Seaweed cultivation and the remediation of by-products from ethanol production: a glorious green growth

Abstract

Mathematical models are presented for the cultivation of seaweed. These relate to a mathematics-in-industry project to grow seaweed crops to consume by-products from commercial ethanol production. An initial model illustrates the process. Then, the potential is demonstrated with a more detailed feasibility study and a simple financial model. The growth of seaweed with time is described using various models utilising differential equations. These include factors such as solar radiation and the nitrogen content of the seaweed.

Future importance of healthy oceans: Ecosystem functions and biodiversity, marine pollution, carbon sequestration, ecosystem goods and services

“…Recently, we have started to understand the value of oceans as a sink of carbon dioxide (Ibánhez et al, 2016;Landschützer et al, 2016;Orr and Sarmiento, 1992;Quéré et al, 2003) and their importance in global warming. Also, the importance of oceans is recognized as never before because the value of fishery and seaweeds (Bouwman et al, 2011;Hehre and Meeuwig, 2016;Sweatman et al, 2016), salt and minerals (Loganathan et al, 2017;Shahmansouri et al, 2015), drinking water (Elimelech and Phillip, 2011;Ghaffour et al, 2013;Shannon et al, 2008), navigation (Fransoo and Lee, 2013;Lee and Song, 2017), petroleum resources including oils and gases under the sea bed and methane hydrate in the sea floor. In all, the sustainable future of mankind depends largely on the dramatic reduction of influx of pollutants into them and to maintain the biodiversity therein for sustenance of ecosystem services from them ("Classification of marine ecosystem services," 2016; Palumbi et al, 2009;Sultan, n.d.;United Nations, 2017).…”