The objective of MANATI is to establish seagrass—primarily Zostera marina—as a raw material source for industrial applications beyond its traditional use as an insulation material. The development goal is seagrass-based, panel-shaped semi-finished products, with the option of subsequent thermoforming into three-dimensional geometries. Both thermoplastic binders and aqueous, latent-reactive epoxy resin dispersions are envisaged. The latter enable the production of B-stage preforms that are initially thermoformable under heat, but subsequently cure to form a thermoset network. This hybrid approach—combining thermoplastic and thermoset-based concepts—is expected to provide a broad property profile, including adjustable stiffness and strength, enhanced moisture and aging stability, and reliable industrial processability, for example through pressing or forming operations. This opens up diverse opportunities for the economically viable manufacture of complex components based on a largely underutilized marine raw material.
As seagrass meadows themselves constitute highly relevant ecosystems and function as significant carbon sinks, capable of absorbing and long-term storing substantial amounts of carbon (“blue carbon”), only naturally washed-up biomass derived from coastal maintenance and cleaning operations will be utilized; the harvesting of living stands is explicitly excluded. At the same time, material-based utilization can prolong the retention of carbon stored in the plant biomass within a material cycle, thereby preventing its immediate release as CO₂. On this basis, a bio-based marine material with a clear application- and sustainability-driven focus is to be developed that simultaneously meets demanding requirements in terms of mechanical performance, durability, and industrial processability. A key aspect is not to consider ecological arguments in isolation, but to substantiate them with robust technical performance data.

Potential Research Areas

Seagrass
• Investigation of variable seagrass qualities to enable a realistic assessment of the raw material base in Japan and Germany
• Leave processing, including surface cleaning and activation
• Investigation of delignification potential
• Potential use of ground seagrass as an additive

Process Engineering
• Impregnation strategies
• Hot-pressing parameters
• Thermoforming
• Processing parameters, forming limits, potentially BMC vs. SMC
• Material and joining concepts

Materials Testing
• Physical and mechanical properties
• Failure mechanisms
• Hygrothermal aging behavior
• Dimensional stability
• Emission behavior
• Fire performance
• Comparison with established material systems such as wood fiberboards

Environmental Assessment
• Life cycle assessment (LCA)
• Recycling approaches

Component Development
• Country-specific end-use application

The Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI is a research institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, located in Braunschweig, Germany. It focuses on the research and development of materials and technologies based on wood and other bio-based resources.

Its key areas of work include sustainable construction materials, wood-based products, recycling, and environmental as well as emission analysis. The institute aims to develop resource-efficient alternatives to fossil-based materials and to strengthen the circular economy.

The institute collaborates closely with industry, government, and academia, helping companies bring innovative and sustainable products to market.