PAPER making! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TE Volume 8, Number 3, 2022
Life cycle assessment of a seaweed-based biorefinery concept for production of food, materials, and energy ANNA EKMAN NILSSON 1 , KRISTINA BERGMAN 1 , LAURA PILAR GOMEZ BARRIO 2,3 , EDUARDA M. CABRAL 4 , BRIJESH KUMAR TIWARI 2 . Blue Economy is seen as an essential contributor to a sustainable development, and it is an important part of the EU Green Deal. Seaweed plays a key role in the Blue Economy as a source of food, feed, and feedstock for biorefineries. Today, the largest part of global seaweed production is based in Asia, but there is also a growing interest in seaweed production in Europe. However, more knowledge on the environmental impacts is needed to ensure sustainable growth of the sector. Seaweed can be used in biorefineries to produce a variety of products for food and non-food applications. The aim of this paper was to perform a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a seaweed value-chain, including seaweed cultivation and production into sodium alginate, biodegradable materials, biogas, and fertilizer in a biorefinery setting. The LCA included 19 environmental impact categories but focused on climate change. The seaweed Saccharina latissima was cultivated and processed in Ireland. Sodium alginate was then extracted by means of ultrasound-assisted extraction, a novel extraction technology. Cellulosic residues produced after the extraction were used for the production of films used as a packaging material. Residues that remain after the production of the films were sent to anaerobic digestion to achieve a no-waste concept. For seaweed cultivation, fuel use and drying of seaweed biomass were the main environmental hot spots; and for the alginate extraction process, the yield and purification after extraction were the main hot spots. Overall, the results of this paper showed that the seaweed-based biorefinery has the potential to be sustainable, but several improvements are necessary before it is competitive with land-based systems. Contact information: 1 RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Agriculture and Food, Frans Perssons väg 6, SE-402 29 Göteborg, Sweden 2 Department of Food Chemistry and Technology, Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Dublin 15, Ireland 3 School of Food Science and Environmental Health, College of Science and Health, Technological University Dublin, D07 ADY7 Dublin, Ireland 4 Department of Food Quality and Sensory Science, Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Dublin 15, Ireland.
Algal Research 65 (2022) 102725 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2022.102725 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA) is an independent organisation which operates for the general benefit of its members – both individual and corporate – dedicated to promoting and improving the technical and scientific knowledge of those working in the UK pulp and paper industry. Formed in 1960, it serves the Industry, both manufacturers and suppliers, by providing a forum for members to meet and network; it organises visits, conferences and training seminars that cover all aspects of papermaking science. It also publishes the prestigious journal Paper Technology International ® and the PITA Annual Review , both sent free to members, and a range of other technical publications which include conference proceedings and the acclaimed Essential Guide to Aqueous Coating .
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Article 5 – Algal Biorefinery
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