Valorizing marine residuals to reduce import dependency — A transferable coastal bioeconomy framework
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Coastal industries worldwide discard residual biomass that could substitute for imported marine biomaterials, yet import dependency remains high. South Korea illustrates this gap: it imports around 70% of its marine biomaterials despite generating roughly 268,000 tonnes of residual biomass each year in the West Sea (Yellow Sea) from seaweed processing, fisheries, and shellfish industries. Recovering it supports the national goal of cutting import dependency to 50% by 2030, turning a discarded resource into domestic value. This feedstock base could supply high-value polysaccharides (laminarin, fucoidan, and alginate), proteins (collagen), and structural biopolymers (chitin and chitosan). Mixed seaweed residuals emerge as a promising feedstock despite variable quality. A benchmark-adapted techno-economic assessment of two seaweed biorefinery models shows laminarin–fucoidan co-production reaching returns on investment in the mid-30% range, versus 10–13% for an alginate-only model. A complementary screening-level environmental footprint assessment reveals a trade-off: the multi-product route uses up to 3.5-fold more energy and carbon and up to 10-fold more water than the alginate-only system, with drying and membrane separation as the main hotspots. Emerging compounds such as mycosporine-like amino acids, ulvan, and glycolipids add further potential. However, realizing this value relies on overcoming inconsistent feedstock quality, high pre-processing costs, fragmented regulation, and immature markets for emerging products. This review proposes a transferable three-tier framework — linking resource quantification, import-substitution analysis, and cascade biorefinery deployment — that any coastal region with similar residual streams and import dependence can apply to build a competitive domestic bioeconomy.
Institutions: Ghent University, Ghent University Global Campus
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,000
OpenAlex ID: W7222945775