Adhesives used for wood composites such as particleboard are conventionally of petrochemical nature with formaldehyde as a base substance and represent a pain point in the industry due their toxic emissions. Consequently, adhesives are subject to an agenda to develop more benign, low-impact alternatives. On the one hand, the issue has been addressed by means of optimisation of composition and amounts, and on the other hand, development of biobased adhesives from different renewable feedstock has been taking place over the past decades. Yet, these bio-adhesives remain a niche segment as renewability or lower toxicity alone is widely not enough despite increasingly strict regulations on formaldehyde emissions. Emphasis on a more comprehensive set of beneficial properties of ‘green’ adhesives is needed for successful adoption in the market. In this context, this study investigates the holistic sustainability potential of a yet untapped bio- adhesive feedstock: macroalgae. Current research on an algae-based adhesive from cultivated biomass in Sweden suggests suitable adhesive properties for particleboard manufacture. Complementing these promising findings on material properties, this study assesses sustainability of using an algae-based adhesive in a particleboard production system as opposed to conventional formaldehyde-based resins. A comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of different scenarios was conducted, with the specific aim to explore changes in toxicity, climate change impacts and eutrophication due to the known benefits of cultivated macroalgae in these areas. A considerably better performance for algae-based adhesives was found across impact categories (CML baseline method) compared to formaldehyde-based scenarios, as well as a similar pattern with respect to cumulative energy demand. Particularly under a low-impact preservation method for the algal biomass, relative impacts were substantially lower without exception. Furthermore, a potential for carbon sequestration and replacing of fossil with biogenic carbon flows was identified, as well as bioremediation of location eutrophication through nutrient uptake of the biomass during cultivation. Despite the early stage and the need for further research, the results point to a promising potential for macroalgae as a feedstock for biobased wood adhesives which go beyond renewability. / Lim som vanligtvis används för träkomponenter som exempelvis spånskivor är konventionellt från petrokemiska källor med formaldehyd som basämne, och anses vara en utmaning för branschen på grund av dess giftiga utsläpp. Därav är det av intresse för branschen att utveckla bättre alternativ med mindre miljöpåverkan. Utvecklingen har dels skett genom optimering av sammansättning och proportioner, men under det senaste decennierna har även utveckling av biobaserade lim från olika förnyelsebara råvaror tagit fart. Dessa biobaserade lim är dock fortfarande ett nischat område, att enbart arbeta med förnybara råvaror som ger lägre toxicitet verkar inte vara tillräckligt, trots allt striktare bestämmelser om formaldehydutsläpp. Därför krävs det tydliga bevis av miljövinsterna med lim av förnyelsebara råvaror för att denna metod ska bli mer framgångsrik på marknaden. I detta sammanhang undersöker denna uppsats, genom ett holistiskt perspektiv, potentialen med lim gjort på det ännu outnyttjade förnyelsebara materialet makroalger. Aktuell forskning på algbaserat lim från odlad biomassa i Sverige har uppvisat lämpliga limegenskaper för användning inom spånskivetillverkning. Som ett komplement för dessa potentiella fördelaktiga egenskaper, bedömer denna uppsats miljönyttan med användandet av ett algbaserat lim i produktionssystem av spånskivor, i relation till det konventionella formaldehydbaserade limmet. Därmed görs en jämförande livscykelanalys från vaggan till grinden av olika scenarier, med syftet att undersöka förändringar i toxicitet, klimatpåverkan och övergödning, i och med att dessa tre påverkanskategorier redan har visat på kända miljöfördelar. Resultatet visade att det algbaserade limmet hade betydligt bättre miljöprestanda i alla påverkanskategorier undersökt med metoden CML baseline i jämförelse med det formaldehydbaserade limmet, vilket även visades för kategorin kumulativt energibehov. När en konserveringsmetod används för att processa algbiomassan, är skillnaden i miljöpåverkan av dom två limmen lägre inom alla påverkanskategorier. Slutligen identifierades potential för kolbindning och utbyte av biogena och fossila kolflöden, även bioremediering av lokal övergödning genom att biomassan upptog näringsämnen under odling. Trots det tidiga stadiet och behovet av fortsatt forskning så visar dessa resultat en fortsatt potential för makroalger som ett råmaterial för biobaserade trälim som tar förbybarhet ett steg längre.

[Truncated abstract] Kelp beds of South-Western Australia have high alpha (within habitat) diversity, through high species turnover at small spatial scales. The E. radiata canopy has a strong negative influence on the diversity of the understorey through intense interspecific competition for light. Literature suggests that when the competitively dominant species such as E. radiata are physically removed, diversity will increase, as less competitive species become more abundant. Apart from disturbance, evidence suggests that reef topography at the 1-10 m vertical scale also has an influence on the structure of the kelp beds, particularly in reference to relative abundance of canopy algae and species richness of the assemblage. In this thesis, I explore the role of algal assemblage recovery from physical disturbance to maintain high diversity. I also investigate the influence of reef structure (in terms of topography at the 1-10 m vertical scale) on assemblage recovery. This thesis provides a valuable functional explanation for the high diversity observed in South-Western algal assemblages. In addition, it explores the influence of reef topography which has received little attention to date . . . Overall, this thesis argues that the high alpha diversity in algal assemblages of South-Western Australia is due to local scale processes including disturbance and assemblage recovery which generate diversity by the creation of species rich gap states and by phase-shifts during the recovery process, creating a mosaic of different patch types. Assemblage recovery is composed of several processes, including survival of juvenile kelp sporophytes and canopy shading, added to macroalgal diversity through spatial and temporal variation in their outcomes. Reef topography contributed to algal diversity by influencing the processes associated with assemblage recovery through alteration of key physical variables including light levels and water motion.

Brown macroalgae or brown seaweed is a promising source of ethanol that may avoid the challenges of arable land use, water use, lignin content, and the food vs. fuel debate associated with first generation and cellulosic ethanol sources; however, this promise is challenged by seaweed’s high water content, high ash content, and natural composition fluctuations. Notably, lifecycle studies of seaweed ethanol are lacking in the literature. To address this gap, a well-to-wheel model of ethanol production from farmed brown seaweed was constructed and applied to the case of Saccharina latissima farming in British Columbia (BC), Canada, to determine energy return on energy invested (EROI), carbon intensity (CI), and near shore seaweed farming production potential for seaweed ethanol and to examine the production cost of seaweed ethanol. Seaweed farming and ethanol production were modeled based on current BC farming methods and the dry grind corn ethanol production process; animal feed was included as an ethanol co-product, and co-product credits were considered. A seaweed ethanol yield calculation tool that accounts for seaweed composition was proposed, and a sensitivity study was done to examine case study data assumptions. In the case study, seaweed ethanol had lower CI than sugarcane, wheat, and corn ethanol at 10.1 gCO2e/MJ, and it had an EROI comparable to corn ethanol at 1.78. Seaweed ethanol was potentially profitable due to significant revenue from animal feed sales; however, the market for seaweed animal feed was limited by the feed’s high sodium content. Near shore seaweed farming could meet the current demand for ethanol in BC, but world near shore ethanol potential is likely an order of magnitude lower than world ethanol production and two orders of magnitude lower than world gasoline production. Composition variation and a limited harvest season make solar thermal or geothermal seaweed drying and storage necessary for ethanol production in BC. Varying seaweed composition, solar thermal drying performance, co-product credits, the type of animal feed produced, transport distances, and seaweed farming performance in the sensitivity study gave an EROI of over 200 and a CI of -42 gCO2e/MJ in the best case and an EROI of 0.64 and CI of 33 gCO2e/MJ in the worst case. Co-product credits and the type of animal feed produced had the most significant effect overall, and the worst cases of seaweed composition and solar thermal seaweed drying system performance resulted in EROI of 0.64 and 1.0 respectively. Brown seaweed is concluded to be a potentially profitable source of ethanol with climate benefits that surpass current ethanol sources; however, additional research into seaweed animal feed value, co-product credits, large scale seaweed conversion, and the feasibility of solar thermal or geothermal seaweed drying is required to confirm this conclusion. / Graduate

<div>Biodiversity loss is the silent crisis of the 21st century. Human activities are drastically altering the diversity of life on Earth, yet the extent of this transformation is shrouded by our limited information on biodiversity and how it is changing. Emerging technologies may be suited to fill this information gap, and as a result increase our capacity to measure and manage natural systems. Acoustic monitoring is a remote sensing technique that is rapidly reshaping the temporal and spatial scales with which we can assess animal biodiversity. Through recording and analyzing soundscapes—the collection of sounds occurring at a given place and time—we can assess biodiversity, habitat condition, and environmental change. However, the relationships between soundscapes and these three ecological dimensions are still in the early phases of categorization, especially in aquatic systems. </div><div><br></div><div>This dissertation investigates how soundscapes can be used to measure biodiversity, habitat condition, and environmental change in aquatic habitats. It addresses several knowledge gaps: First, I develop a framework for classifying unknown sounds within a soundscape, which I use to measure the acoustic diversity and dynamics within a tropical freshwater wetland. Second, I demonstrate that soundscapes can reflect the resilience of animal communities following disturbance events. Altered soundscapes revealed that Hurricane Maria, which swept through Puerto Rico in September 2017, impacted dry forest animal communities more than adjacent coral reef communities. Third, in kelp forest habitats off the coast of California, USA, I showed that soundscape variables correlated with ecological variables associated with regime shift in kelp forests, including urchin density, kelp cover, and fish diversity. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that soundscape recording and analysis is a promising way to assess the ecological conditions of aquatic systems. </div>

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What makes a community sustainable? Is it the effective management of local environmental resources? Or meeting the social, economic and health needs of its population? For the five UBC researchers in the following pages, the answer is unequivocally both. From tackling water scarcity to environmental health and planning, these researchers are individually working to ensure local communities are equipped with the necessary knowledge to remain sustainable for generations to come.