100% of company shares since 2006. In
2004 the Irish Government held 82% of
company shares, ISP Alginates, one of the
worlds major alginate companies, owned the
other 18% with plants in Scotland and
California.
The company was founded in 1947 to utilise the
large resource of seaweed along the west coast
of Ireland. The production facility is based in
Kilkieran, Connemara. Arramara initially
supplied seaweed meal to the alginate industry,
but the increase in demand for seaweed meal in
recent years has opened markets in the
agriculture, horticulture and cosmetic industries.
The company produces different grades of
seaweed meal used for animal fodder, fish &
shrimp feed, fertiliser, cosmetic and bodycare
product ingredients as well as for alginate
processing. At present it is the only sizeable
primary seaweed drying/processing company
remaining in Ireland and thus provides valuable
employment to some 2-300 seaweed harvesters
in coastal communities of the mid western
seaboard. Annual turnover is the region of
3million.

Aim of this Project

While the project was originally envisaged as a
small scale environmental review, as the project
progressed the company expanded their scope
to:
Investigate methods of removing as much
water as possible from seaweed prior to
drying this would allow for drying at lower
temperatures thus saving fuel and improving
production throughput.
Install a system for grinding uniform seaweed
particles prior to drying thus ensuring uniform
drying time.
Replace existing coal fuelled dryers with one
dryer capable of more production throughout
thus saving fuel/energy.

Arramara Teoranta dry and mill approximately

20,000 fresh tonnes of the brown wrack
Ascophyllum nodosum to produce 5000 tonnes
of meal annually. Coal slack is a low cost, nonrenewable energy resource and 2,160 tonnes are
used per annum. Wastewater from the washing
process drains straight back to the sea. In the
coal fired system there is no heat recovery/heat
transfer systems for the kilns (which operate at
400-500C) or the connected rotary dryers. Coal
slack residue is evident in the environs of the
factory and adjacent Kilkieran harbour.
Alternative clean drying technologies to produce
100-150 tonnes of meal per week were
investigated. These systems will be operating at
vastly reduced drying temperatures, to preserve
nutrition, with beneficial spin offs in terms of a
lower energy cost and environmental impact.

Ascophyllum nodosum

Ascophyllum nodosum grows in abundance

along the west coast of Ireland. The seaweed is
harvested at low tide, when the shore is most
exposed. Ascophyllum attaches itself to rocks on
the seashore, and is hand harvested using a
sharp knife or sickle. Care is taken not to cut the
entire plant, allowing 8 inches (approx.) to
remain attached to the rock. Harvesting is
carried out in strict rotation to allow the
Ascophyllum plant to re-generate. The harvester
then collects the seaweed into bales or
cleimins, and attaches ropes around each bail.
A load of seaweed may contain 5 to 6 bails of
seaweed, with each bail consisting of 2-3 tons.
Each bail is towed into a collection point (slipway
or pier) where it is inspected by a resource team,
before a delivery docket is issued to the
harvester by the Resource Manager. The
seaweed is collected within 1-2 days, and
delivered to the factory for weighing and further
inspection. In the existing process the raw weed
is washed, minced before drying in two rotary
dryers heated by coal slack fired kilns, giving a

capacity to produce 100 tonnes of seaweed

meal per week. Trial work on dewatering
equipment was carried out on-site. Testing of
new drying technology has not been possible
due to unavailable capital funds in the interim
as a result of over-runs on the building/civil
works budget.

To address this pressing issue, a replacement

drying process would be envisaged, using
temperatures less than 100C to prevent
degradation of nutrients by isomerisation and
oxidation. Seaweed drying at low temperatures
is practised by some companies in competition
with Arramara giving them a commercial edge.
This will also result in a reduction in CO2
emissions.

Cleaner Greener Production Programme

The Cleaner Greener Production Programme
(CGPP) of the EPA was funded under the
National Development Plan 2000 2006. The
CGPP was launched in 2001 as a grant
scheme to Irish organisations to implement
cleaner greener practices while achieving
significant cost savings.
Cleaner Greener Production is the application
of integrated preventive environmental
strategies to processes, products and services
to increase overall efficiency and reduce risks
to humans and the environment.
Production processes: conserving raw
materials and energy, eliminating toxic raw
materials, and reducing the quantity and
toxicity of all emissions and wastes
Products: reducing negative impacts along
the life cycle of a product, from raw
materials extraction to its ultimate disposal.

Raw material in the wash plant

Achievements
The entire factory building was modernised to
allow for installation of new production
dewatering and drying equipment. Propane is
the fuel of choice, on the basis that natural gas
cannot be stored on site. It is the companys
intention to replace propane with methane
should the company be successful in
generating methane from sustainable means.
Three manufacturing companies have been
approached for prices for drying systems based
on a specification provided by Arramara. A
water removal centrifuge and a new grinder (to
provide uniform product pre drying) must be in
place before the new dryer. Also, a new feed
hopper and mezzanine floor must be installed
before production begins on the new dryer. In
essence, a new production line must be
designed and installed before production using
the new dryer begins. This essentially means
that there will be an element of downtime for
the company before the new dryer is installed,
which should not prove to be too much of a
problem, as the new dryer has 3 times more
capacity than both existing dryers combined.
Currently an evaluation of a propane-based
heating system to fire the existing driers is
underway.

Observations
Modernisation of the drying process to
embrace cleaner, efficient, drying technologies
using sustainable fuels and/or processes, with
the aim of reducing environmental impact,
drying costs and improving efficiency while
maintaining current production levels was long
overdue. Such benefits will help Arramara
maintain its position in a competitive global
market.
Alternative drying technologies using lower
temperature will achieve energy savings and
most importantly will improve the nutritional
quality of seaweed meal. Such a change is
timely, given that new markets for seaweed
meal in nutraceutical and bodycare
applications demand a seaweed meal product
with minimal losses of nutritional integrity (i.e.
vitamins) during the industrial drying process.

The civil works near completion

Lessons
Arramara Teoranta is unique in that it is the
only sizeable seaweed processing company in
Ireland. Nevertheless, it has in common with
agriculture, forestry, and food processing, the
shared requirements for drying significant
biomasses of natural material (in this case
seaweed). Therefore, an identification of more
eco-efficient drying processes could be relevant
to the agricultural, forestry and aquaculture
sectors. In other aspects the challenge for
companies to embrace change of ethos to
cleaner production is the same, whatever the
activity, and thus the experience could be of
general relevant to unrelated industries located
in rural areas.

More Information
For more information on this project please
contact:
Donal Hickey,
Arramara Teoranta, Cill Chiarin,
Conamara, Co. na Gaillimhe, ire.
email. dhickey@arramara.ie
tel.
00 353 (0) 95 33404
00 353 (0) 95 33417
fax.
00 353 (0) 95 33494

Services: incorporating environmental

concerns into designing and delivering
services.
The programme aims are focussed on avoiding
and preventing adverse environmental impact
rather than treating or cleaning up afterwards.
This approach brings better economic and
environmental efficiency.
Under Phase 2 of CGPP, 22 organisations were
funded from a variety of sectors (e.g.
chemicals, food, metals, electronics, service).
The total achievements from the projects for
the participating organisations included
annual reductions of 250,000 tonnes in
input/output streams (water/waste water),
660 MWh energy reduction and 1.6m cost
savings.
The programme will continue to be funded by
the EPA in the NDP 2007-2013.
This case study report is one of the reports
available from the companies that
participated in the second phase of the
Cleaner Greener Production Programme.
A summary of all the projects and CD
containing all the reports are also
available.
More information on the programme is
available from the EPA:
Ms. Lisa Sheils or Dr Brian Donlon,
Environmental Protection Agency,
Richview, Clonskeagh Rd., Dublin 14, Ireland.
www.epa.ie/researchandeducation/research/

Programme Managers...
The Clean Technology Centre (CTC) at Cork
Institute of Technology was appointed to
manage the programme. Established in 1991,
the CTC is now nationally and internationally
regarded as a centre of excellence in cleaner
production, environmental management and
eco-innovation across a range of industrial
sectors.