The Sargassum invasion: from an environmental problem to an opportunity area
Abstract
Climate change along with other factors, has caused an increase in the proliferation of Sargassum spp., which includes about 615 species that are distributed throughout the world and represents a valuable source of water and useful organic compounds for various industries. In recent decades, large amounts of Sargassum have reached the coasts of the Caribbean and West Africa, causing serious socioeconomic and environmental problems. Faced with this emerging situation, research has focused on effective ways to use these macroalgae as a raw material and convert it into value-added compounds. This review describes the existing hypotheses about the possible causes of the increase of Sargassum, highlighting the effect of climate change and anthropogenic activities on the impacts generated by this invasion. On the other hand, the opportunities and challenges of its valorization are analyzed, as well as the importance of the industrialization and commercialization of the resulting products.
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