Algae biomass production within a sustainable and circular Bioeconomy
Brief me
- Algae represent a largely untapped resource among the EU biomass producing sectors. We can use them for food and feed, cosmetics, fertilisers and fuels, creating new markets and jobs.
- The term ‘algae’ covers single-celled microalgae cultivated in open ponds or in closed systems and macroalgae, harvested from wild stocks or cultivated in aquaculture systems.
- Global production of algae has been growing from just 12 million tonnes in 2000 up to 37.7 million tonnes (wet weight) in 2022. Worldwide, algae are mainly cultivated: 97% originated from aquaculture in 2022.
- By contrary in the EU, 90.7% (2022) of macroalgae biomass is harvested from wild stocks, but aquaculture systems are becoming more common. Despite the EU contributes by only 0.9% to the global production, the algae industry is already present in most Member States.
Find out more in the brief and explore further other resources!
Brief on algae biomass production
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What does the EU do to support the algae sector?
Check-out this overview of the supporting actions and strategies for the algae sector.
EU Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism
The EU Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism is a service to share relevant knowledge, opportunities and experiences on EU Aquaculture.
EU4Algae platform
Participate in this collaboration platform that brings together a variety of European algae stakeholders.
Key publications on Algae
Explore this collection of publications, giving insights on the status and potential development of the EU algae sector.
Data on Algae
Browse algae related data by Eurostat, FAO and other reliable sources.
Visualisations and infographics on Algae
Discover how much the algae industry contributes to the EU bioeconomy.
Latest knowledge
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