Search

The world production of marine macroalgae, or seaweed, has more than tripled since the turn of the millennium, increasing from 10.6 million tonnes in 2000 to 32.4 million tonnes in 2018. Increased cultivation and utilization of seaweed are expected to be important pillars of sustainable food security and a robust aquatic economy in the coming years. It is important, therefore, to consider the food safety implications of (increased) seaweed use for food. Many factors can affect the presence of hazards in seaweed, including: the type of seaweed, its physiology, the season in which it is produced, production waters, harvesting methods and processing. Several hazards such as heavy metals and marine biotoxins have been reported to be (potentially) associated with seaweed. However, legislation and guidance documents on the production and utilization of seaweed are generally still lacking. FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) have therefore developed this report to identify food safety hazards (microbiological, chemical and physical) linked to the consumption of seaweed and aquatic plants. The present analysis could therefore provide a basis for undertaking further work in this area. Moreover, both FAO and WHO believe that there would be a value in developing relevant Codex guidance on this subject.

Microalgae have gained significant importance in biotechnology development, providing valuable goods and services in multiple applications. Although there is a rising market for most of these applications, the incorporation and introduction of microalgae into new venues will extend in the near future. These advances are due to the vast biodiversity of microalgal species, recent genetic engineering tools, and culture techniques. There are three main possible approaches for novel algal compounds from: (1) recently isolated yet less known microalgae; (2) selectively stressed conditions; and (3) enzymatically adjusted compounds from conventional molecules. All these approaches can be combined in a specific manner. This review discusses the opportunities, potential and limitations of introducing novel microalgae-based products, and how the recent technologies can be deployed to make these products financially viable. To give an outlook to the future, an analysis of the developments and predicted future market that further enlarge the promise of cultivating microalgae for commercial purposes are considered.

The bioeconomy is a new and essential paradigm for reducing our dependence on natural resources and responding to the environmental threats that the Earth is currently facing. In this regard, microalgae offer almost unlimited possibilities for developing a modern bioeconomy given their metabolic flexibility and high biomass output rates, even when produced under harsh conditions, such as when treating wastewaters or using flue gases. In this article, the microalgal contribution to important economic activities such as the production of food and feed, cosmetics and health-related compounds is reviewed. Moreover, potential contributions of microalgae to emerging sectors are discussed, as in the production of biomaterials, agriculture-related products, biofuels and provision of services such as wastewater treatment and the clean-up of industrial gases. The different microalgal production technologies have also been analyzed to identify the main bottlenecks affecting microalgal use in different applications. Finally, the major challenges facing microalgal biotechnology in enlarging its contribution to the bioeconomy are evaluated, and future trends discussed. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This work aims to evaluate the carbon footprint (CF) of microalgae production in a closed pilot-scale multi-tubular photobioreactor (PBR), on a gate-to-gate approach. Primary data from real production conditions complemented with data from the literature and life cycle inventory databases was used. The carbon embedded in the PBR’s construction materials and nutrients necessary for the microalgae growth were considered. A global CF of 68.34 kg CO2-eq/kg dry biomass was obtained. A CF of 1.72 kg CO2-eq/kg dry biomass was calculated for the PBR construction stage, contributing to 3 % of the overall value. For 74 kg of dry biomass/year produced with this PBR, the CF for this stage was 66.62 kg CO2-eq/kg dry biomass, corresponding to 97 % of the total global CF. In this study, electricity production for the reactor operation is the major contributor (79 %) to the overall CF, followed by the production of nutrients used to prepare the culture medium (21 %). CO2 fixation by microalgae reduces the global value by 3 %.

The Stop Musical Center became in three decades the largest community of musicians in Portugal, a phenomenon that has been studied at a national level. However, despite the cluster that was formed in this space, there have been no visible actions to promote Stop and boost the growth of the musicians installed there. It is therefore relevant to analyze this phenomenon in terms of existing cooperation relationships and the possibility of creating collective actions with positive impact on unorganized creative clusters. To this end, we have used the theory of industrial networks and cooperative relations, which have been the object of study by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group.This case study is a descriptive investigation that analyzes the groups: bands and musicians; production studios; locations; and other relevant actors. Semi-structured interviews were used in a representative sample of the reality in question. In the conclusions we suggested collective actions for the growth and promotion of Stop as a musical center and similar creative networks, based on the work developed., O Centro Musical Stop tornou-se em três décadas a maior comunidade de músicos em Portugal, um fenómeno que tem vindo a ser estudado a nível nacional. No entanto, apesar do cluster que se formou neste espaço, não têm existido ações visíveis para promover o Stop e potencializar o crescimento dos músicos ali instalados.Torna-se, assim, relevante analisar este fenómeno ao nível das relações de cooperação existentes e da possibilidade de criação de ações coletivas com impacto positivo em clusters criativos não organizados. Para isso, recorreu-se à teoria das redes industriais e relações de cooperação, que têm sido objeto de estudo pelo Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group.Este estudo de caso é uma investigação descritiva, que analisa os grupos: bandas e músicos; estúdios de produção; locais de atuação; e outros atores relevantes. Utilizaram-se entrevistas semiestruturadas numa amostra representativa da realidade em apreço.Nas conclusões são sugeridas ações coletivas para o crescimento e promoção do Stop como centro musical e de redes criativas semelhantes, com base no trabalho desenvolvido.

This work aims to evaluate the water footprint of microalgae cultivation in a closed pilot-scale multi-tubular photobioreactor, taking into account the life cycle stages of reactor construction and its operation for microalgae cultivation, on a gate-to-gate approach. The data was obtained from real production conditions complemented with data from the literature and life cycle inventory databases. Results indicate that the total water footprint lies in the range of 2.4-6.8 m3/kg dry biomass, being the PBR operation stage responsible for the largest contribution (> 60 %), mainly due to water consumption associated to electricity and nutrients production for the PBR operation.

Fuel-only algal systems are not economically feasible because yields are too low and costs too high for producing microalgal biomass compared to using agricultural residues e.g. straw. Biorefineries which integrate biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power and chemicals from biomass, offer a solution. The CO2 microalgae biorefinery (D-Factory) is a 10 million Euro FP7-funded project which will cultivate the microalga Dunaliella in highly saline non-potable waters in photobioreactors and open raceways and apply biorefinery concepts and European innovations in biomass processing technologies to develop a basket of compounds from Dunaliella biomass, including the high value nutraceutical, β-carotene, and glycerol. Glycerol now finds markets both as a green chemical intermediate and as a biofuel in CHP applications as a result of novel combustion technology. Driving down costs by recovering the entire biomass of Dunaliella cells from saline cultivation water poses one of the many challenges for the D-Factory because Dunaliella cells are both motile, and do not possess an external cell wall, making them highly susceptible to cell rupture. Controlling expression of desired metabolic pathways to deliver the desired portfolio of compounds flexibly and sustainably to meet market demand is another. The first prototype D-Factory in Europe will be operational in 48 months, and will serve as a robust manifestation of the business case for global investment in algae biorefineries and in large-scale production of microalgae.