Title:
Life Cycle Assessment of Furcellaria Lumbricalis Biostimulant Production: Towards Circular Bioeconomy in the Baltic Sea Region
Author(s):
Skapste, I., Balina, K., Žaimis, U., Grinberga-Zalite, G., Zvirbule, A.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The research uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to analyze the environmental impact of producing Furcellaria lumbricalis biostimulants on a cradle-to-gate. One liter of liquid biostimulant was defined as the functional unit, and the system boundaries included four main steps: seaweed collection, transport, anaerobic digestion, and biostimulant extraction. Using an economic allocation method based on market values, the study found that 74.6% of the environmental impact is associated with biogas and 25.4% with digestate. Normalized results indicate the most significant environmental impacts are related to climate change (6.0 µPt), freshwater ecotoxicity (5.9 µPt), and fossil resource use (4.1 µPt). Analysis of environmental hotspots revealed that heating the bioreactor with electricity accounts for 73% of the total environmental impact and composting the solid digestate fraction accounts for 24%. These results align with those of other LCAs on anaerobic digestion, in which energy consumption dominates other environmental factors. The research identifies several optimization options, including switching to renewable energy sources, digestate valorization, and seaweed pretreatment. The results suggest that producing Furcellaria lumbricalis biostimulants is a promising option for developing a circular bioeconomy in the Baltic Sea region.
Keywords:
biogas, macroalgae, digestate, environmental impact, biobased products
Topic:
Sustainability, Impacts, Policies and Systems Analysis
Subtopic:
Environmental impacts
Event:
33rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
2AV.3.17
Pages:
317 - 321
ISBN:
978-88-89407-25-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/33rdEUBCE2025-2AV.3.17
Price:
FREE
