USE OF MACROALGAE FOR MARINE BIOMASS PRODUCTION AND CO2 REMEDIATION -A REVIEW

Biomass production from macroalgae has been viewed as important mainly because of the need for pollution abatement. Environmental considerat ions will increasingly determine product and process acceptability and drive the next generation of economic opportunity. Some countries, in cluding Japan, are actively promoting ''green'' technologies that will be in demand worldwide in the coming decades. Should an international agreement on CO2-reduction be ratified, its effective use for energy production would be of high priority. This report shows that macroalga e have great potential for biomass production and CO2 bioremediation. Macroalgae have high productivity, as great or greater than the most p roductive land plants, and do not compete with terrestrial crops for f arm land. The review focuses on recent data on productivity, photosynt hesis, nutrient dynamics, optimization and economics. Biomass from mac roalgae promises to provide environmentally and economically feasible alternatives to fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the techniques and technol ogies for growing macroalgae on a large-scale and for converting feeds tocks to energy carriers must be more fully developed.