Sargassum 

  Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae commonly found in oceans worldwide, particularly in the warm waters of the Atlantic Oceans. Sargassum plays an important ecological role, offering shelter and sustenance to various marine species. However, increased blooms of sargassum have been seen due to the anomalous nutrient discharge excreted from the Amazon River related to deforestation upstream and high sea surface temperatures. The unprecedented growth of Sargassum blooms has had profound effects on coastal regions across the Atlantic, particularly impacting the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and West African coastlines. Large quantities of Sargassum wash ashore, forming thick mats that accumulate on beaches and in shallow waters raising environmental, societal and economic concerns.

  Sargassum are rich in a variety of bio-derived polymers, one of which is alginic acid. Alginic acid is an unbranched polysaccharide, extracted from the cell wall and cellular matrix of Sargassum natans. Alginic acid is composed of β-D-mannuronic acid (M) and 𝛼-L-guluronic acid (G) connected through 1-4 glycosidic linkages. This polysaccharide chain can exist as a homopolymer blocks (M and G) or with regions of alternating sequences (MG blocks), impacting the polymers overall properties. Alginic acid lacks certain mechanical and thermal properties necessary to compete with petroleum-derived synthetic plastics in the food packaging industry. Thus, our research aims to investigate modifications and use additives that enhance the alginic acids properties, with the goal of advancing its development as a viable bioplastic for food packaging purposes.