{"title":"Prospective LCA of brown seaweed-based bioplastic: Upscaling from pilot to industrial scale","authors":"Maddalen Ayala , Neill Goosen , Leszek Michalak , Marianne Thomsen , Massimo Pizzol","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2024.11.020","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seaweed-based bioplastics are considered a possible alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics due to their potential environmental advantages. The cultivation of seaweed is a fast-growing practice that requires no arable land, freshwater, or fertilizers, perceiving it as an advantageous option for bioresource production. However, research on the environmental impacts of seaweed-based bioplastics is still limited, highlighting the need for a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate their potential. In this article, a prospective LCA is conducted to assess the environmental impacts of brown seaweed-based bioplastic production, from pilot to industrial scale. Upscaling techniques are combined for each life-cycle stage, using interviews to upscale seaweed production and process simulation for the biorefinery and film fabrication steps, and the end-of-life scenario is modelled as composting. All the processes were upscaled to 4000 tonnes (t) per year in 2030 and 2 million tonnes (Mt) per year in 2035, including marginal suppliers of brown seaweed. The results show that the production of 1 kg of brown seaweed-based bioplastic resulted in approximately 1.37 kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq. in the best-performing scenario, producing 2 Mt per year in 2035 accounting for the carbon uptake, which is lower than low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with an impact of 3.6 kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq. The impact in marine eutrophication in the 2 Mt scenario is −0.009 kg N-eq., and −0.002 kg P-eq. in freshwater eutrophication. This study provides for the first time estimates of prospective industrial-scale impacts of the emerging seaweed-based bioplastic and shows how different upscaling techniques can be successfully combined, i.e., interviews and process simulation, to conduct a prospective LCA of seaweed-based bioplastics. The results demonstrate the potential of seaweed-based bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"52 ","pages":"Pages 416-426"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550924003324","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Seaweed-based bioplastics are considered a possible alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics due to their potential environmental advantages. The cultivation of seaweed is a fast-growing practice that requires no arable land, freshwater, or fertilizers, perceiving it as an advantageous option for bioresource production. However, research on the environmental impacts of seaweed-based bioplastics is still limited, highlighting the need for a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate their potential. In this article, a prospective LCA is conducted to assess the environmental impacts of brown seaweed-based bioplastic production, from pilot to industrial scale. Upscaling techniques are combined for each life-cycle stage, using interviews to upscale seaweed production and process simulation for the biorefinery and film fabrication steps, and the end-of-life scenario is modelled as composting. All the processes were upscaled to 4000 tonnes (t) per year in 2030 and 2 million tonnes (Mt) per year in 2035, including marginal suppliers of brown seaweed. The results show that the production of 1 kg of brown seaweed-based bioplastic resulted in approximately 1.37 kg CO2-eq. in the best-performing scenario, producing 2 Mt per year in 2035 accounting for the carbon uptake, which is lower than low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with an impact of 3.6 kg CO2-eq. The impact in marine eutrophication in the 2 Mt scenario is −0.009 kg N-eq., and −0.002 kg P-eq. in freshwater eutrophication. This study provides for the first time estimates of prospective industrial-scale impacts of the emerging seaweed-based bioplastic and shows how different upscaling techniques can be successfully combined, i.e., interviews and process simulation, to conduct a prospective LCA of seaweed-based bioplastics. The results demonstrate the potential of seaweed-based bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.
期刊介绍:
Sustainable production and consumption refers to the production and utilization of goods and services in a way that benefits society, is economically viable, and has minimal environmental impact throughout its entire lifespan. Our journal is dedicated to publishing top-notch interdisciplinary research and practical studies in this emerging field. We take a distinctive approach by examining the interplay between technology, consumption patterns, and policy to identify sustainable solutions for both production and consumption systems.