The Potential for Seaweed Farming to Remove Carbon Dioxide: A Meta-analysis of Life Cycle Assessments

The Life Cycle Assessment methodology has been used extensively in recent years to examine the potential of seaweed aquaculture as a carbon dioxide removal strategy. However, this literature covers a wide range of species, functional units and end products, obfuscating the true potential of this blue-carbon strategy. This thesis developed a meta-analysis of representative studies published over the last 10 years to better ascertain the carbon dioxide removal potential of seaweed farms. The metaanalysis concluded that seaweed aquaculture can effectively remove atmospheric carbon dioxide; this effect is enhanced if fossil fuels are verifiably replaced by seaweed products such as biofuels.