Comparative environmental assessment of valorization strategies of the invasive macroalgae Sargassum muticum.
The invasive brown seaweed Sargassum muticum (Yendo) exhibits a significant content of phenolic compounds, polysaccharides and fucoxanthin, with potential biological activities. In this study, four valorization strategies for S. muticum biomass were compared under a life cycle perspective. Depending on the alternative, three products were obtained: sodium alginate, antioxidant extract and fucoxanthin-containing extract. Regardless of the approach, the combined extraction of alginate and antioxidant from wet algae constituted the most efficient scenario. Among the stages, supercritical extraction of fucoxanthin and non-isothermal autohydrolysis were identified as the major environmental burdens due to electricity consumption. Although changes in product distribution fairly affected the environmental impacts of the scenarios, the single extraction of antioxidant fraction and the integral valorization to obtain fucoxanthin, alginate and antioxidant were only competitive when considering a functional unit based on the value of the products through an economic allocation approach instead of the amount of valorized algae.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address: paula.perez@usc.es.
Paula
P
Pérez-López
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain.
Elena M
EM
Balboa
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Sara
S
González-García
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain.
Herminia
H
Domínguez
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Gumersindo
G
Feijoo
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
M Teresa
MT
Moreira
D000464:Alginates / Q000191:economics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000191:economics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018533:Biomass; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000191:economics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000191:economics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058865:Introduced Species / Q000191:economics*; D044647:Sargassum / Q000737:chemistry*; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000191:economics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D000464:Alginates; D000975:Antioxidants; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D024341:Xanthophylls; C025164:fucoxanthin; D020723:Glucuronic Acid
Alginate; Antioxidant; Fucoxanthin; Invasive macroalgae; Life cycle assessment