Introducing a Marine Biorefinery System for the Integrated Production of Biofuels, High-Value-Chemicals, and Co-Products: A Path Forward to a Sustainable Future

Abstract

Biofuels have many environmental and practical benefits as a transportation fuel. They are among the best alternatives to fossil fuels- thanks to their capacity for negative carbon emissions, which is vital for archiving the global ambition of a net-zero economy. However, conventional biofuel production takes place on inland sites and relies on freshwater and edible crops (or land suitable for edible crop production), which has led to the food versus fuel debate. It also suffers technical and economical barriers owing to the energy balance and the cost of production compared with fossil fuels. Establishing a coastal integrated marine biorefinery (CIMB) system for the simultaneous production of biofuels, high-value chemicals, and other co-products could be the ultimate solution. The proposed system is based on coastal sites and relies entirely on marine resources including seawater, marine biomass (seaweed), and marine microorganisms (marine yeasts and marine microalgae). The system does not require the use of arable land and freshwater in any part of the production chain and should be linked to offshore renewable energy sources to increase its economic feasibility and environmental value. This article aims to introduce the CIMB system as a potential vehicle for addressing the global warming issue and speeding the global effort on climate change mitigation as well as supporting the world’s water, food and energy security. I hope these perspectives serve to draw attention into research funding for this approach.

Exploring Biomass Linkages in the Food and Energy Market—A Systematic Review

“…Zaky (2021) [34] presents a viable strategy for sustainable biofuel production, offering a solution to the "food versus fuel" dilemma. The study primarily investigates the feasibility of a Coastal Integrated Marine Biorefinery (CIMB) system, which represents a more sustainable alternative to traditional biofuel production methodologies.…”

Integrated Marine Biogas: A Promising Approach towards Sustainability

“…However, it is an energy-intensive process; energy consumption should either be reduced or compensated for with alternative renewable energy resources, such as wind power, solar energy, tidal power, geothermal energy, and anaerobic digestion coupled with desalination using plants/algae. Integration of these renewable energy technologies into desalination processes could significantly reduce GHG emissions [38]. Regarding anaerobic digestion as an energy source, the substitution of conventional fresh-water-based feedstocks with marine resources (seaweed and seawater) could be a promising approach for countries that lack adequate supplies of fresh water (Figure 3).…”

“…More than 30,000 marine-derived bioactive compounds described so far have been used as valuable sources of food bioactive ingredients, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and many other applications [39]. In recent years, photoautotrophic organisms have been discussed as a promising candidate for energy sustainable production, with more interest dedicated to algal biomass as third-generation biofuel feedstocks [20,38,41]. They are more advantageous due to the elevated cost of lignin degradation for conversion of second-generation biofuel feedstocks, such as lignocellulosic wastes [42,43], and competition of first-generation edible feedstocks with the available resources [44].…”

“…However, landfills have many issues and negative environmental impact [91]. Recently, seaweed has been discussed as an alternative and renewable energy source [38,92]. Seaweed comprises mainly three groups belonging to red, green, and brown algae [93] that have been discussed for the production of various biofuels [20].…”

Controlling the Formation of Foams in Broth to Promote the Co-Production of Microbial Oil and Exopolysaccharide in Fed-Batch Fermentation

“…The most common strategy is to use antifoaming equipment or antifoaming agents to crush the pre-existing foams, and thus avoid the abundant accumulation of foams [26,27]. In addition, Zaky et al has reported that seawater can also be used to control the formation of foams in the production of biofuel [28,29]. Although these methods on controlling foams have achieved positive results, foaming results from complex interactions among the aforementioned factors.…”