Algae scores 'key role' in biofuel analysis

A report looking at the global algae market for the coming decade calls the ingredient increasingly important in its section of biofuel analysis.

Will Thurmond, author of Emerging Markets Online's Algae 2020, Vol 2 study, says: "Algae is serving an increasingly important role as an emerging solution to create drop-in replacement fuels such as renewable diesel, renewable gasoline and biojet fuel for commercial aviation."

He adds that there are immediate opportunities to use algae for the production of biopolymers and other environmentally friendly chemicals.

But Mr Thurmond concedes that pure algae-based generation of biodiesel is still some way off, adding that the petroleum industry is currently seeing the material used instead in the creation of biodegradable substitutes to resolve the key challenges that it faces elsewhere in its operations.

Algae is not the only ingredient to feature in recent biofuel analysis; MarketResearch.com recently published a report noting the importance of modified starches for the global industry, with China and India particular growth markets for the immediate future.