The process by which pulp is produced from seaweed is far more environmentally friendly than the process of making wood pulp. “You save on energy and the use of chemicals,” Phang said. “For wood pulp, you need to cook it at 180°C for eight hours, and you need to add sodium hydroxide. To get pulp from red seaweed, you only need to cook it at 100°C for two hours, and you use only water. The reason is that the seaweed has no lignin.