Environmental sustainability of bioactive molecules from marine organisms

Abstract

Marine and freshwater ecosystems have been widely exploited throughout history as vast sources of food and valuable natural products. The diversity of aquatic organisms has led to the isolation of more than 24000 bioactive compounds with applications in strategic industries such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic sectors. Moreover, the biochemical composition and growth characteristics of microalgae and seaweeds suggest their capability to overcome some bottlenecks of the production of energy compared to terrestrial feedstocks. The potential of blue biotechnology, especially in the European context, is reflected in the increasing market and the numerous international programs and initiatives focused on the promotion of research and partnerships to empower technological advances in the field. The development of sustainable processes for the balanced exploitation of marine resources requires the use of management tools to measure the performance of the systems according to environmental and socio-economic criteria. The standardized methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is widely applied in the field of microalgal biofuels and has also been used to evaluate active ingredients. Therefore, this doctoral thesis focuses on the application of LCA methodology to analyze the environmental performance of valuable bioactive molecules and commodity products throughout the whole production chain. Key social and economic indicators have been included in the evaluation of some processes to consider a holistic perspective that takes into account all the dimensions of sustainable development.