SUPPLEMENTARY
DOCUMENT 1
Desc ip ion o he Spi alG
bio e ine y model
Las upda ed on Janua y 2025.
School o Biosys ems and Food Enginee ing, Uni e si y College Dublin, I eland
BiO bic, Bioeconomy SFI Resea ch Cen e , Uni e si y College Dublin, I eland
1
2
Léa B aud , Ke in McDonnell , Fionnuala Mu phy
1
1,2
*1,2
Spi algo i hm
This wo k was suppo ed by he Ci cula Bio-based Indus ies Join Unde aking (CBE-JU)
[G an No. 792257]. The CBE-JU ecei es suppo om he Eu opean’s Union’s Ho izon
Eu ope esea ch and inno a ion p og amme and he Bio-Based Indus ies Conso ium.
The unde s had no ole in s udy design as well as da a collec ion and analysis.
SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENT 1
Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model.
B aud L.1,2, McDonnell, K.1, and Mu phy, F.1,2
1School o Biosys ems and Food Enginee ing, Uni e si y College Dublin, I eland
2BiO bic, Bioeconomy SFI Resea ch Cen e , Uni e si y College Dublin, I eland
Con en : This documen desc ibes he me hods used o collec and agg ega e he pilo scale
da a o he Spi alG bio e ine y which se e as a basis o he en i onmen al li e cycle assessmen
(LCA) s udies. A gene al o e iew o he bio e ine y is gi en be o e de ailing he app oaches
used o con e he aw da a in o agg ega ed da a. Then, he model cons uc ed om he
esul ing da ase s is p esen ed wi h a ocus on wo in luencing pa ame e s: Spi ulina biomass
p oduc i i y and phycocyanin ex ac ion e iciency. This model is used o analyse he agg ega ed
da a and pe o m a mass balance o he bio e ine y. Finally, he amewo k coded in he Py hon
p og amming language using B igh way, used o pe o m he LCA calcula ions and isualise
he esul s, is desc ibed.
Con en s
1 Gene al desc ip ion o he Spi ulina bio e ine y 3
1.1 De elopmen o h ee ma ke able p oduc s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 Cons uc ion o he bio e ine y sys em diag am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 Da a collec ion and agg ega ion 4
2.1 Collec iono he awda a............................... 4
2.2 Agg ega ion o he aw da a a p ocess le el . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3 Spi ulina bio e ine y model 8
3.1 Technologicalpe iod .................................. 8
3.2 Spi ulina biomass p oduc i i y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.1 De ini ion o he Spi ulina biomass p oduc i i y pa ame e . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.2 Calcula ion o he ini ial alues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.3 Va ia ions o Spi ulina biomass p oduc i i y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.3 Phycocyanin ex ac ion e iciency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4 En i onmen al li e cycle assessmen 15
4.1 Fo eg ound and backg ound da abases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.2 LCA calcula ions using B igh way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.2.1 Ini ialisa ion .................................. 15
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4.2.2 Da abaseimpo ................................ 17
4.2.3 LCAcalcula ions................................ 17
4.3 Visualisa ion o he LCA esul s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
1 Gene al desc ip ion o he Spi ulina bio e ine y
1.1 De elopmen o h ee ma ke able p oduc s
The Spi alG p ojec ga he s h ee indus ial pa ne s loca ed in F ance and I aly which a e
each esponsible o a po ion o he Spi ulina alue chain. Li eg een1is a company es ablished
in A bo ea, a ci y o app oxima ely 4,000 inhabi an s loca ed in he p o ince o O is ano in
Sa dinia (I aly). The economy o A bo ea is based on he local ag icul u al ac i i ies e ol ing
a ound he Coope a i a Assegna a i Associa i A bo ea2 ounded in 1956. Li eg een cul i a es
Spi ulina in open aceway ponds (ORPs) and comme cialises “pu e” biomass in he o m o
able s and spaghe ini as well as ans o med p oduc s inspi ed by adi ional Sa dinian cuisine
(e.g. F egula Sa da, Ca asau Gu iau b ead).
This wo k was limi ed o he assessmen o he en i onmen al impac s associa ed wi h he
p oduc ion o spaghe ini. Indeed, only his o m o biomass was used in he phycocyanin
ex ac ion p ocess. The me eo ological condi ions in A bo ea (e.g. ligh incidence, empe a u e)
a e a ou able o he cul i a ion o Spi ulina 90% o he yea . The biomass is ha es ed daily,
dewa e ed, shaped in o spaghe ini, and d ied. These p e-p ocessing s eps allow he educ ion
o he wa e con en o Spi ulina biomass om 99% o 5% and acili a e i s anspo a ion o
u he p ocessing. The d y spaghe ini a e shipped o G eensea3, a company loca ed in he
ci y o Mèze, in he Sou h o F ance. Phycocyanin is ex ac ed using wa e as a sol en and
app oxima ely 50% o pu e pigmen is eco e ed in he blue ex ac a e se e al sepa a ion
(e.g. cen i uga ion) and pu i ica ion (e.g. ul a il a ion) s eps. This p ocess co-p oduces wo
main biomass ac ions wi h added alue.
The co-p oduc ob ained om he i s sepa a ion p ocess, called co-p oduc A (CPA), is ans-
po ed o Algaia4, a company loca ed in Sain -Lô (F ance). A e an acid hyd olysis o b eak
down he p o eins and wo pu i ica ion s eps, he p oduc en iched in amino acids is con-
cen a ed. Due o i s high con en in ni ogen, he CPA concen a e (CPAc) has p omising
applica ions in he ag icul u al indus y. The second co-p oduc , called co-p oduc B (CPB), is
ob ained om he ul a il a ion o he blue ex ac and is ea ed a G eensea di ec ly. CPB is
concen a ed and he p oduc ob ained, which con ains small colou less p o eins, can be used
in he cosme ic indus y. The h ee ex ac s p oduced in he Spi ulina bio e ine y, i.e. he blue
ex ac , CPAc, and CPB concen a e (CPBc), a e sold as ing edien s o o mula o s and inco -
po a ed in o ood, cosme ics, and ag icul u al p oduc s (see Table 1). Due o con iden iali y,
he exac biochemical composi ion o each ac ion is no de ailed.
1h ps://li eg een.bio/
2h ps://www.a bo ea1956.com.
3h ps://en.g eensea-all.com/
4h ps://www.algaia.com/
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SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
Table 1: Desc ip ion o he Spi ulina bio e ine y p oduc s and hei po en ial applica ions.
Biomass ac ion Gene al composi ion Po en ial applica ion(s)
Blue ex ac 50% o pu e phycocyanin Na u al ood colou ing & ing edien o
cosme ics p oduc s
CPAc En iched in amino acids Ing edien o ag icul u al & eed p od-
uc s
CPBc En iched in colou less p o eins Ing edien o ood & cosme ics p od-
uc s
1.2 Cons uc ion o he bio e ine y sys em diag am
In o de o acili a e he assessmen o he en i onmen al impac s o he Spi ulina bio e ine y,
h ee subsys ems we e de ined (i.e. each co esponding o one indus ial pa ne s o he Spi alG
p ojec ): Spi ulina cul i a ion and biomass p e-p ocessing in A bo ea (I aly) (subsys em 1 o
S1), phycocyanin ex ac ion in Mèze (F ance) (subsys em 2 o S2), and co-p oduc A ea men
in Sain -Lô (F ance) (subsys em 3 o S3) (see Fig. 1). In he a icles, he name o he companies
a e no men ioned and each sec ion o he bio e ine y is e e ed o as S1, S2, and S3. Each o
hese subsys ems is di ided in o p ocesses, also called “ac i i ies” ep esen ing he smalles uni
o which da a we e collec ed on-si e. The ac i i ies “S1.A0.Building” and “S1.A0.Ope a ion”,
ini ially included in S1, we e ans e ed o he subsys ems “in as uc u es” and “ope a ion”,
espec i ely. Simila ly. “S1.A8.T anspo ” and “S2.A8.T anspo ” we e bo h ans e ed o he
subsys em “ anspo ”.
2 Da a collec ion and agg ega ion
2.1 Collec ion o he aw da a
Six da a collec ion campaigns we e conduc ed a he h ee pilo scale acili ies om 2019 o 2022
(see Table 2). The aw da a collec ed on-si e (i.e. p ima y da a) co espond o he amoun s
o elec ici y, wa e , nu ien s, chemicals, and ma e ials used in he h ee subsys ems. Da a
we e ob ained om di ec measu emen s since no da a logge o senso s allowed he e ie al
o da a o mos o he equipmen . Only he cen i uge and ul a il a ion machines in S2
had da a logge s o measu e he olumes o wa e and chemicals used du ing he cleaning
p og ams. In S1, Spi ulina biomass was ha es ed daily. The p ocesses om “S1.A2.Fil a ion”
o “S1.6.Packaging” we e epea ed, allowing he collec ion o daily da ase s. The a e age alues
ob ained o e he week we e used as in en o y da a in he LCA s udies. Rega ding S2 and S3,
he p ocesses we e sequen ially pe o med o e he week. No da a duplica es we e measu ed
and he da ase s a e based on unique alues.
Fi s w i en by hand in a no ebook, he da a we e hen digi alised and p esen ed in he o m
o Excel iles con aining he o iginal da a, calcula ions, and ex (e.g. desc ip ion o he da a
collec ion p ocedu e o each i em, desc ip ion o he da a ob ained). The da a o S1, S2, and
S3 we e collec ed independen ly since he espec i e acili ies a e loca ed in di e en egions o
I aly and F ance. Rega ding S1, he da a we e collec ed in July 2019 and July 2022, du ing he
week 30 and 28, espec i ely. The clima ic condi ions we e simila du ing he wo da a collec ion
pe iods. This is o pa icula impo ance since he empe a u e o he ai , ligh incidence, and
cloudiness a ec Spi ulina g ow h in ORPs. In con as , he da a o S2 and S3 we e collec ed in
2021 and 2022 a di e en pe iods. Since he phycocyanin ex ac ion and co-p oduc ea men
a e pe o med indoo , he me eo ological condi ions do no signi ican ly a ec he p ocesses.
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SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
S1.A1.Cul i a ion
S1.A2.Fil a ion
S1.A3.Dewa e ing
S1.A4.Shaping
S1.A5.D ying
S1.A6a.Packaging
S1.A7.F eezing
Spi ulina b o h
Spi ulina slu y
S1.A6b.Packaging
Spi ulina pas e
Spi ulina we spagh. Spi ulina pas e, packaged
Spi ulina pas e,
packaged, ozen
D y line We line
Spi ulina d y spaghe ini,
packaged
S1.A0.Building S1.A0.Ope a ion
Subsys em 1
In as uc u es Ope a ion
Spi ulina d y spagh.
S2.A1.Mace a ion
S2.A2.Cen i uga ion
S2.A3.Fil a ion
S2.A4.Ul a il a ion1
S2.A5.Ul a il a ion2
S2.A7a.Packaging
Spi ulina mix
Fil a e
Re en a e
Blue ex ac
Supe na an
Blue ex ac , packaged
CPA, unp ocessed
CPB, unp ocessed
S2.A6.Concen a ion
S2.A7b.Packaging
CPB concen a e
CPB concen a e,
packaged
Subsys em 2
S3.A1.Ex ac ion
S3.A2.Dia il a ion
S3.A3.Ul a il a ion
S1.A4.Concen a ion
S1.A5.S abilisa ion
S1.A6.Packaging
Hyd olysa e
Pe mea e
Re en a e
Pe mea e
Concen a e
Concen a e, s abilised
Re en a e
CPA concen a e,
packaged, s abilised
Subsys em 3
S1.A8.T anspo S12
T anspo
S2.A8.T anspo S23
T
T
Legend:
T anspo
T
P ocess o
ac i i y
P oduc
low
(F ance) (F ance)
(I aly)
Figu e 1: Simpli ied sys em diag am o he Spi ulina bio e ine y. The abb e ia ion “spagh.” e e s o “spaghe ini”.
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SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
In he case o S2, he empe a u e in he pilo hall in luences he need o cool down he blue
ex ac a e ex ac ion. In ac , he high empe a u e in he pilo hall in summe esul s in a
la ge consump ion o ene gy o cool down he blue ex ac .
Table 2: Desc ip ion o he da a collec ion campaigns conduc ed in he ame o he Spi alG
p ojec .
No. Pe iod Desc ip ion
1 July 2019 Da a collec ion a he Spi ulina cul i a ion and biomass p e-p ocessing a-
cili y in A bo ea, I aly. The plan was inaugu a ed in Ap il 2019 and i was
he e o e i s i s yea o ope a ion.
2 Janua y
2021
Da a collec ion a he phycocyanin ex ac ion acili y in Mèze, F ance. The
pilo scale ial was pe o med using 50 kg o d y Spi ulina spaghe ini. The
second ul a il a ion s ep was in e up ed and he concen a ion o he CPB
no conduc ed.
3 Feb ua y
2021
Da a collec ion a he CPA ea men acili y in Sain -Lô, F ance. The pilo
scale ial co esponded o he i s based on acid hyd olysis o ex ac he
p o eins om CPA. The concen a ion o he pe mea e om ul a il a ion
was in e up ed.
4 Ap il
2022
Da a collec ion a he CPA ea men acili y in Sain -Lô, F ance. No all
he pe mea e om dia il a ion was ul a il e ed. The e apo a ion o he
e en a e om ul a il a ion was in e up ed.
5 July 2022 Da a collec ion a he Spi ulina cul i a ion and biomass p e-p ocessing a-
cili y in A bo ea, I aly. No measu emen s o elec ici y consump ion we e
pe o med.
6 Augus
2022
Da a collec ion a he phycocyanin ex ac ion acili y in Mèze, F ance. The
pilo scale ial was pe o med using 12.5 kg o d y Spi ulina spaghe ini.
The CPB was concen a ed using an e apo a o . The wo successi e ul a-
il a ion s eps wo ked.
2.2 Agg ega ion o he aw da a a p ocess le el
The aw da a we e agg ega ed a p ocess le el o o e come he issue o con iden iali y. The
agg ega ion consis s o summing he indi idual measu emen s o each exchange in an ac i i y.
Fo ins ance, he o al olume o wa e used in “S1.A3.Dewa e ing” was measu ed by collec ing
he wa e exi ing he wa e p esses in o con aine s which we e weighed a he end o each wa e
p ess cycle (i.e. each ba ch). The olume o wa e used o clean he wa e p esses a he end
o he p ocess (e.g. s eel s uc u e, co on bags) was measu ed using a wa e me e ins alled
on he hose used o cleaning. The de ails o each olume measu ed was no ed in he aw
da ase . Du ing he agg ega ion, he o al olume used pe day was calcula ed by summing he
indi idual alues o he aw da ase s o ob ain a unique olume o wa e . The same p ocedu e
was applied o elec ici y, chemicals, ma e ials e c.
In addi ion, he agg ega ion p ocedu e allowed he iden i ica ion o da a gaps. Al hough he
da a we e collec ed on-si e, ce ain measu emen s could no be pe o med due o a mal unc ion-
ing o lack o equipmen . Fo ins ance, only one wa e me e was a ailable o measu e olume
o Spi ulina b o h ha es ed in S1. The da a collec ed o wo ORPs we e used as p oxy o
he ou o he ORPs. Mass and wa e balances we e conduc ed a p ocess le el o e i y he
da ase and ill in he da a gaps we e necessa y. The use o La oisie ’s law o mass conse a ion
allowed o calcula e missing alues. This p inciple s a es ha o any closed sys em o ans e
o ma e and ene gy, he mass o he sys em emains cons an o e ime. The quan i y o mass
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SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
wi hin he sys em canno change and he e o e no hing can be added o emo ed.
Se e al p ocesses we e simul aneous, i.e. he biomass ou pu o a p ocess was di ec ly pumped
in o he nex machine and could he e o e no be measu ed. Fo ins ance, he hyd olysa e
ob ained om “S3.A1.Ex ac ion” was di ec ly pumped in o he ank o he ul a il a ion
machine. As a esul , he amoun o hyd olysa e p oduced was calcula ed om he mass balance
using he p inciple o conse a ion (biomass inpu = biomass ou pu ). Ul ima ely, no losses we e
accoun ed o in he p ocess. In addi ion, ce ain measu emen s led o unbalanced p ocesses (e.g.
he amoun o biomass measu ed a he end o a p ocess was la ge han a he s a ). In his
case, he amoun s we e adjus ed o balance he p ocess by using simple c oss mul iplica ions.
The mass and wa e balances o each ac i i y o he h ee subsys ems a e de ailed in ano he
documen .
S1 - Spi ulina cul i a ion - Li eg een Con iden ial da ase - S1.A1.Cul i a ion Léa B aud - WP5 - Spi alG p ojec
12 Li eg een, July 2022
Da a collec ed o he ac i i y/p ocess "S1.A1.Cul i a ion"
Amoun o nu ien s added o he ORPs
Table 1: Calcula ion o he amoun o nu ien s added o he ORPs weekly
Nu ien (kg) ORP1 ORP2 ORP3 ORP4 ORP5 ORP6 To ./week A ./day
105.77 0.00 0.00 0.00 37.82 0.00 143.60 20.51
20.00 17.00 19.00 35.00 38.00 35.00 164.00 23.43
1.84 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.84 0.26
0.65 0.40 0.46 0.22 0.31 0.40 2.44 0.35
Chela ed I on (6%) (Fe-EDDHA) 0.16 0.22 0.24 0.12 0.17 0.21 1.12 0.16
Table 2: Es ima ion o he amoun o plas ic packaging used (nu ien sal s bags)
Amoun Uni
To al amoun o sodium bica bona e 143.60 kg
Amoun o NaHCO3 pe bag 25 kg
Numbe o bags used 5.7 -
Numbe o bags disca ded 5-
0.0031 kg
To al amoun o PE-LD (4) 0.449 kg
Gene al desc ip ion: The da ase o he ac i i y "S1.A1.Cul i a ion" con ains in o ma ion ega ding he amoun nu ien s supplied o he
ORPs o mee Spi ulina g ow h equi emen s, elec ici y and wa e as weel as he olume o b o h ha es ed (exi ing he ORPs). The
cells colou ed in da k blue indica e he aues used o pe o m he LCA s udy (see Table I). The da ase was agg ega ed a p ocess
le el i.e. only he sum o he da a ob ained o each exchange a e shown. These da a we e used in he LCA s udy o be disclosed o
he public (e.g. esea ch a icle, Spi alG deli e able).
Da a collec ion p ocedu e: The nu ien s (o nu i en sal s) a e added once a week o he ORPs, usually on Sa u days. Du ing he da a
collec ion, he nu ien s we e added on F iday 15/07/2022. The amoun s we e calcula ed om he analysis o he ORP cul u e medium
conduc ed on he same day. The amoun o magnesium sul a e and chela ed i on is based on he equi alen d y biomass p oduced
o e ] he i e p e ious wo king days.
Sodium bica bona e (NaHCO3)
Po assium ni a e (KNO3)
Ammonium phospha e (NH4H2PO4)
Magnesium sul a e (MgSO4)
Da a analysis: The amoun o magnesium sul a e and chela ed i on added o he ORPs co esponded o 20 g / kg d y biomass and 17
g / kg biomass, esp. A daily a e age o nu ien s was calcula ed o i wi h he es o he da a (i.e. daily p oduc ion o we o d y
biomass). I was he e o e assumed ha he nu ien s we e supplied in small quan i ies e e yday a he han all on he Sa u day. The
o al amoun o each nu ien added o he six ORPs was di ided pe se en since he algae g ows con inuously i.e. o e a ull week and
no a "wo king week" o 6 days. The a e age pe day he e o e co esponds o he o al alues p esen ed in Table 1, di ided pe se en.
These alues we e used in he in en o y da a o he LCA s udy. Rega ding he plas ic was es ela ed o he packging o he nu ien s,
none was conside ed. In 2019, only he plas ic packaging o sodium bica bona e was conside ed since i was used in la ge quan i ies.
The amoun o emp y plas ic bags disca ded was es ima ed om he da a collec ed in 2019.
Da a collec ion p ocedu e: In 2019, he amoun o plas ic bag disca ded a e he supply o sodium bica bona e o he ORPs was
measu ed. A o al alue o 2.452 kg o plas ic o he supply o 785 kg o sodium bica bona e was ob ained.
Amoun o plas ic was ed / kg NaHCO3
Figu e 2: Ex ac o a da a collec ion shee used o communica e he esul s wi h he indus ial
pa ne s. The da a o S1 we e collec ed o each ORP, e e y day. The aw da a we e eplaced
by blank spaces due o hei con iden iali y. Only he agg ega ed da a i.e. pe day we e shown.
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SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
3 Spi ulina bio e ine y model
The Spi ulina bio e ine y model was de eloped in he Py hon p og amming language using
he da a collec ed on-si e and desc ibed in Sec ion 1. The i s objec i e o he model is o
acili a e he compa ison o he da a collec ed du ing he di e en da a collec ion campaigns.
The da ase s consis ing o da a collec ed in 2019 and 2021 co espond o he pe iod 1 while he
mos up- o-da e da a, i.e. collec ed in 2022, co espond o he pe iod 2. The compa ison o
he da ase s o pe iods 1 and 2 allows o e alua e he e ec s o he echnological imp o emen s
made ac oss he alue chain on he consump ion o ene gy, wa e , ma e ials, and chemicals (and
o a la ge ex en on he en i onmen al sus ainabili y o he bio e ine y). The second objec i e
o he model is o e alua e he e ec s o changes in he Spi ulina biomass p oduc i i y and
phycocyanin con en on he mass balance o he bio e ine y (i.e. p opo ion o blue ex ac ,
CPAc, and CPBc) and he consump ion o he ene gy, wa e , ma e ials, and chemicals (and o
a la ge ex en on he en i onmen al sus ainabili y o he bio e ine y).
The model is di ided in o he h ee subsys ems desc ibed abo e. Each p ocess (o ac i i y) is
compu ed wi h a se o unc ions which ypically ake as inpu he amoun o biomass o p ocess
and he echnological pe iod o e u n he amoun o ene gy, wa e , ma e ials, and chemicals
used in he p ocess plus he was e gene a ed. The e o e, he ou pu s o he model co espond o
da ase s o each subsys em wi h da a agg ega ed a p ocess le el. The da ase s can be di ec ly
used o pe o m he LCA s udy o he bio e ine y. The pa ame e s o he model we e de ined
based on he esea ch objec i es and classi ied in o ou ca ego ies. The ope a ional pa ame e s
include he echnological pe iod, numbe o wo king days, ype o he line (e.g. we , d y), and
ma e ial li espan. In addi ion, he echnical pa ame e s consis o he ha es ing e iciency,
phycocyanin ex ac ion e iciency, numbe o ORPs, numbe o ib a ing il e s (VFs), and
olume o ORP. Finally, he biological pa ame e s include he Spi ulina biomass p oduc i i y
and phycocyanin con en . The las pa ame e s co espond o he anspo a ion dis ances
be ween S1, S2, and S3. In o al, 14 pa ame e s we e de ined among which 6 we e used in he
en i onmen al LCA s udies (see Table 3). The o he pa ame e s we e conside ed as cons an .
The numbe o wo king days was se o 330, he o al cul i a ed a ea o 705 m2, he numbe
o ORPs o 6, he numbe o VFs o 3. In addi ion, he olume o he ORPs was conside ed
as cons an (i.e. he olume o wa e used o ill in he ORPs compensa es he losses pe
e apo a ion).
3.1 Technological pe iod
The echnological pe iod is he main pa ame e o all ac i i ies excep o he ones ha occu ed
in pe iod 2 only (e.g. “S2.A5. Ul a il a ion 2”, “S2.A6.Concen a ion”). This pa ame e was
used o calcula e dis inc i e da ase s o pe iods 1 o 2 based on he da a collec ed o each
ac i i y. Fo ins ance, he echnological pe iod in luences he amoun o Spi ulina pas e ob ained
a e dewa e ing (see Lis ing 1).
1de BiomassDewa e ing ( ech_pe iod , slu y_DW ):
2biomass_balance_dic _sc1 = {}
3biomass_balance_dic = {}
4i ech_pe iod == ’1’:
5## da a collec ed
6slu y_sc1 = 257.71 #amoun slu y [kg]
7DM_slu y_sc1 = 14.75 # d y ma e con en slu y [%]
8slu y_DW_sc1 = slu y_sc1 * DM_slu y_sc1 /100 # amoun slu y [ kg DW - eq ]
9pas e_sc1 = 91.45 # amoun pas e [ kg ]
8
SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
Table 3: Desc ip ion o he pa ame e s de ined in he Spi ulina bio e ine y model. The unde -
lined pa ame e s co espond o he ones used in he LCA s udies. The es we e conside ed as
cons an .
Pa ame e Desc ip ion Uni Values
Technological pe-
iod
Pe iod du ing which he da a we e col-
lec ed. Pe iod 1 co esponds o 2019 (S1)
and 2021 (S2,S3). Pe iod 2 co esponds o
2022 (S1, S2, S3).
- ‘1’ o ‘2’
P oduc i i y Daily a eal d y spaghe ini p oduc i i y g/m2/day [0; 12]
Phycocyanin con-
en
P opo ion o phycocyanin in Spi ulina
biomass
% [5; 15]
Wo king days Numbe o days du ing which Spi ulina is
ha es ed and he biomass p ocessed
day [330; 365]
Ha es ing e i-
ciency
E iciency o he il a ion s ep i.e. a io
be ween he amoun o biomass eco e ed
in he slu y and he amoun o b o h il-
e ed
% [70; 100]
Line D y o we line o Spi ulina biomass p e-
p ocessing.
- ‘d y’ o ‘we ’
Dis ance by ca Dis ance be ween he Spi ulina cul i a ion
acili y and he local indus ial ha bou
km [10; 50]
Dis ance by ship Dis ance be ween he indus ial ha bou s
in I aly and F ance
km [500; 800]
Dis ance by uck Dis ance be ween he indus ial ha bou
in F ance and he phycocyanin ex ac ion
acili y
km [50; 200]
Dis ance by e ig-
e a ed uck
Dis ance be ween he phycocyanin and
he cop oduc ea men acili y in F ance
km [500; 900]
Numbe o ORPs Numbe o open aceway ponds in he
Spi ulina cul i a ion acili y
uni 6
Numbe o VFS Numbe o Vib a ing Fil e ing Sys ems in
he Spi ulina biomass p ocessing acili y
uni 3
Volume o ORP Volume o one open aceway pond m3[150; 250]
Ma e ial li espan Li espan o he ma e ials used in he con-
s uc ion o he g eenhouse, cul i a ion a-
cili y, and biomass p ocessing acili y.
yea [5; 20]
10 DM_pas e_sc1 = 33.07 #d y ma e con en o pas e [%]
11 pas e_DW_sc1 = pas e_sc1 * DM_pas e_sc1 /100
12 biomass_balance_dic _sc1[’slu y’]={’we _mass ’: slu y_sc1 , ’DM_con en ’ :
DM_slu y_sc1 , ’d y_mass ’ : slu y_DW_sc1 }
13 biomass_balance_dic _sc1[’pas e ’]={’we _mass ’:pas e_sc1 , ’DM_con en ’:
DM_pas e_sc1 , ’d y_mass ’:pas e_DW_sc1}
14 ## da a modelled
15 pas e_DW = slu y_DW * pas e_DW_sc1 / slu y_DW_sc1
16 biomass_balance_dic [’slu y’] = slu y_DW
17 biomass_balance_dic [’pas e ’] = pas e_DW
18 biomass_balance_dic [’losses’] = slu y_DW - pas e_DW
19 i ech_pe iod == ’2’:
20 ## da a collec ed
21 slu y_sc1 = 198.99 #amoun slu y [kg]
22 DM_slu y_sc1 = 10.39 # d y ma e con en o slu y [%]
23 slu y_DW_sc1 = slu y_sc1 * DM_slu y_sc1 /100 # amoun slu y [ kg DW - eq ]
24 pas e_sc1 = 77.38 # amoun pas e [ kg ]
25 DM_pas e_sc1 = 23.26 #d y ma e con en o pas e [%]
26 pas e_DW_sc1 = pas e_sc1 * DM_pas e_sc1 /100
27 biomass_balance_dic _sc1[’slu y’]={’we _mass ’: slu y_sc1 , ’DM_con en ’ :
DM_slu y_sc1 , ’d y_mass ’ : slu y_DW_sc1 }
28 biomass_balance_dic _sc1[’pas e ’]={’we _mass ’:pas e_sc1 , ’DM_con en ’:
DM_pas e_sc1 , ’d y_mass ’:pas e_DW_sc1}
29 ## da a modelled
9
SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
Figu e 4: S uc u e o he LCA amewo k based on B igh way.
1inpu :
2analyses:
3CA_subsys ems :
4 ela i e_s acked_ba _plo : T ue
5ba _cha _one_ic: False
6CA_p ocesses:
7 ela i e_s acked_ba _plo : False
8pie_cha _s acked_ba _plo : False
9s acked_ba _plo _compa ison: False
10 CA_inpu _ca ego y:
11 s acked_ba _plo : False
12 hea map : False
13 CA_p ocesses:
14 ela i e_s acked_ba _plo :
15 da abases :
16 - db_in as uc u es
17 - db_ope a ion
18 - db_S1
19 - db_S2
20 - db_S3
21 - db_ anspo
16
SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
22 lcia_me hods:
23 - !! py hon / uple [ ReCiPe Midpoin (H) V1 .13 , ossil deple ion , FDP ]
24 - !! py hon / uple [ ReCiPe Midpoin (H) V1 .13 , clima e change , GWP100 ]
25 - !! py hon / uple [ ReCiPe Midpoin (H) V1 .13 , me al deple ion , MDP ]
26 - !! py hon / uple [ ReCiPe Midpoin (H) V1 .13 , wa e deple ion , WDP ]
Lis ing 2: Ex ac o he ecipe YAML ile con aining in o ma ion o un he LCA algo i hm.
4.2.2 Da abase impo
Once a p ojec is selec ed, he backg ound and o eg ound da abases a e impo ed ollowing
he ecipe. Fi s , he backg ound da abases biosphe e3 and ecoin en 3.6 cu -o a e
impo ed using he Ecospold2Impo e . The da abase biosphe e3 con ains elemen a y lows
o which he names ha e been no malised o eocin en 3. The unc ion bw2se up() impo s
biosphe e3, LCIA me hods, and addi ional me ada a equi ed o impo o he da abases. The
da ase s a e di e en ia ed using unique iden i ie s which include he name o he da abase and a
code such as a numbe , UUID, and name. Fo ins ance, he code ("biosphe e", " 66d00944691...")
is a alid iden i ie . LCIA me hods co esponds o uples wi h he gene al name o he me hod
(e.g. ReCiPe Midpoin (H) V1. 13), he name o he impac ca ego y (e.g. clima e change), and
i s abb e ia ion (e.g. GWP100). The o eg ound da abases a e impo ed in he bw2package
o ma and a e linked o he ecoin en 3.6 cu -o da abase. The linking be ween he
da ase s ob ained om he bio e ine y model desc ibed in Sec ion 3 is pe o med using an Excel
ile con aining he in o ma ion ega ding he ecoin en 3.6 cu -o da ase s used (e.g. name
o he exchange, loca ion, uni ).
4.2.3 LCA calcula ions
The LCA calcula ions a e pe o med acco ding o he ype o con ibu ion analysis selec ed in
he ecipe. The en i onmen al impac s can be calcula ed a h ee di e en le els: subsys ems,
p ocesses, and exchanges. The basic s uc u e o LCA calcula ion was used a each o he h ee
le els.
Subsys em le el: The LCA sco es a e calcula ed o each subsys em o analyse he con-
ibu ion o in as uc u es, ope a ion, S1, S2, S3, and anspo o he o e all en i onmen al
impac s o he bio e ine y. Two ypes o g aphs can be gene a ed. The ela i e s acked ba plo
shows he con ibu ion o each subsys em o he o e all en i onmen al impac s o he bio e in-
e y o as many impac ca ego ies as indica ed in he ecipe. The second g aph consis s o a
ba plo ha shows he impac s o di e en o eg ound da abase scena ios o a speci ic impac
ca ego y.
P ocess le el: The LCA sco es a e calcula ed o each p ocess (o ac i i y) o e alua e he
con ibu ion o each ac i i y o he en i onmen al impac s o a speci ic subsys em (e.g. S1, S2,
S3). Two ypes o g aphs can be gene a ed. The ela i e s acked ba plo shows he con ibu ion
o each ac i i y (e.g. “S1.A1.Cul i a ion”, “S2.A1.Mace a ion”) o he en i onmen al impac s
o a speci ic subsys em o as many impac ca ego ies as indica ed in he ecipe. The second
g aph consis s o a s acked ba plo ha shows he impac s o di e en scena ios o a same
subsys em (e.g. S1 in 2019 e sus S1 in 2022) o a speci ic impac ca ego y.
17
SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
Exchange le el: The LCA sco es a e calcula ed pe ca ego y o exchanges ac oss he sub-
sys ems (i.e. o he en i e bio e ine y). The ca ego ies include chemicals, ene gy, anspo ,
equipmen , cons uc ion, nu ien , packaging, wa e , and was e (see Table 7). The g aph gen-
e a ed co esponds o a hea map which shows he ela i e con ibu ion o each ca ego y o
exchange o he impac ca ego ies selec ed.
Table 7: Ca ego ies o inpu s used o pe o m he con ibu ion analysis pe exchange.
Exchange ca ego ies Exchanges included
Chemicals Sodium hyd oxide, hyd ogen pe oxide, phospho ic acid, sul u ic
acid, po assium hyd oxide, ni ic acid, sodium hypochlo i e
Ene gy Elec ici y (F ench mix), elec ici y (I alian mix), na u al gas, hea
om anae obic diges ion
Ma e ials Gal anised s eel, polyp opylene pipes, sand, p opylene pipes,
poly inylchlo ide co e , polyp opylene andom copolyme (PPR)
pipes, polye hylene ilm, mosqui o ne made o polye hylene, poly-
ca bona e walls and ceiling, conc e e, EPS b icks, ce amic loo
iles, wall pumice b icks, wall conc e e b icks, insula ed panels
made o polyu e hane, polyisocyanu a e, ock wool, sola shading
ne made o high densi y polye hylene, PEX pipes (HDPE), cellu-
lose il e s, nylon, ood g ade packaging (polye hylene).
Nu ien s Sodium bica bona e (NaHCO3), ca bon dioxide (CO2), chela ed
I on (6%) (Fe EDDHA), TKPP (K4P2O7), po assium sul a e
(K2SO4), magnesium sul a e (MgSO4), ammonium phospha e
(NH4H2PO4), po assium ni a e (KNO3), ammonium phospha e
(NH4H2PO4)
T anspo T anspo by uck, anspo by e ige a ed uck, anspo by
ship, anspo by e ige a ed ship, anspo by ca
Was es Was ewa e , was e polye hylene, plas ic was e, pape boa d was e,
gene al was e
Wa e G ound wa e , ap wa e , ul apu e wa e
4.3 Visualisa ion o he LCA esul s
Speci ic a en ion was gi en o he isualisa ion o he LCA esul s. Acco ding o he le el
a which he con ibu ion analysis was pe o med (e.g. subsys em, p ocess, exchange), se e al
ypes o g aphs can be plo ed (see Fig. 5).
18
SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
Da ase om he
bio e ine y model in he
bw2package o ma
Analyse he con ibu ion o each
subsys em o he o e all en i onmen al
impac s o he bio e ine y
Analyse he con ibu ion o each
p ocess o he o e all en i onmen al
impac s o he bio e ine y
Pe o m he LCA calcula ions
a subsys em le el
Pe o m he LCA calcula ions
a p ocess le el
Pe o m he LCA calcula ions
a exchange le el
Analyse he con ibu ion o each
ca ego y o exchange o he o e all
en i onmen al impac s o he
bio e ine y
Figu e 5: Th ee di e en ypes o isualisa ion acco ding o he con ibu ion analysis pe o med
19
SD2: Desc ip ion o he Spi alG bio e ine y model
Re e ences
[1] Luca A ene e al. “E icien Ni ogen Reco e y om Ag o-Ene gy E luen s o Cyanobac-
e ia Cul i a ion (Spi ulina)”. In: Sus ainabili y 15.1 (2023), p. 675.
[2] Ch is Mu el. “B igh way: an open sou ce amewo k o li e cycle assessmen ”. In: Jou nal
o Open Sou ce So wa e 2.12 (2017), p. 236.
20
