Microwave hydrothermal processing of the invasive macroalgae Sargassum muticum within a green biorefinery scheme

Pablo G Del Río; Beatriz Gullón; Alba Pérez-Pérez; Aloia Romaní; Gil Garrote

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125733

Microwave hydrothermal processing of the invasive macroalgae Sargassum muticum within a green biorefinery scheme

Bioresour Technol. 2021 Nov:340:125733. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125733. Epub 2021 Aug 9.

Authors

Pablo G Del Río¹, Beatriz Gullón², Alba Pérez-Pérez², Aloia Romaní², Gil Garrote²

Affiliations

¹ Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Enxeñaría Química, Facultade de Ciencias, 32004 Ourense, Spain. Electronic address: pdelrio@uvigo.es.
² Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Enxeñaría Química, Facultade de Ciencias, 32004 Ourense, Spain.

PMID: 34426234
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125733

Abstract

This study deals with the multiproduct valorization of the invasive macroalgae Sargassum muticum within a green biorefinery concept using microwave hydrothermal treatment. Temperatures of 160 and 180 °C for 0-60 min (severities 1.62-3.54) were evaluated, allowing a recovery of a liquid phase rich in fucoidan-derived compounds (up to 4.81 g/L), oligomers and phenolics with antioxidant capacity (up to 2.85 g TE/L by ABTS assay), and a high-enzymatically susceptible solid (glucan to glucose conversion 76-100% in 9 h) suitable for bioethanol production (20.5 g/L in 18 h, corresponding to 96% ethanol yield). Moreover, energy consumption of the pretreatments' temperature-time binomial was evaluated showing significant differences, demonstrating the advantages of microwave as alternative heating pretreatment.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds; Bioethanol; Microwave hydrothermal treatment; Seaweed; Sustainable processing.

MeSH terms

Ethanol
Glucose
Microwaves
Sargassum*
Seaweed*

Substances

Ethanol
Glucose