Abstract

In the Mediterranean region, every summer the beaches have to be cleaned and millions of tons of Posidonia oceanica waste (POW) is often removed and not exploited. POW is mainly composed of fibrous materials consisting of cellulose and hemicellulose and lignin, as well as a significant percentage of ash and phenolic compounds. A solution to this ecological problem could be the valorization of this available and renewable biomass for the production of environmentally friendly industrial products. This mini-review focuses on the utilization of POW as a valuable biomass resource. In particular, seven POW valorization treatment approaches are discussed in this paper with a focus on bioenergy and biomaterials. The use of cleaner technologies can offer improved performance and an asset for contribution on sustainable POW management.

Keywords

posidonia oceanica, biomass waste, valorisation, biotechnology, industrial products