Comparison of TNT removal from seawater by three marine macroalgae.

Axenic plantlets derived from three species of marine macroalgae, the temperate green alga Acrosiphonia coalita, the temperate red alga Porphyra yezoensis, and the tropical red alga Portieria hornemannii, all possessed a similar metabolic route to remove the explosive compound 2,4,6-trinitrotolune (TNT) from seawater. At a biomass density of 1.2 g l(-1) and initial TNT concentrations of 10 mg l(-1) or less, TNT removal from seawater was 100% within 72 h for P.

Metabolic flux analysis of halogenated monoterpene biosynthesis in microplantlets of the macrophytic red alga Ochtodes secundiramea.

The bioprocess engineering of marine macroalgae (i.e. seaweeds) for the production of secondary metabolites is an emerging area of marine biotechnology.