Valorization of Beach-Cast Biomass from the Invasive Seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae on the Moroccan Coast: A Comparative Assessment of Extraction Conditions for Sodium Alginate Recovery
Abstract
Rugulopteryx okamurae is an aggressively invasive seaweed whose proliferation along the Moroccan coastline represents both an ecological problem and an underexploited source of biomass. This work highlights the isolation of sodium alginate from R. okamurae under four combinations of acid pretreatment and alkaline (carbonate) extraction conditions. The extracted alginates were characterized by determining the extraction yield and analyzing their structural features using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR). Alginate yields ranged from 11 to ~16% (dry weight), and the highest yield 15.85 ± 0.66% dw was obtained with acidification treatments of 2 h at 40 • C and alkaline extraction at 60 • C over 5 h. FTIR analysis confirmed the sodium alginate structure and suggested the absence of detectable sulfate polysaccharide (fucoidan) contamination, as evidenced by the absence of a S=O band. 1 H NMR analysis revealed a guluronate rich polymer within the four used protocols, highlighting its potential to form a strong and rigid gel. The present study highlights the alien R. okamurae as a viable source of high guluronate sodium alginate and clarifies how extraction conditions might shape its yields.
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BibTeX
@article{kamal2026valorization,
title = {{Valorization of Beach-Cast Biomass from the Invasive Seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae on the Moroccan Coast: A Comparative Assessment of Extraction Conditions for Sodium Alginate Recovery}},
author = {Khansae Kamal and Zahira Belattmania and Fouad Bentiss and Charafeddine Jama and Abdellatif Chaouti and Valérie Stiger-Pouvreau and Brahim Sabour},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27177898},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05758509v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Valorization of Beach-Cast Biomass from the Invasive Seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae on the Moroccan Coast: A Comparative Assessment of Extraction Conditions for Sodium Alginate Recovery
AU - Khansae Kamal
AU - Zahira Belattmania
AU - Fouad Bentiss
AU - Charafeddine Jama
AU - Abdellatif Chaouti
AU - Valérie Stiger-Pouvreau
AU - Brahim Sabour
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/04
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27177898
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05758509v1
AB - Rugulopteryx okamurae is an aggressively invasive seaweed whose proliferation along the Moroccan coastline represents both an ecological problem and an underexploited source of biomass. This work highlights the isolation of sodium alginate from R. okamurae under four combinations of acid pretreatment and alkaline (carbonate) extraction conditions. The extracted alginates were characterized by determining the extraction yield and analyzing their structural features using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR). Alginate yields ranged from 11 to ~16% (dry weight), and the highest yield 15.85 ± 0.66% dw was obtained with acidification treatments of 2 h at 40 • C and alkaline extraction at 60 • C over 5 h. FTIR analysis confirmed the sodium alginate structure and suggested the absence of detectable sulfate polysaccharide (fucoidan) contamination, as evidenced by the absence of a S=O band. 1 H NMR analysis revealed a guluronate rich polymer within the four used protocols, highlighting its potential to form a strong and rigid gel. The present study highlights the alien R. okamurae as a viable source of high guluronate sodium alginate and clarifies how extraction conditions might shape its yields.
SN - 1661-6596
SN - 1422-0067
ER -