{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}} {{Infobox company | name = Sea6 Energy Private Ltd. | logo = Sea6 Energy.svg | type = Private | industry = Biofuel | foundation = Chennai, India, {{Start date|2010|7}}<ref name="BioSpectrum">{{cite news | last = Singh | first = Nandita |author2=Vipul Murarka | title =Tapping the ocean to meet fuel demand | publisher = BioSpectrum | date =22 March 2012 | url =http://www.biospectrumasia.com/biospectrum/news/734/tapping-ocean-meet-fuel-demand/page/2?WT.rss_a=tapping+the+ocean+to+meet+fuel+demand&WT.rss_f=home#.U12hK1chtHs |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140429032220/http://www.biospectrumasia.com/biospectrum/news/734/tapping-ocean-meet-fuel-demand/page/2?WT.rss_a=tapping+the+ocean+to+meet+fuel+demand&WT.rss_f=home%23.U18a233LfK5 |archive-date=29 April 2014 | access-date = 25 April 2014 }}</ref> | founder = Nelson Vadassery<br />Sowmya Balendiran<br />Sailaja Nori<br />Shrikumar Suryanarayan Sayash Kumar | location_city = Bangalore<ref name="TheEconomicTimes02"/> | location_country = India | key_people = | products = Bioplastics, Biostimulants, Food ingredients and Biofuel | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | website = {{URL|http://www.sea6energy.com/}} }}
'''Sea6 Energy''' is a seaweed company based in Bangalore, India<ref name="TheEconomicTimes02">{{cite news | last = Abrar | first = Peerzada | title =How lifesciences startups are turning futuristic ideas into successful business ventures | publisher = The Economic Times | date =31 January 2014 | url =http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-01-31/news/46870462_1_startups-ranjan-pai-aarin-capital |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140417045929/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-01-31/news/46870462_1_startups-ranjan-pai-aarin-capital |archive-date=17 April 2014 | access-date = 25 April 2014 }}</ref> that focuses on cultivating and processing tropical seaweed species.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Livemint|date=2021-07-21|title=Ocean farming startup Sea6 Energy raises $9 million in funding|url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/ocean-farming-startup-sea6-energy-raises-9-million-in-funding-11626855767386.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=mint|language=en}}</ref> The company has developed a proprietary cultivation mechanism called the SeaCombine, which can simultaneously harvest and replant seaweed in deep ocean waters, enabling cost-competitive production at scale. The company has also developed proprietary technologies to convert fresh seaweed into environmentally friendly products for a range of industries including agriculture, animal health, food ingredients, bioplastics and renewable chemicals.<ref name=":0" /> In 2012, Sea6 Energy was given the title of "Emerging Company of the Year" by the Government of Karnataka.<ref name="Karnataka">{{cite news | last = Vaidya | first = Manasi |author2=Saptarshi Chaudhuri |author3=Uma Kelath |author4=Vipul Merarka | title =Minds meet to fuel India's bioeconomy | publisher = BioSpectrum | date =8 March 2012 | url =http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/news/157829/minds-meet-fuel-indias-bioeconomy |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140429032309/http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/news/157829/minds-meet-fuel-indias-bioeconomy |archive-date=29 April 2014 | access-date = 26 April 2014 }}</ref>
==Company history==
As students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) in 2008, the company's four founders—Nelson Vadassery, Sailaja Nori, Sowmya Balendiran, and Sayash Kumar—sought out the help of their professor, Shrikumar Suryanarayan, to aid in entering the iGEM competition hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<ref name="TheEconomicTimes">{{cite news|last=Pulakkat|first=Hari|date=28 July 2011|title=How Chennai startup is using seaweed to drive India's biofuel thrust|publisher=The Economic Times|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-28/news/29824733_1_biofuels-seaweed-renewable-energy |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140417045913/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-28/news/29824733_1_biofuels-seaweed-renewable-energy |archive-date=17 April 2014 |access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref> Suryanarayan, now the Managing Director of Sea6 Energy, helped the students enter their project in the competition and spurred their interest in the biofuel industry.<ref name="TheEconomicTimes"/> Suryanarayan had also previously worked at the Indian biotechnology company, Biocon, where his own interest in studying seaweed as a biofuel was piqued.<ref name="IndiaRealTime">{{cite news | last = Mukherji | first = Biman | title =The Power of Seaweed | publisher = India Realtime via The Wall Street Journal | date =1 October 2012 | url =https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/10/01/indian-company-chases-seaweed-power/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140429033708/http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/10/01/indian-company-chases-seaweed-power/ |archive-date=29 April 2014 | access-date = 25 April 2014 }}</ref>
The company was founded in July 2010 with funding from a few IIT Madras alumni, Suryanarayan, the Indian Department of Biotechnology, and other investors.<ref name="IndiaRealTime"/> The company began operation in Chennai, using laboratories and equipment provided by IIT Madras.<ref name="BioSpectrum"/> The company would later move to their current location in Bangalore to take advantage of facilities and instrumentation at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP),<ref name="CCAMPIncubation">{{cite web |url=http://www.ccamp.res.in/incubation |title=Incubation at C-CAMP |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=www.ccamp.res.in |publisher=C-CAMP |access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref> a company co-founded by Shrikumar Suryanarayan.<ref name="BioSpectrum02">{{cite news | last = Gunashekar | first = Raj | title =We are not a risk-loving country | publisher = BioSpectrum | date =14 February 2014 | url =http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/news/209055/-we-risk-loving-country/page/1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140429033704/http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/news/209055/-we-risk-loving-country/page/1 |archive-date=29 April 2014 | access-date = 26 April 2014 }}</ref>
On 31 January 2012, Sea6 Energy signed a deal with Danish biotech company, Novozymes.<ref name="ForbesIndia">{{cite news | last = Singh | first = Seema | title =Bold and Beautiful: Turning Seaweed into Biofuels | publisher = Forbes India | date =31 January 2012 | url =http://forbesindia.com/blog/technology/bold-and-beautiful-turning-seaweed-into-biofuels/ | access-date = 26 April 2014 }}</ref> The goal of the partnership is to facilitate the conversion of seaweed carbohydrates into sugars that can be used to produce ethanol.<ref name="BiofuelsProduction">{{cite book | last =Babu | first =Vikash |author2=Ashish Thapliyal |author3=Girijesh Kumar Patel | title =Biofuels Production | publisher =Wiley-Scrivener | edition = 1 | date =2013 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iezBAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Sea6+Energy%22&pg=PT155 | isbn =978-1118634509 }}</ref>
== Research and development == Traditionally, algal-based biofuels have been derived from microalgae that grow in fresh water sources.<ref name="TheEconomicTimes"/> Shrikumar Suryanarayan and the 4 co-founders sought to research the viability of macroalgae (seaweed) as a fuel source.<ref name="BioSpectrum"/> To do this, they needed a way to efficiently farm the seaweed, which led to the creation of a farming system built from a marine plastics polymer.<ref name="BioSpectrum"/> Sea6 Energy successfully applied for a patent for their aquatic farming structure in 2012 (one of their two patents that has been published).<ref name="GooglePatent">{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=pts&q=sea6+energy |title=Sea6 Energy |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=www.google.com |access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref>
Sea6 Energy has successfully converted red seaweed into ethanol<ref name="IndiaRealTime"/> and natural gas<ref name="TheEconomicTimes02"/> in their labs. They believe that seaweed can replace fossil fuels and other types of green fuels in a way that is both sustainable and good for the environment.<ref name="IndiaRealTime"/> The current goal of Sea6 Energy (along with their partner, Novozymes) is to find an enzyme that breaks down red seaweed carbohydrate into monosaccharides more efficiently.<ref name="BioSpectrum"/> These monosaccharides must undergo fermentation in order to be converted into ethanol.<ref name="IndiaRealTime"/>
==References==
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==External links== * [http://www.sea6energy.com/ Sea6 Energy Official Website]
Category:Companies based in Chennai Category:Biofuel in India Category:2010 establishments in Tamil Nadu Category:Indian companies established in 2010 Category:Energy companies established in 2010