Speaker

About the speaker: 

Mathilda D’Silva is the Founder & CEO of Ocean Purpose Project, a Singapore-based blue economy social enterprise pioneering plastic-to-hydrogen systems, seaweed and mussel bioremediation, and blue carbon methodologies. She has spoken at BEFF Monaco, GITEX Asia, GITEX AFRICA, Oceanovation Hague, COP27 Egypt (Energy Day, Singapore Pavilion), the UN Ocean Conference twice and G20 Indonesia. Her team has contributed to Verra-aligned plastic and seaweed carbon methodologies and led coastal pilots filtering 14.7 million tonnes of seawater in 2023 through nature-based biofiltration systems.

A GRI-certified sustainability professional and Climate KIC coach, Mathilda works at the intersection of Blue Economy, regenerative aquaculture and community-driven climate solutions across Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Company info:

Ocean Purpose Project (OPP) is an award-winning Singapore-registered social enterprise founded in 2020 focused on regenerative blue economy solutions. OPP develops integrated coastal resilience systems combining:

• Seaweed and mussel bioremediation
• Plastic-to-hydrogen conversion
• Blue carbon and circular carbon methodologies
• Community-based coastal stewardship

OPP’s bioremediation projects have deployed seaweed and mussel lines in eutrophic coastal waters to remove excess nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, ammonia) while generating biomass for biostimulants and bio-based materials. The organisation collaborates with universities (NTU, NUS, James Cook University), government agencies and private sector partners to develop scalable, data-backed climate solutions in Southeast Asia.

Presentation:

Project Tanah Air is a data-driven, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) model designed to restore coastal ecosystems while generating measurable blue carbon and circular economy outputs.

The presentation will cover:

• Deployment of seaweed and mussel bio-barriers to improve water quality in nutrient-loaded coastal zones
• Quantified seawater filtration (14.7 million tonnes in 2023 pilot phase)
• Nutrient uptake performance (nitrate, phosphate and ammonia reduction trends)
• Development of blue carbon and co-benefit metrics aligned with emerging carbon standards
• Conversion of harvested biomass into agricultural biostimulants, closing the land-sea nutrient loop
• Integration of real-time biosensing technologies for water quality monitoring

Project Tanah Air demonstrates how regenerative aquaculture can move beyond food production to become a climate mitigation, water remediation and carbon monetisation platform — particularly relevant for Southeast Asia’s rapidly urbanising coastlines.