Beyond the Bloom: Invasive Seaweed Sargassum spp. as a Catalyst for Sustainable Agriculture and Blue Economy—A Multifaceted Approach to Biodegradable Films, Biostimulants, and Carbon Mitigation DOI Open Access

Elena Martínez-Martínez,

Alexander H. Slocum, María Ceballos

et al.

Sustainability, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(8), P. 3498 - 3498

Published: April 14, 2025

The Anthropocene has ushered in unprecedented environmental challenges, with invasive seaweed blooms emerging as a critical yet understudied facet of climate change. These blooms, driven by nutrient runoff and oceanic alterations, disrupt ecosystems, threaten biodiversity, impose economic public health burdens on coastal communities. However, seaweeds also present an opportunity sustainable resource. This study explores the valorization Sargassum spp. for agricultural applications, focusing development biodegradable bioplastics biostimulants. Field trials demonstrated effectiveness Marine Symbiotic® Sargassum-derived biostimulant distinct contexts. In Dominican Republic, pepper crops showed significant improvements, including 33.26% increase fruit weight, 21.94% rise set percentage, 45% higher yield under high-stress conditions, 48.42% reduction rejection compared to control. Colombia, across four leafy green varieties revealed biomass increases up 360%, 50% synthetic input dependency, enhanced crop coloration, improving marketability. Additionally, Sargassum-based biofilms exhibited favorable mechanical properties biodegradability, offering alternative conventional plastics. Carbon credit quantification that valorizing could prevent 89,670 tons CO2-equivalent emissions annually using just one Littoral Collection Module® harvesting system, while application carbon sequestration crops. findings underscore potential address multiple from reducing plastic pollution GHG enhancing resilience, thereby contributing Blue Economy aligning global sustainability goals.

Language: Английский

Beyond the Bloom: Invasive Seaweed Sargassum spp. as a Catalyst for Sustainable Agriculture and Blue Economy—A Multifaceted Approach to Biodegradable Films, Biostimulants, and Carbon Mitigation DOI Open Access

Elena Martínez-Martínez,

Alexander H. Slocum, María Ceballos

et al.

Sustainability, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(8), P. 3498 - 3498

Published: April 14, 2025

The Anthropocene has ushered in unprecedented environmental challenges, with invasive seaweed blooms emerging as a critical yet understudied facet of climate change. These blooms, driven by nutrient runoff and oceanic alterations, disrupt ecosystems, threaten biodiversity, impose economic public health burdens on coastal communities. However, seaweeds also present an opportunity sustainable resource. This study explores the valorization Sargassum spp. for agricultural applications, focusing development biodegradable bioplastics biostimulants. Field trials demonstrated effectiveness Marine Symbiotic® Sargassum-derived biostimulant distinct contexts. In Dominican Republic, pepper crops showed significant improvements, including 33.26% increase fruit weight, 21.94% rise set percentage, 45% higher yield under high-stress conditions, 48.42% reduction rejection compared to control. Colombia, across four leafy green varieties revealed biomass increases up 360%, 50% synthetic input dependency, enhanced crop coloration, improving marketability. Additionally, Sargassum-based biofilms exhibited favorable mechanical properties biodegradability, offering alternative conventional plastics. Carbon credit quantification that valorizing could prevent 89,670 tons CO2-equivalent emissions annually using just one Littoral Collection Module® harvesting system, while application carbon sequestration crops. findings underscore potential address multiple from reducing plastic pollution GHG enhancing resilience, thereby contributing Blue Economy aligning global sustainability goals.

Language: Английский

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