Life cycle assessment of an innovative seabed cleaning platform for marine litter removal in aquatic ecosystems

Plastic consumption is projected to rise significantly over the coming decades, especially in developing economies, leading to increased plastic leakage into the environment and the accumulation of waste in ecosystems. Despite the urgent need to address this issue, the environmental implications of marine litter removal technologies have been largely unexplored. This paper addresses this gap by presenting the first comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Seabed Cleaning Platform, a novel cable-based underwater robot developed by TECNALIA to remove litter selectively and efficiently from the seabed and lower water column. The Seabed Cleaning Platform introduces significant advancements in marine litter removal by enabling a more efficient and cost-effective process. Its innovative design allows for selective and automated removal of identified debris, ranging from microplastics (>5 mm) to large items. Additionally, the system is designed to operate in a manner that benefits the marine ecosystem, mitigating the environmental impact of traditional clean-up efforts. The LCA provides an in-depth evaluation of the platform's environmental performance throughout its entire life cycle. Results indicate that the use and maintenance phases account for 70.9 % of the total environmental impact. Sensitivity analyses highlight optimization opportunities, such as increasing operational time and waste collection volume to reduce the environmental impact per unit of waste removed and replacing the generator with a smaller, more efficient model to minimize fuel consumption. This study marks an important step in applying LCA to emerging marine litter removal technologies. Unlike analyses focused exclusively on operational efficiency, this research quantifies the environmental trade-offs and scalability potential of the Seabed Cleaning Platform. These insights provide valuable information for improving the environmental performance of marine litter removal technologies and guide future developments in this field.