TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The product comprises a polymer (biodegradable and/or bioerodable) or a fuel-grade oil (biodiesel) (preferred). The polysaccharide comprises starch. The polymer comprises an aliphatic polyester, or a homopolymer/copolymer of lactic acid or lactide (preferably poly(lactic acid) or polylactide homopolymer). The gas introduced in the introducing step comprises combustion gas derived from a power generating apparatus and/or an incinerator. (I) within the photobioreactor comprises an alga. The biomass comprises algal biomass. The feed gas comprises combustion gas derived from a power generating apparatus and/or incinerator. The dried biomass product comprises a dried algal biomass product.Preferred Method: The method comprising converting step further comprises: isolating a polymer (comprises a polysaccharide) from (II); reacting the starch to form the product; using (II) and/or one or more components generated and/or isolated from (II) as a nutrient source in a fermentation; and synthesizing the product from a substance (lactic acid, lactate salts and/or lactate esters) produced by the fermentation. The method comprises establishing a flow of the liquid medium comprising (I) within the photobioreactor. The method further comprises: calculating a first exposure interval of (I) to the light at an intensity sufficient to drive photosynthesis and a second exposure interval of (I) to dark or to the light at an intensity insufficient to drive photosynthesis required to yield a selected growth rate of (I) within the photobioreactor and controlling the flow of the liquid medium within the photobioreactor based on the exposure intervals determined in the calculating step; performing a simulation of liquid flow patterns within the photobioreactor and, from the simulation, determining a first exposure interval of (I) to light at an intensity sufficient to drive photosynthesis and a second exposure interval of (I) to dark or to light at an intensity insufficient to drive photosynthesis, calculating a predicted growth rate of (I) from the first exposure interval and the second exposure interval, within the photobioreactor and controlling the flow of the liquid medium within the photobioreactor so as to yield a selected first exposure interval and a second exposure interval of (I) to achieve a desired predicted growth rate as determined in the calculating step; and introducing a stream of gas to be treated to the photobioreactor and at least partially removing from the gas with the photobioreactor CO2 and/or NOx. The predicted growth rate calculated in the calculating step from the first and second exposure intervals is determined utilizing a mathematical model that simulates the growth rate of the photosynthetic organisms when exposed to alternating periods of exposure to light at an intensity sufficient to drive photosynthesis and exposure to light at an intensity insufficient to drive photosynthesis. The establishing step comprises: introducing a first stream of a gas to be treated by the photobioreactor to a first gas sparger configured and positioned to introduce the gas stream into a first conduit of the photobioreactor; introducing a second stream of the gas to be treated by the photobioreactor to a second gas sparger configured and positioned to introduce the gas stream into a second conduit of the photobioreactor; inducing the liquid medium to flow in the first conduit in a direction that is counter-current to a direction of flow of gas bubbles formed from the first stream of gas introduced into the first conduit; and inducing the liquid medium to flow in the second conduit in a direction that is co-current to a direction of a flow of gas bubbles formed from the second stream of gas introduced into the second conduit. The photobioreactor is supplied with a feed gas comprising CO2 and/or NOx, in which at least one is partially removed from the feed gas by (I) during biomass production in the photobioreactor. The method of facilitating the production of a polymer and the conversion of (II) into a product further comprises providing instructions for generating and/or directions to generate the polymer and/or other product comprising at least one organic molecule from (II). The transforming step comprises: either converting at least a portion of (II) into the product; or isolating the product from (II).