Recent Advances in Invasive Aquatic Plant Biomass Pretreatments for Value Addition

Plant biomass, one of the most abundant and renewable resources obtained from plants has gained much interest among researchers. Recently, more attention has shifted towards aquatic plant biomass as a potential alternative feedstock for producing bioenergy and other high-value products. Regardless of the low lignin content, invasive aquatic plant (IAP) biomass should undergo pretreatments to disrupt the recalcitrant supramolecular structure to minimize the conversion time, operational cost, and ensure optimal yield. Three major types of Lignocellulosic biomass (LB) pretreatments including physical, chemical, and biological are predominantly applied independently or in combination depending on the type of biomass. This review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method for the compilation of existing literature on aquatic plant biomass pretreatment. A total of 185 peer-reviewed articles on the pretreatment of aquatic LB published between the year 2018 to 2022 were retrieved from the Elsevier, MDPI, and Springer databases. This study revealed the water hyacinth (WH) as the most researched IAP and thus identifies the need for more studies on a variety of IAPs that have proven to produce high-value products and biofuels that are comparable to petroleum products. [GRAPHICS]

Automated summary

Plant biomass, especially aquatic plant biomass, has gained significant attention for its potential as an alternative feedstock for bioenergy production. Pretreatment of invasive aquatic plant biomass is necessary to improve the conversion efficiency and yield. This review analyzed existing literature on the pretreatment of aquatic lignocellulosic biomass, highlighting the need for further research on different types of aquatic plants to explore their potential for producing high-value products and biofuels.