Advances in technology created numerous pathways to produce bio-chemicals and advanced biofuels through sugars present in agricultural crops and waste. This means a growing number of companies are considering the market potential for renewable molecules with a view to capturing higher margins. For the sugar sector, specifically, there are opportunities to create value-added solutions by exploiting existing and new resources while tapping into growing demand for bio-based materials. In 2009, the International Sugar Organization published MECAS(09)17 – "Market Potential of Sugarcane and Beet Bio-Products" – which identified a series of bio-products and companies with growth potential. Cane-processing groups in Brazil remain at the forefront of these initiatives, having established partnerships and commercial agreements to produce a range of sugar-based bio-products. This report updates and expands MECAS(09)17 by investigating the potential for commercialization of cane and beet bio-products technology in the context of competing feedstocks and recent developments in crude oil prices.
INTRODUCTION
PRODUCTION PATHWAYS: FROM SUGARS TO BIO-PRODUCTS
THE ADVANTAGE OF SUGAR CROPS
VALUE PROPOSITION
MARKET SIZE AND PRICES
OVERVIEW OF FERMENTATION MARKETS
RAW MATERIALS
PRODUCTION COSTS
DEVELOPMENT STATUS OF KEY BIO-PRODUCTS
SECOND-GENERATION BIOFUELS
BIO-CHEMICALS
LEADING INDUSTRY PLAYERS
AMYRIS
ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND (ADM)
BRASKEM
CODEXIS
CORBION
DSM
GENOMATICA
GEVO
GLOBAL BIO-CHEM
METABOLIX
NATUREWORKS
NOVOZYMES
VIRENT
SOLAZYME
BIO-PLASTICS: THE FUNDAMENTALS
GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITY BY TYPE
GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITY BY MATERIAL
GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITY BY SEGMENT
COST-RELATED BARRIERS AND OTHER CONSTRAINTS
COST-RELATED BARRIERS
OTHER CONSTRAINTS
FACTORS OF REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
CONCLUSION
ANNEX I: ADVANCED BIOFUELS PLANTS AND PROJECTS
ANNEX II: LIST OF BIO-CHEMICALS BY DIFFERENT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Fully deployed
Early commercial stage
Laboratory or pilot level