Blue Biorefineries and Sustainable Marine Industries

The integration of biorefinery concepts into traditional industries is key to enabling the transition to a bio-based economy model (bioeconomy), where renewable sources and the circular economy are the foundation. The development of cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and circular technologies for processing biomass and waste, and converting it into value-added compounds are key factors in successfully implementing sustainable marine biorefineries. The marine environment offers a source of chemically interesting compounds, many of which are regularly discarded as waste from fish and shellfish industries. By incorporating these biorefinery technologies into marine industries we can simultaneously reduce waste production, use of non-renewable feedstocks and energy requirements for these industries.
Highlighting the importance and urgency of developing efficient and sustainable blue biorefineries, this book provides an overview on the different types of marine biomasses (micro- and macroalgae, crustacean and fish waste) and their high added value compounds as well as the latest advances in their extraction, purification and applications. Industrial case-studies and techno-economic and environmental analysis for the different blue biorefineries all add to a valuable vision for the future sustainability of marine industries.

Dr Filipa A. Vicente is a leading researcher with a strong background in biochemistry and chemical engineering. Dr Vicente is a tenure-track Research Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana, where she leads the "Process and Product Engineering for Pharmaceutical and Food Industry" group within the Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering. Her primary research focuses on developing sustainable downstream processes using green solvents-such as biosolvents, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvents-to create circular economy models for biorefineries and extract high-added value compounds. She has served as Principal Investigator on two large Horizon Europe projects and secured funding for smaller bilateral collaborations with the USA, France, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, contributing to her participation in total of 16 national/international projects.
Dr Jorge F.B. Pereira is a distinguished researcher with a robust background in biological and chemical engineering Currently, Dr. Pereira is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Portugal. He also serves as the Vice-Director of the CERES research center and is the sub-director of his department. Dr Pereira's research interests lie in the development of sustainable and circular (bio)technological strategies, with a focus on separation processes, purification, and extraction techniques. He leads the "BioPPuL - Bioproducts' Production and Purification Lab," where his work encompasses green chemistry, ionic liquids, and waste valorisation.