LIFE CYCLE OF BIOFERTILIZER PRODUCTION FROM MICROALGAL BIOMASS: TECHNICAL ASPECTS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Resumo

The increasing use of biofertilizers in agriculture requires an assessment of environmental impacts associated with their production, which can be addressed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to support process optimization and sustainability. Among emerging alternatives, microalgae-based biofertilizers have received growing attention. This study presents a bibliometric review of 21 original research articles published between 2020 and 2025 that applied LCA to microalgal biofertilizer production, with data collected from the Scopus database and analyzed using VOSviewer software. The reviewed studies indicate that microalgal biofertilizers can exhibit improved environmental performance compared to synthetic fertilizers. Specific case studies report reductions of up to 38.65% in environmental impacts and mitigation of up to 52.56%, particularly when strategies such as wastewater reuse and optimization of cultivation stages are adopted. LCA applications mainly focus on impact categories such as global warming potential, eutrophication, acidification, ecotoxicity, and resource consumption, with greenhouse gas emissions and energy demand identified as the main contributors. Cultivation and harvesting stages stand out as the primary environmental hotspots. Despite the strong environmental focus, economic and social analyses remain limited. Future perspectives include integrating microalgae cultivation with wastewater treatment, adopting low-energy harvesting technologies, and applying the biorefinery concept, reinforcing the need for harmonized LCA methodologies and integrated sustainability assessments.