Disrupting Seaweed Processing for a Waste-Free Future
2025-08-19
The team of Green Cell Technologies®
When it comes to processing seaweed, efficiency matters. Yet in many parts of the world, modern farming innovation is held back by outdated processing methods. Green Cell Technologies®, a global technology innovation company headquartered in the Isle of Man with a Centre of Excellence in Cape Town, South Africa, is changing that.
Their patented Disruptor® Technology and Dynamic Cellular Disruption (DCD®) process transforms how raw materials, like seaweed, are processed. This results in higher yields, zero waste, and products with higher potency and quality.
From Gold Mines to Blue Seas
The GCT story began far away from the ocean and the depths of the earth. Founders Roy Henderson and Jan Vlok first developed their technology while working on nutrition solutions for immune-compromised miners in the South African gold industry. A challenge sourcing certain plant extracts with extremely high costs led them to invent a more efficient extraction method – and the Disruptor® was born.
Initially applied in nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical markets, the technology quickly proved valuable across multiple sectors, from food and beverage to agrochemicals and biomaterials. Today, GCT holds patents in more than 50 countries around the globe.
Bridging the Seaweed Gap
Roy’s insight into the seaweed industry is clear:
“There’s so much innovation in seaweed farming and end-products, but efficient processing is the missing link.”
Traditional seaweed processing often extracts only part of the plant’s value, leaving up to 50% as waste. GCT’s Disruptor® can break down the entire plant – cell walls and all – so 100% of the biomass can be used. This means more chemistry, more potency, less waste – and a more sustainable production chain, as the technology is mechanical not reliant on chemicals or denaturing heat.
Results with disruptor technology applied to kelp and oranges
The company has already worked with seaweed processors in Scotland, Canada, England, New Zealand, Mexico, Chile, and South Africa. In South Africa alone, GCT has processed 30–40-ton batches several times a year over a six-year period, for a client now looking to install their own Disruptor® system, focused on biostimulant production.
Scaling for All Sizes
One challenge in the industry is scale. GCT offers large-capacity machines that can run from two tonnes per hour, 24 hours a day and upwards, which is perfect for major producers. But they also see the potential for co-operative processing hubs, where smaller farmers can access top-tier processing without owning a full system themselves.
The Disruptor®
This co-operative vision of GCT’s aligns closely with North Sea Farmers’ own AlgaeVALOR project exploring valorisation of seaweed side streams and transforming them into new opportunities like paints, construction panels, and other materials.
A proven solution
GCT’s technology is far from experimental, it’s proven. It has already scaled with large companies such as Brazil’s Evera, by Citrosuco, the world’s largest orange juice producer. Whether for seaweed, fruit, meat, or other biomass, the principle remains: process it right from the start, and every downstream step improves.
In Roy Henderson’s words: “If you’re not talking to us, you’re using old equipment.”
Connect with Green Cell Technologies
Green Cell Technologies joined North Sea Farmers in 2023 after taking part in a Brave New Food challenge. Since then, they’ve been eager to engage with the North Sea Farmers community.
If you’re in seaweed farming, processing, or product development and you want higher yields, zero waste, and premium outputs, now’s the time to talk to them. Green Cell Technologies will be present at the coming North Sea Seaweed 2025 event, where we move from promise to business.
🔗 Website: greencelltechnologies.com
▶ Watch the Disruptor in action:
