About us

SOS Carbon is a climate-tech and blue-economy company originated through research and engineering work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), focused on integral sargassum management across the Caribbean and other sargassum-affected regions.

The company was founded to address the growing environmental, economic, and social impacts of invasive sargassum through a portfolio of technologies and operational services that enable early interception, coastal protection, and responsible downstream use of the biomass. SOS Carbon’s approach prioritizes prevention before landfall, ecosystem protection, climate mitigation, and the creation of structured local employment.

A key component of this portfolio is the Littoral Collection Module (LCM), a patented, ecosystem-protective harvesting technology designed to mount on artisanal and small vessels. The LCM enables offshore and nearshore collection of sargassum before it reaches the coast and is actively deployed across multiple Caribbean locations as part of integrated coastal and marine operations.

Beyond the LCM, SOS Carbon delivers end-to-end integral sargassum management services, including offshore and nearshore harvesting strategies, sea-to-land transfer systems, logistics and storage, beach interface solutions, and environmental monitoring. These services are designed to protect coastal ecosystems, avoid shoreline disturbance, and preserve beach and reef integrity while maintaining operational efficiency at scale.

SOS Carbon works closely with coastal communities and artisanal fishermen, integrating them into formal employment through training, equipment deployment, and long-term operational roles. This model strengthens local livelihoods, builds technical capacity, and ensures that sargassum management activities generate sustained social and economic benefits alongside environmental outcomes.

The company also develops and manages sargassum supply chains, partnering with third-party processing companies and industrial users to ensure responsible handling and valorization of collected biomass. This includes close collaboration with its sister company, SOS Biotech, which leads the transformation of sargassum into bioinputs and other value-added products. Through these partnerships, SOS Carbon enables scalable processing pathways aligned with environmental compliance, industrial demand, and climate objectives.

SOS Carbon collaborates with public institutions, tourism operators, infrastructure owners, power plants, academic organizations, and processing partners to implement integral sargassum management solutions that protect marine ecosystems, reduce public health risks, safeguard tourism economies, and advance circular blue-economy value chains.

Sargassum is a floating brown macroalga naturally present in the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past decade, large-scale blooms associated with the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt have intensified due to changing ocean circulation patterns, rising sea temperatures, and increased nutrient inputs. These blooms result in recurrent mass arrivals of sargassum across the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and West Africa.

When sargassum accumulates along coastlines, it blocks sunlight and reduces oxygen availability, degrading coral reefs, seagrass beds, and essential marine habitats. This impacts fish populations, turtles, and overall coastal biodiversity.

As stranded sargassum decomposes on shore, it releases methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and posing health risks to nearby communities and visitors, particularly respiratory irritation.

Reactive beach cleanup often relies on heavy machinery, which can accelerate beach erosion, compact sand, damage dune systems, and disrupt natural coastal dynamics. These impacts increase long-term vulnerability of shorelines to storms and sea-level rise.

Proactive offshore and nearshore collection as part of an integral sargassum management strategy significantly reduces environmental damage, public health risks, cleanup costs, and shoreline degradation, while enabling responsible use of the biomass through structured supply chains.