Dataset from the life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of net and longline nearshore Saccharina latissima cultivation systems

Seaweed cultivation is considered a potential tool to face the environmental pressures derived from the intensification of global food demand. This article presents a dataset supporting a comparative sustainability assessment of two nearshore cultivation systems, longline and tube-net, for Saccharina latissima in Danish waters. In this work, a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to quantify the environmental performance of two main nearshore cultivation systems: traditional longline and tube-net setup. The system boundary includes the whole life cycle of the seaweed production until the harvest, excluding the distribution and end-of-life stages. The dataset is based on empirical pilot-scale data collected at two cultivation sites in Limfjorden (Denmark) and scaled to a reference farm area of 18.75 ha. Foreground data were obtained from pilot cultivation sites located in Limfjorden (Denmark), while background data were sources from Ecoinvent 3.10 and AGRIBALYSE v3.1.1. Environmental impacts are presented for several categories included in the ReCiPe (H) 2016 method, covering a wide range of environmental impacts. Results are provided for multiple functional units, including per cultivation site per year, per hectare, per kg fresh biomass, per kg dry biomass, and per meter of cultivation infrastructure. Moreover, a Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) with a 7% discount rate and several seaweed prices is included, evaluated over a 10-year project horizon using Net Present Value (NPV). The dataset includes detailed Life Cycle Inventories (LCI), Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) results, techno-economic calculations, and modelling assumptions, enabling transparency, reproducibility, and reuse in future environmental and economic assessments of seaweed cultivation systems.