The amount of sargassum seaweed washed ashore on the beaches of Africa, Brazil, Central America and the Caribbean has increased to the point where it has become a social, environmental and financial issue. This research evaluates the potential for Sargassum spp. of the Mexican Caribbean coast to be used in the production of biomethane by estimating: a) stoichiometric methane production (SMP), b) biochemical methane potential (BMP) and c) biodegradability index (BI).
The use of a sigmoidal model generalized to substrate to inoculum ratios is proposed, to predict the biomethane production during the anaerobic digestion (AD) of the sargassum. The information obtained shows the seaweed’s potential for biomethane production and will be useful for estimates and scaling when implementing energy harnessing systems for sargassum in the Caribbean. The use of biomass is a key element in the move towards a circular economy. It is hoped that the use of technologies like AD leads to the integration of this seaweed into an economic value chain, thereby reducing the adverse effects of its presence on the ecosystem.