Mangrove forestation for CO₂ sequestration, sustainable renewable energy and high-value carbons

This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted domain of mangrove biomass, focusing on cultivation, characterization, and utilization for carbon sequestration along with sustainable energy and value-added materials production. The ecological significance of mangroves and initiatives to boost their growth are also highlighted. Despite their crucial role in the global carbon cycle, quantifying and characterizing mangrove biomass poses challenges, emphasizing the necessity for advanced analytical techniques, which are addressed. The potential applications of mangrove biomass in biofuels, composite materials, nanoparticles, and adsorbent materials are explored, focusing on biomass gasification as an environmentally friendly process. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is also discussed for converting diverse biomass feedstocks into liquid biofuels. As a case review, the mangrove forestation initiatives of Bahrain are addressed. Due to land reclamation, the mangrove covering decreased from 328 ha to 48 ha during 1967–2020. The mangroves’ overall carbon storage decreased from 34,932.2 Mg C ha⁻¹ to 5112 Mg C ha⁻¹. Thus, the potential carbon sequestration dropped from 128,200.44 Mg CO₂ equivalent ha⁻¹ to 18,761.04 Mg CO₂ equivalent ha⁻¹. The Bahraini effort intends to double mangroves by 2035 as part of its ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions by 50 % by that year, which supports the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.