Regulations, Policy Framework and Acts Related with the Application of Marine Biomass/Recycling in Different Countries

Civilisation and urbanisation have generated a great amount of pollutants through their accompanied processes such as agriculture and industrialisation. Most of these wastes from various components of the environment end up in water bodies, thereby contaminating the marine ecosystem. The ocean ecosystem has varying levels of biomass at different trophic levels. There are numerous sectors where biomass is generated and processed, which include forestry, agriculture, marine, and other bio-based industrial processes. This marine biomass has the potential of usage as raw materials in various processes such as energy generation. The management and recycling of marine biomass is paramount but must however be regulated due to the environmental impacts of their associated wastes. As a result of this, governments in various nations of the world have put forward pragmatic policies and regulatory standards for checkmating the use of marine biomass as well as the recycling processes. This chapter discusses the various regulations, acts and policy frameworks that are connected with the usage of marine biomass and recycling in various countries. It presents the sources and types of marine biomass. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of some of the policies. The numerous challenges associated with compliance with the existing policies in some countries are also examined.