article · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Seaweed collected from the southern coast of Morocco offers potential as a raw material for clean energy and agricultural inputs. Anaerobic digestion tests on eleven seaweed species identified optimal operating conditions, achieving a maximum biomethane potential of over 171 millilitres of methane per gram of volatile solids. Among the individual species tested under these conditions, Cystoseira galeatum produced the highest methane yield, closely followed by Neorhodomela larix. In addition to biogas production, the resulting digestates were assessed for their agricultural value and biological safety. Bioassays revealed that digestates from Plocamium cartilagineum and Sargassum muticum significantly improved seed germination indices. Furthermore, all tested digestates demonstrated low genotoxic effects, confirming their safety for use as agricultural substrates. These outcomes show that coastal seaweed biomass can be dual-purposed to generate renewable biogas alongside safe, bio-stimulating soil amendments.
Converting marine biomass into biogas generates clean fuel while creating nutrient-rich residues as byproducts. Ensuring that these digestates do not harm crops or soils is critical for sustainable farming. Demonstrating that seaweed digestates possess low genotoxicity while actively enhancing seed germination supports the production of eco-friendly biofertilisers, offering a practical pathway to reduce reliance on synthetic inputs in coastal regions.
This research could enable dual-output processing systems that combine biomethane generation with safe biostimulant production. Likely end-users include biogas plant operators, coastal waste valorisation initiatives, and fertiliser manufacturers. Because the findings are based on laboratory-scale digestion optimisation and seed bioassays, the application is at an applied and tested stage, requiring pilot-scale scaling and crop field trials before commercial deployment.
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Seaweed is a valuable feedstock for anaerobic digestion, yet integrated evaluation of methane production and digestate quality across multiple species remains limited in Morocco. This study presents the first assessment of biogas production and the biostimulant potential of digestate derived from seaweed collected from the southern coast of Morocco. Anaerobic digestion was optimized at an organic loading rate of 8 g VS/L and substrate to inoculum ratio of 1:2, yielding a maximum biomethane potential of 171.18 ± 12.74 Nml CH 4 /g VS. Under these conditions, 11 seaweed species were used, with C. galeatum (116.85 ± 14.67 Nml CH 4 /g VS) exhibiting the highest methane yield followed by N. larix (102.09 ± 7.05 Nml CH 4 /g VS). Digestate bioassays showed that P. cartilagineum and S. muticum significantly enhanced seed germination index, while all digestates displayed low genotoxicity effects, making them safe for agricultural use. Overall, these findings indicate that seaweed can be effectively valorized for both methane and high value digestate production in Morocco.
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DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1874968
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