If they can make life hell for bathers in this summer period, they are also a little treasure for science. At first sight, it is difficult to suspect that jellyfish, these small translucent marine animals, tossed about by the tens of waves by the surf of the sea and with such painful stings, harbor physiological specificities that are very useful for the environment. Students from the Fesch high school in Ajaccio (Corse-du-Sud) were able to demonstrate this astonishingly: in recent months, they have developed a process to valorize jellyfish to make it a natural fertilizer for plants.
“Jellyfish collagen provides particularly hydrating moisture for plants,” explains Hugo Renard, student in first class STMG, science and technology of management and management. We have done experiments and the results on plant growth are amazing. For two weeks, there is no longer any need to water them, and this saves water in times of drought. This project dates back to last spring, when Anne-Charlotte Carsalade d’Ornano, professor of management at Lycée Fesch, offered her students a challenge: to create an innovative mini-company in the field of the blue economy.
The teacher has registered her class for the Euronext blue challenge European competition. “We had to invent something that benefits the environment,” she says. We thought of adding value to jellyfish by cooking them, but they are not listed in the category of consumable products in France. It would therefore have required specific authorizations, which seemed out of reach in the time allowed. »
The results quickly prove to be convincing: the hydrophilic collagen contained in these marine animals forms an effective fertilizer, composed of phosphate and potassium. After a drying time, the jellyfish, desalinated, are cut into small pieces and transformed into fertilizer at the end of a process that the high school students intend to keep confidential. The method is bearing fruit.
A high school teacher demonstrated this by comparing eggplant and tomato plants in her garden: growth is about 30% faster for those given the “magic potion” boost. The students, who won a national innovation competition and reached the Euronext final in the spring, now intend to transform the test. With the support of their teachers, they created a start-up to turn this little invention into a business. Their brand name? JellyEarth.