Production and Conversion of Green Macroalgae (<fi>Ulva</fi> spp.)

The bloom of Ulva (green tide) in eutrophic oceans has become a large environmental concern in many shallow coastal regions of the world. Biomass obtained through harvesting Ulva is, however, one of several promising seaweed feedstocks, since it grows very fast. This chapter summarizes the production and conversion processes for utilization of Ulva biomass. The first section introduces the intensive land-based culturing system for Ulva biomass based on the practical production of the edible seaweed Ulva prolifera. The second section describes microwave and hydrothermal treatments of Ulva biomass as an efficient process for conversion of wet Ulva biomass into valuable compounds.