Biomass of invasive plants as a resource for the development of the bioeconomy

The global spread of invasive plants is an important environmental problem and a real threat to biological diversity, with significant impacts on agriculture, forestry, and human and animal health. Invasive plant eradication produces large amounts of plant biomass, which should be safely utilized. The study reviews possibilities for using biomass of invasive plant species in the bioeconomy to safely convert them to items of value. Invasive plant biomass can be used as fuel or for energy production applying either biochemical or thermochemical processing technologies. The biomass of invasive plants also can be used for energy production or isolation of biologically active components. Invasive plants contain many groups of substances providing their defense potential against predators; these substances participate in metabolic regulation processes and others. Amongst the substances of interest for bioeconomy are lipids, polyphenols, alkaloids, carbohydrates, plant fibers, and essential oils. In the development of invasive plant biomass utilization strategies, the bio-based value pyramid and the waste hierarchy should be considered. Scientific sound strategies of invasive plant management will limit their spread and provide economic benefits via their eradication.