Sustainable Seaweed Biotechnology Solutions for Carbon Capture, Composition, and Deconstruction

Seaweeds or macroalgae are attractive candidates for carbon capture, while also supplying a sustainable photosynthetic bioenergy feedstock, thanks to their cultivation potential in offshore marine farms. Seaweed cultivation requires minimal external nutrient requirements and allows for year-round production of biomass. Despite this potential, there remain significant challenges associated with realizing large-scale, sustainable agronomics, as well as in the development of an efficient biomass deconstruction and conversion platform to fuels and products. Recent biotechnology progress in the identification of enzymatic de- construction pathways, tailored to complex polymers in seaweeds, opens up op- portunities for more complete utilization of seaweed biomass components. Effective, scalable, and economically viable conversion processes tailored to seaweed are discussed and gaps are identified for yield and efficiency improvements.