Algae Biofuel: Why Not Now?
A Strategic Technology Assessment
Algae biofuel is either just around the corner or off in the distant future. Which? We used a patented technology mapping process from Emerging Tech Insights, Inc. to answer the question and to Get Beyond the Hype® in algae biofuels.
Based on our analysis, algae biofuel or biodiesel does appear to be poised to disrupt the liquid fuel business. Commercial sales are quietly beginning in “specialty” markets. Our analysis of the technology landscape shows that there are few technological barriers. For most process steps, well characterized methods can be drawn from a parallel industry. Only large-scale culture systems need further “standardization” to enable a large-scale algae biofuel industry to break out, and even here a limited number of well-defined options already exist.
Our analysis clearly shows the adjacent markets that can serve as outlets for algae biofuel “waste” products, reducing scrap costs. Adjacent markets can also serve to finance biofuel market development.
When an algae biofuel industry breaks out, we believe that existing smaller players will begin to consolidate and our cutting-edge models suggest combinations of companies where intellectual property enhancements might exist.
When a large scale algae biofuel industry does break out, we also believe that winners will include the equipment and chemical suppliers for “standardized” ponds and bioreactors, new aqua culture farmers, suppliers of extraction equipment and chemicals, certain real estate holders and the investors and managers who made it all happen.
If you are considering investment in the algae biofuel area, this report will help you decide where to invest your R&D effort or where an acquisition or partnership might be the best approach. It will give you an inside look at existing competitors and where they are investing today and what they may have already abandoned.
You don’t need to take our word for it. With this report, you also gain access to the unique technology landscape model from which the conclusions were drawn.
Algae biofuel is either just around the corner or off in the distant future. Which? We used a patented technology mapping process from Emerging Tech Insights, Inc. to answer the question and to Get Beyond the Hype® in algae biofuels.
Based on our analysis, algae biofuel or biodiesel does appear to be poised to disrupt the liquid fuel business. Commercial sales are quietly beginning in “specialty” markets. Our analysis of the technology landscape shows that there are few technological barriers. For most process steps, well characterized methods can be drawn from a parallel industry. Only large-scale culture systems need further “standardization” to enable a large-scale algae biofuel industry to break out, and even here a limited number of well-defined options already exist.
Our analysis clearly shows the adjacent markets that can serve as outlets for algae biofuel “waste” products, reducing scrap costs. Adjacent markets can also serve to finance biofuel market development.
When an algae biofuel industry breaks out, we believe that existing smaller players will begin to consolidate and our cutting-edge models suggest combinations of companies where intellectual property enhancements might exist.
When a large scale algae biofuel industry does break out, we also believe that winners will include the equipment and chemical suppliers for “standardized” ponds and bioreactors, new aqua culture farmers, suppliers of extraction equipment and chemicals, certain real estate holders and the investors and managers who made it all happen.
If you are considering investment in the algae biofuel area, this report will help you decide where to invest your R&D effort or where an acquisition or partnership might be the best approach. It will give you an inside look at existing competitors and where they are investing today and what they may have already abandoned.
You don’t need to take our word for it. With this report, you also gain access to the unique technology landscape model from which the conclusions were drawn.
1 INTRODUCTION: ALGAE BIOFUEL READY FOR PRIME TIME?
Figure 1-1. Algae Biofuels
Figure 1-2. Business S-curve for algae biofuel.
2 THE TECHNOLOGY MAPPING PROCESS AND DATABASE
Figure 2-1. Process for Technology Mapping.
Table 2-1. Search Terms Employed
3 ALGAE BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGY IS GROWING WORLDWIDE
Figure 3-1. Patenting Activity & Agency
4 ALGAE BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGY & MULTIPLE ALGAE PRODUCT MARKETS
Figure 4-1. Markets adjacent to algae biofuel from IPC codes
Figure 4-2. Main keywords and keyword phrases- network picture
Figure 4-3. Algae Biofuel Process Flow Diagram
Figure 4-4. Categories in the Model and the number of patents
Table 4-1. Keywords from text clustering
5 WHICH ALGAE FOR FUELS?
Figure 5-1. Algae biofuel process flow chart
Figure 5-2. A Vitality Plot: relative activity of algae species & end products
Figure 5-4. Patenting activity for Chlorella
Figure 5-3. Network analysis of algae vs biofuel end products
Figure 5-5. Patenting activity for Dunaliea
Table 5-1. Algae Species & Types in the Technology Landscape
Table 5-2. Fuel End Products in the Algae Species Analysis
Table 5-3. Companies Claiming Algae Species
6 ALGAE BIOFUEL AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
Figure 6-1. Count of patents in each category
Figure 6-2. Visual Index of genetic sequencing activity
7 CULTIVATING ALGAE FOR BIOFUEL
Figure 7-1. Cultivation of the selected algae crop is the next step
Figure 7-2. Cultivation Equipment
Figure 7-3. Patenting patterns-bioreactor, photobioreactor, pond & raceway
Table 7-1. Top 25 Players in each reactor type
Table 7-2. Groups participating in more than one reactor segment
Table 7-3. Bioreactors vs Pond or Raceway
8 HARVESTING AND DEWATERING - CONCENTRATING THE ALGAE CROP
Figure 8-1. Harvesting of the selected algae crop is the next step
Figure 8-2. Algae harvesting and separation methods
Table 8-1. Companies Participating in the Harvesting Segments
9 OIL EXTRACTION – BIOFUEL RAW MATERIAL
Figure 9-1. Oil extraction is the next step
Figure 9-2. Algae cell extraction methods
Figure 9-3. Cell extraction VI-solvent extraction highlighted
Figure 9-4. Solvent extraction Visual Index
10 LEADERS AND PARINGS – A GROWTH BY ACQUISITION STRATEGY
Table 10-1. Segments in Active Screening Model
Table 10-2. Active Screening Model Results &Company Paring Model
11 REGULATIONS IN ALGAE BIOFUELS
12 ALGAE BIOFUELS – DISCUSSION, MARKET SCENARIOS AND CONCLUSIONS
Figure 11-1. Technology Stack for DSM-IP (Martek) + Auroa Biofuels + Accudyne Systems
Figure 11-2. Technology Stack: Solarzyme + U. California
Figure 11-3. Technology Stack for a proposed university consortium
Figure 11-4. Technology Stack for a proposed consortium of “traditional big oil”
Figure 11-5. The business S-curve again
APPENDIX 1 – ACCESSING THE TECHNOLOGY MODEL
APPENDIX 2 - POND VOLUME VS. PBR TANK SIZE
REFERENCES
LEGAL NOTICES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Figure 1-1. Algae Biofuels
Figure 1-2. Business S-curve for algae biofuel.
2 THE TECHNOLOGY MAPPING PROCESS AND DATABASE
Figure 2-1. Process for Technology Mapping.
Table 2-1. Search Terms Employed
3 ALGAE BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGY IS GROWING WORLDWIDE
Figure 3-1. Patenting Activity & Agency
4 ALGAE BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGY & MULTIPLE ALGAE PRODUCT MARKETS
Figure 4-1. Markets adjacent to algae biofuel from IPC codes
Figure 4-2. Main keywords and keyword phrases- network picture
Figure 4-3. Algae Biofuel Process Flow Diagram
Figure 4-4. Categories in the Model and the number of patents
Table 4-1. Keywords from text clustering
5 WHICH ALGAE FOR FUELS?
Figure 5-1. Algae biofuel process flow chart
Figure 5-2. A Vitality Plot: relative activity of algae species & end products
Figure 5-4. Patenting activity for Chlorella
Figure 5-3. Network analysis of algae vs biofuel end products
Figure 5-5. Patenting activity for Dunaliea
Table 5-1. Algae Species & Types in the Technology Landscape
Table 5-2. Fuel End Products in the Algae Species Analysis
Table 5-3. Companies Claiming Algae Species
6 ALGAE BIOFUEL AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
Figure 6-1. Count of patents in each category
Figure 6-2. Visual Index of genetic sequencing activity
7 CULTIVATING ALGAE FOR BIOFUEL
Figure 7-1. Cultivation of the selected algae crop is the next step
Figure 7-2. Cultivation Equipment
Figure 7-3. Patenting patterns-bioreactor, photobioreactor, pond & raceway
Table 7-1. Top 25 Players in each reactor type
Table 7-2. Groups participating in more than one reactor segment
Table 7-3. Bioreactors vs Pond or Raceway
8 HARVESTING AND DEWATERING - CONCENTRATING THE ALGAE CROP
Figure 8-1. Harvesting of the selected algae crop is the next step
Figure 8-2. Algae harvesting and separation methods
Table 8-1. Companies Participating in the Harvesting Segments
9 OIL EXTRACTION – BIOFUEL RAW MATERIAL
Figure 9-1. Oil extraction is the next step
Figure 9-2. Algae cell extraction methods
Figure 9-3. Cell extraction VI-solvent extraction highlighted
Figure 9-4. Solvent extraction Visual Index
10 LEADERS AND PARINGS – A GROWTH BY ACQUISITION STRATEGY
Table 10-1. Segments in Active Screening Model
Table 10-2. Active Screening Model Results &Company Paring Model
11 REGULATIONS IN ALGAE BIOFUELS
12 ALGAE BIOFUELS – DISCUSSION, MARKET SCENARIOS AND CONCLUSIONS
Figure 11-1. Technology Stack for DSM-IP (Martek) + Auroa Biofuels + Accudyne Systems
Figure 11-2. Technology Stack: Solarzyme + U. California
Figure 11-3. Technology Stack for a proposed university consortium
Figure 11-4. Technology Stack for a proposed consortium of “traditional big oil”
Figure 11-5. The business S-curve again
APPENDIX 1 – ACCESSING THE TECHNOLOGY MODEL
APPENDIX 2 - POND VOLUME VS. PBR TANK SIZE
REFERENCES
LEGAL NOTICES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
