Applications

Currently, algae production primarily targets food and feed markets. These activities will remain important and will surely grow. Yet, we expect that algae production for non-food purposes will prove even more important within a decade or so, both in tonnage and economic value. Given their unequalled growing rate among photosynthetic organisms, algae hold great promise for the cost efficient large scale production of biofuels, bulk & commodity chemicals and fine chemicals.

Bulk Chemicals
The chemical industry is a highly energy intensive one. In the Netherlands, it represents some 25% of total energy consumption in the form of fossil input and energy that is needed to convert it into bulk, commodity and fine chemicals.
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Fine Chemicals
For fine chemicals, the same advantages in using biomass versus fossil feedstock apply as those outlined under Bulk & Commodity Chemicals. Here it is even more important to match the desired fine chemical to specific algae sources that happen to contain said fine chemical or near precursors thereof.
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Food & Feed
The composition of a number of microalgae is compared with food sources. It is shown that microalgae are rich in proteins. Carbohydrates and lipids in microalgae are especially interesting because of the functionality of these ingredients, such as the high concentration of ω-3 fatty acids.
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Energy
Biodiesel derived from oil crops is a potential renewable and carbon neutral alternative to petroleum fuels. Microalgae, like higher plants, produce storage lipids in the form of triacyglycerols (TAGs), which can be used to synthesize fatty acid methyl esters (a substitute for fossil-derived diesel fuel).
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