Making next-generation biofuels and biocommodities a feasible reality

Transitioning from the current linear economy to a circular, sustainable model requires a redesign of the status quo through new policies such as carbon pricing as well as inclusion of resource depletion, waste management and environmental pollution costs. Biofuels and biocommodities should unavoidably play a major role in shaping the new global energy landscape by providing alternatives to most of the current oil-refinery products. The accelerating shift toward lignocellulosic and microalgal biomass as well as waste effluents could considerably diminish the fossil fuel usage. Thus, innovative concepts such as microbial cell factories, green chemistry, and renewable Power-to-X technologies could convert these sub-strates to drop-in fuels, platform chemicals, and even bio-polymers. State-of-the-art online process characterization is, however, critical to support these upcoming trends.