Discover Insights into Environmental Impact of Algae-Based Industries with PhD Karina Balina

We're excited to announce an upcoming guest seminar featuring Dr. Karina Balina, a researcher with a PhD from the Circularity Transitions Research Group at the University of Latvia. She will be sharing her expertise on the captivating topic of "Balancing Ecology and Economy: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Insights into Algae-Based Industries" at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. Seminar will be on October 5th at 10:00 AM.

PhD Karina Balina's current research revolves around evaluating the environmental sustainability of biorefinery concepts and production chains. Her profound knowledge and practical insights into the ecological aspects of industrial processes, particularly those related to algae-based industries, make her experienced specialist in the field.

Seminar will be organised as a part of the project "Life Cycle Assessment of land-based seaweed cultivation for packaging material." The primary objective of this project is to quantify the environmental footprint associated with the cultivation of Ulva in land-based cultivation ponds and assess its environmental viability for the production of packaging materials. The project will employ LCA methodologies to analyze the entire production chain, from cultivation to product development at the laboratory scale.

Key project activities will take place at various institutions, including the University of Latvia, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, and the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. These activities include co-mentoring a Master's student on macroalgae cultivation, conducting environmental impact assessments, knowledge exchange through visits between Latvian and German institutions, data collection for LCA, and the utilization of project results for academic publications and Master's thesis development.

As part of the project, a Latvian representative, Karīna Bāliņa, will have guest seminar at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research on 5th October 2023. This seminar aims to disseminate project findings and foster discussions on sustainable packaging and biomaterials.

The LCA assessment of macroalgae cultivation for packaging production will provide vital data on the environmental impact of this study and contribute to understanding the sustainability of the cultivation process. Additionally, the project outcomes will be of interest to the sustainable packaging and biomaterials industry as well as macroalgae cultivation researchers across Europe.

This Baltic-German University Liaison Office project is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic Germany.