SA start-up SeaH4 has won the Climate Launchpad Global Grand Final 2025 competition, out of 2,700 applications from 40 countries.
SeaH4 develops an algae-based replacement for fossil fuels, addressing the decarbonising of marine and aviation transport — among the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The fuel is designed to power vessels within carbon-neutral fleets and can be adapted for any combustion engine.
The innovative idea netted the Cape-based company the €10,000 (R200,000) top prize awarded by the Bank of America and Irish aid. The competition seeks to aid early-stage climate innovators in the clean energy, food systems, circular economy, blue economy, sustainable mobility, urban solutions, adaptation and resilience, and emerging innovations categories.
The runner-up, Chaja from Tanzania, develops affordable electric motorcycles while third-placed OneFly from Colombia converts organic waste into insect protein.
Founder, engineer and project manager at SeaH4, Johannes Bochdalofsky, explained that they produced a number of biogas fuels from seaweed, including methane that could be adopted for the automotive, marine and aviation fuel sectors.
The compressed natural gas (CNG) by-product, which is supplied by a number of SA companies — notably CNG Holdings, Novo Energy and Egoli gas — is mostly used for natural gas-diesel dual fuel (CNG-DDF) conversion kits offered in the commercial trucking space.
The diesel engine remains standard, and an operator of a vehicle activates the diesel-gas mixture via a button inside the truck cabin to switch between the diesel-gas mixture and 100% diesel mode. The system is noted for reducing the operating fuel consumption.
Compressed natural gas is non-toxic and has been proven safe and reliable, with up to 14-million natural gas vehicles said to be operating in 80 countries. Bochdalofsky says their gas has been used in various local trials in the past 15 years in conjunction with local OEMs, and the win provides SeaH4 with international visibility, investor connections, and resources to scale their innovation.
Future plans include setting up facilities for the development of low-carbon fuels capacity in Namibia to supply tonnes of gas via pipelines. The next ClimateLaunchpad Global Grand Final will be held in Singapore in 2026.
