Algae potential for the energy and chemistry sectors in France by 2030

To address environmental and climate issues, alternative technologies to fossil resources are sought after, to produce both fuels and chemicals. Algae appear as an attractive solution and have applications in the food, feed, energy or chemistry sectors at large.

The study, funded by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME, Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energy) and conducted by Enea Consulting in partnership with the National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (INRIA, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique), assessed the potential of algal French resources (micro- and macroalgae) for the production of advanced biofuels and molecules of interest (bioplastic, nutrients etc.) in 2030. This assessment was based on a model of French national resources (physical production potential without the use of agricultural land), today’s knowledge of the markets concerned and their projection to 2030.

The analysis shows a physical potential output of up to 9% of the French biodiesel consumption in 2030 and enough to supply many European markets in algal bio-products. R&D efforts are however required to achieve sufficient technical and economic performance to fully exploit this potential.