Energy potential, biomass aquatic

The list of plants, by-products and waste materials that can potentially be used as feedstock is almost endless. Major resources in biomass include agricultural crops and their waste by-products, lignocellulosic products such as wood and wood waste, waste from food processing and aquatic plants and algae and effluents produced in the human habitat. Moderately dried wastes such as wood residue, wood scrap and urban garbage can be directly burned as fuel. Energy from water-containing biomass... 

One reason why interest in aquatic biomass has developed so rapidly, and with such driving force, is that algae are better converters of solar energy (T = 6-8% under natural conditions, up to 9-10% in bioreactors) than are terrestrial plants (T = 1.5—2.2%), and also have a better potential for fuel production diversification... 

Taken together, whilst aquatic biomass represents an interesting source of chemicals and energy, additional accurate investigations must be conducted before its true potential is revealed. 

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