Cancun, Q.R. — The Quintana Roo government is moving forward with the final phase of its plan to establish the state’s first sargassum transformation centre. Oscar Rébora Aguilera, the head of the state’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (SEMA), says the first centre will be built in the Cancun Hotel Zone.

That Comprehensive Sanitation and Circular Economy Center will transform the state’s sargassum problem into a sustainable economic opportunity. He says the current projects they are working on include the issuance of carbon credits, biogas production and the development of organic fertilizers.
“Today we are ready to take the next step toward industrializing sargassum based on more than 14 months of work in a pilot plant along with studies supported by public health criteria,” Rébora Aguilera said.
In the case of carbon credits, the goal would be to certify sargassum harvesting as a greenhouse gas mitigation measure by preventing its decomposition on beaches. This measure would allow for the generation of unemitted CO₂ certificates which could be traded in voluntary or regulated markets.

“It’s an issue we have invested a lot of money in and more resources are needed because we don’t know how the following seasons will turn out. We must be clear about two things: one is that we can’t guarantee that sargassum alone will be the raw material because even if we have the fishing charter to collect it at sea, we still have to verify the fishing techniques to ensure that marine ecosystems won’t be affected. And second, we have to have an economic constant for the products generated,” he explained.
In parallel, the use of seaweed to generate biogas through biodigestion is also being considered as well as mixing it with organic waste and plant pruning, all with a circular economy vision.
The project includes the monitoring, collection, transportation and treatment of sargassum, the installation of three wastewater treatment plants in the Cancun Hotel Zone and the production of biomethane. The project will also promote the use of advanced water management technologies.

The Secretaria de Ecologia y Medio Ambiente (SEMA) said they know of more than 100 products that can be made from sargassum, however, most require studies on public health and a certification. He says for now, the state is focusing on the possibility of industrializing biogas and bioethanol.

Rébora Aguilera emphasized that two sites in Cancun have already been identified for the first Centre, which, once built, will be a benchmark for environmental innovation capable of generating green jobs, scientific knowledge and long-term sustainable solutions.