From ocean to meadow: A circular bioeconomy by transforming seaweed, seagrass, grass, and straw waste into high-value products

Biomass waste, both aquatic (seagrass and seaweed) and terrestrial (grass and straw), represents a valuable resource with potential for high-value product creation. This paper reveals the potential across pharmaceuticals, food and feed, chemicals, performance materials, and energy. Notably, chemicals and performance materials offer the greatest value creation potential for both biomass types. Although aquatic and terrestrial biomasses can be used for similar final products, their journey from-waste-to-product differ, facing different facets of barriers such as low local technology readiness and high investment and operational costs. Conversely, the main enablers of this value recovery include increased sustainability and low feedstock costs. Here we also reflect that the value of biomass needs to be rethought, going beyond economic benefits.