Algal biofuels in Canada: Status and potential

The last decade has seen an emergence of biofuels owed in part to social and political acknowledgement that fossil fuels are a finite resource. This is evidenced by a reduction in the discovery of new fossil fuel sources and the exploitation of more energy intense reserves such as shale gas and tar sands. As a result of this reality, biofuel research and development has progressed through several stages globally and within Canada. First and second generation bioethanol production currently dominates the market, leading to concerns over sustainability while only partially addressing the issue at hand. Third generation biofuel feedstocks, derived from microalgae and cyanobacteria, present the potential to address the short falls of both first and second generation feedstocks. Specifically, third generation biofuels offer increased productivity and the opportunity to sequester nutrients from waste streams whilst also expanding the biofuel pallet to include biodiesel, as well as other target compounds. However, third generation feedstocks remain a young technology that presents several limitations, including the lack of a complement of suitable traits within a single species. Moreover, common assumptions over the use of waste streams to improve productivity and sustainability may limit scalability. These, in turn, may limit development or dictate smaller regionally located processes. The presented manuscript demonstrates that in spite of their potential, mandates and funding support for third generation biofuel feedstocks are largely overlooked within Canada, a factor that may severely limit future Canadian biofuels research, and the development of technologies to address future carbon emissions.