Excerpt from Algae 2020 study on Macro-Algae. An increasing number of petrochemical majors including Dupont, Statoil, and ENAP believe harvesting sugars from macroalgae is an attractive investment as a next-generation, sea-based feedstock for advanced Biofuels. published in Biofuels International and Biofuels Digest. By consulting firm Emerging Markets Online www.emerging-markets.com

1. algae biofuels
�������������������������
�������������
����������������
������������������������
�������������
����������������
�����������������������������������������
Macroalgae attracts greater investment for sugar-based ethanol, advanced biofuels,
drop-in fuels and biochemicals
Seaweed: A new
wave of investment
in macro-algae
F An increasing number
or more than 100 related projects prior to 2010
years, China and focused on ethanol. However,
Asian nations have since 2010, the entrance of
grown seaweed of petrochemical majors oil and petrochemical majors
also known as macro-algae Dupont, Statoil and ENAP
at a large industrial scale including Dupont, Statoil, are expressing an increased
for the production of food, interest in extracting sugars
animal feed, pharmaceutical and ENAP believe harvesting from seaweed to create not
remedies, and cosmetic just ethanol, but also drop-in
purposes. An emerging sugars from macroalgae fuels, biochemicals and other
rise in investment from valuable co products such as
petrochemical majors and is an attractive investment biobutanol and oleochemicals.
governments for projects in This follows a key trend by
Asia, Europe and the Americas
aims at extracting sugars
as a next-generation, Shell and BP investing $12
and $8 billion respectively in
from seaweed for ethanol,
bio-based diesel, advanced
sea-based feedstock for sugar-based conglomerates
in Brazil to produce ethanol,
biofuels, drop-in fuels,
biobutanol, biochemicals
advanced Biofuels bio-butanol, drop-in fuels, and
bio-based chemical products.
and biopolymers. Emerging Markets Online’s
Why Macro-Algae? A agree seaweed grows faster lignin, can be easily harvested updated Algae 2020 study
new study, Algae 2020, Vol than terrestrial crops, has compared to microalgae, finds the surging investments
2 (October, 2010 update) a high sugar content for requires no pretreatment for in extracting sugars from
finds phycology experts conversion to ethanol and ethanol production, and can seaweed follows an emerging
and petrochemical majors advanced biofuels, absorbs be harvested up to six times microbial ‘sugar to biofuels’
from Korea, the Philippines, more airborne carbon than a year in warm climates. trend in the Americas in
Norway, the US and Chile land-based plants, has no Most macro-algae biofuel Brazil for ethanol, biobutanol,
biofuels international october 2010 65

2. biofuels algae
����������������������
����������
������������
��������������������
����������
������������
�������������������������������������
and advanced biofuels. In Emerging projects in macro-algae
September 2010, Bunge and Project and partners Products Description
Sources: Emerging Markets Online, Algae 2020 study Vol. 2, Biofuels Digest, industry journals and papers
Chevron invested in US-based
Solazyme to create renewable South Korea National Ethanol Korea - $275 million (€210) project over 10 years to produce
algae-based oils using sugar as Energy Ministry nearly 400 million gallons a year of ethanol by 2020, approximately
a feedstock. In addition, LS9, 13% of South Korea’s consumption. The project will create an
offshore seaweed forest approximately 86,000 acres in size.
Amyris, and Virent aim to use
plant-based sugars to produce City of Venice JV with Algae Biofuel Italy - €200 million project announced in March 2009 by the
bio-based diesel, drop-in fuels, Port Authority and for Electric city of Venice to capture algae seaweed and generate 40 MW
biogasoline, biojet, biobutanol, Electric Power Plant Power of power from algae biofuel to supply up to half of the city’s
biochemicals and bioplastics. power supply and for to port facilities and docked ships in the
harbour. The project will also cultivate microalgae in closed
Will sea-based sugars
photobioreactors to generate biomass for power generation.
from macro-algae provide a
new feedstock for advanced Biomara / Scotland’s Algal Biofuels Scotland - $8 million from Scotland’s Energy Ministry, the EU’s
biofuels, drop in fuels and Ministry of Energy INTERREG IVA Programme, and Crown Estate in April 2009 to investigate
biochemicals for these seaweed and microalgae strains for commercial scale production.
emerging sugar-based,
Chilean Economic Ethanol Chile - $7 million investment in 2010 in a seaweed-based
infrastructure compatible Development bio-ethanol project lead by US-based BAL in collaboration
biofuels and chemicals Corporation (CORFO) with Chilean oil company ENAP, CORFO and the Universidad
platforms? Evidently, an and Bio-Architecture de Los Lagos. The project goal is to replace 5% of Chile’s
increasing number of Lab (BAL) petrol consumption with 165 million litres of ethanol.
petrochemical majors
Phillipines National Ethanol and Philippines - $5 million from the Philippines government
including Dupont, Statoil, Government, Korean biofuels to develop a 250 acre, seaweed-based ethanol plant and
and ENAP believe harvesting Institute for Industrial aquafarm cluster. The aquafarms will be in 4 locations and
sugars from macroalgae Technology. will use a South Korean ethanol extraction technology
is an attractive investment developed at the Korean Institute for Industrial Technology.
as a next-generation,
Statoil and Bio- Ethanol and Norway – starting in late 2010, Statoil will fund BAL’s R&D and
sea-based feedstock for Architecture Lab (BAL) Co-Products demonstration projects in Norway with the goal of commercialisation
advanced biofuels, drop- (Oils, Proteins, of BAL’s technology in Norway and in Europe. BAL will use its
in fuels, biochemicals, Iodine) process technology will convert seaweed from Statoil’s aquafarming
and biopolymers. ● operations into ethanol and co-products in the partnership.
For more information: Dupont/BAL Biobutanol, USA - $9 million US-based Advanced Research Projects
This article was written by Will (Bio-Architechture Lab) Sugars for Administration Energy (DOE) announced in Spring 2010 funding
Thurmond, CEO of Emerging Advanced and to support a DuPont/BAL macroalgae project aimed at supplying
Markets Online, author of Algae Drop-In Fuels biobutanol to be marketed by Butamax, the BP-DuPont JV
2020, www.emerging-markets.com
TSM House ad
66 october 2010 biofuels international