The European Commission bets on algae to reduce_CO2 emissions

The Commission has adopted the Communication “Towards a strong and sustainable EU algae sector”, a pioneering initiative to unlock the potential of algae in the European Union. The Communication proposes twenty-three actions to create the opportunities to turn this industry into a strong, sustainable and regenerative sector capable of meeting the growing demand of the EU, which is expected to reach 9,000 million euros in 2030. The document includes the role of algae as blue carbon sinks, and the development of algae biofuel standards, which can contribute to achieving the EU’s objectives in terms of decarbonisation.

The EU Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is the author of the proposal adopted by the Commission. “Towards a strong and sustainable EU algae sector” is the title of this Communication in which the European Commission states that the time has come to make the most of the potential of algae as a renewable resource in Europe, now that the need to ensure security of supply of raw materials and energy has become even more pressing following the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Resource depletion, a growing world population (we have already reached 8 billion human beings), environmental pressures and climate change, the Commission says, require a different approach to food and economic systems. “Making use of the vast and very little used resource that is the seas and the ocean”, is what the Commission proposes.

The European Union is one of the world’s largest importers of seaweed products, with demand expected to reach €9 billion by 2030, especially in sectors such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and energy production. However, the document argues, seaweed production is so far negligible on the continent, and that is why it proposes twenty-three actions with which to create the opportunities that turn this industry into a solid, sustainable and regenerative sector.

Twenty-three actions to boost the algae sector

The Commission identifies twenty-three actions aimed at improving business environments and the governance framework, increasing social awareness and consumer acceptance of algae and seaweed products, and closing knowledge, research and technology gaps.

Some of the key actions are as follows:

– Evaluate the market potential, efficiency and safety of algae-based materials when used in fertilizer products.
– Examine the algae market and propose mechanisms to stimulate it to support technology transfer from research to market.
– Finance pilot projects for retraining and support for SMEs and innovative projects in the algae sector.
– Conduct studies and discussions to gain a better understanding of, inter alia, the opportunities for climate change mitigation offered by algae and their role as blue carbon sinks, and define maximum levels of pollutants and iodine in algae.
– Support, through Horizon Europe and other EU research programmes, the development of new and improved algae processing systems, new production methods and algae farming systems.
– Promote awareness-raising actions and analyze the availability of data related to algae.

Algae biofuels

By the end of 2026, the European institutions, together with the European Centre for Standardisation (CEN), are challenged to develop algae biofuel standards and a certification methodology for algae biofuel products to be used in various transport sectors, in particular heavy road transport, aviation and maritime transport, as well as the development of innovation in biorefineries for the treatment of all macroalgae and microalgae biomass.

Reduction of_CO2 and other potentialities of algae

Algae have a wide variety of commercial applications, such as food, animal and fish feed, pharmaceuticals, eco-friendly packaging or biofuels.

The Commission says microalgae farming can help regenerate the ocean and seas by removing nutrients that cause eutrophication. It has a low carbon and environmental footprint and promising potential for carbon capture. Microalgae production can also take place on land and away from the sea. They are a source of carbon compounds and have applications in wastewater treatment and atmospheric_CO2 mitigation.

Seaweed aquaculture has the potential to provide many ecosystem services, including climate change mitigation, coastal protection, biodiversity preservation and improved water quality (EKLIPSE expert report).

In the context of the European Green Deal, this initiative plays an important role in turning current challenges related to the environment and climate into business opportunities, is one of the conclusions of the Communication.

A stronger European algae sector would therefore support the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy as we need to move towards more sustainable food systems and a more circular economy.

Next steps

The Commission will discuss the Communication with the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission will coordinate the implementation of the twenty-three actions with Member States, industry (e.g. through the EU4Algae Forum) and other stakeholders.

The Commission will prepare a report assessing the progress made in implementing the Communication, and will have it ready by the end of 2027.

Background

Marine territory and algae have been on the European Union’s agenda for some time. In 2019, the European Commission’s Blue Bioeconomy Forum published “Roadmap for the blue bioeconomy”. This roadmap concluded that the development of algae farming has been hampered by factors such as high production costs, small-scale production, limited knowledge of markets, consumer needs and the environmental impacts of seaweed farming, as well as a fragmented governance framework.

Following these conclusions, the Commission launched several algae-related initiatives, which are currently in the implementation or planning phase (2021-2023), such as the European Algae Stakeholder Forum (EU4Algae Forum) in February 2022, a European collaborative platform between algae stakeholders and a single information centre on funding calls, projects, business information, intelligence and best practices in algae.

The European Marine Data and Observation Network (algae company mapping), the Commission’s Knowledge Centre for the Bioeconomy, or the Biomass Study of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), are other initiatives of the European Union around studies related to algae and how these could help achieve climate-related objectives, among others.

Source: Renewable Energies