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Students have created the first eco-friendly surfboard
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Almost every professional surfer notes that they have a special connection with the ocean that not everyone is given the opportunity to experience. They get real pleasure from riding the waves and should, in turn, take care of the ocean. However, the boards that surfers use are made of petroleum-based plastic and this does not benefit the ecological situation in the ocean.
Students from San Diego decided it was time to change the situation and started developing a surfboard that would not harm the ocean. The idea to create an environmentally friendly surfboard was born in the young people about six months ago. A group of students developing biofuel from algae suggested that a group of student chemists combine their knowledge and efforts and create a new core for the board. Today, all surfboards are made of polyurethane, which is based on oil. The head of the new project was a professor at the University of San Diego, a doctor of biology and an expert in genetics, Stephen Mayfield. He explained that oil is essentially algae oil, which is more than 300 million years old.
Instead of using pure oil in the process of making polyurethane, the young people decided to use high-quality algae oil. To achieve their goals, they decided to involve the company Solazyme, which is known for its biotechnological achievements, in the project. The head of the company agreed to provide the young people with about 4 liters of high-quality algae oil for research.
The group then approached the world's largest surfboard core manufacturer, Arctic Foam, who agreed to make polyurethane foam using algae oil. The result was the world's first ocean-safe surfboard made from common algae.
In appearance, it is impossible to distinguish a surfboard made from algae from regular surfboards made from oil. As the researchers note, this result was achieved due to the fact that algae oil resembles soybean or safflower oil in its properties.
Solazyme CFO Tyler Painter said the unusual surfboard creation process was a first and shining example of what can be done with oils and how different materials interact. He also noted that it was extremely exciting to watch not only the process of creating an eco-friendly surfboard, but also to see professional surfers glide on such boards through the ocean waves.
At this stage, the group of students and their leader have no plans to produce such surfboards on a large scale. However, Tyler Painter believes that eco-friendly surfboards could become a worthy competitor to other boards in this market. But before that, Arctic Foam plans to give all the surfboards made from algae oil to professional surfers, who will test their durability in the near future.