Transport and chemical manufacturing are industries currently facing sustainable changes as environmental awareness gains prevalence and sustainability action is taking place. IDTechEx's portfolio of Sustainability Research Reports and Subscriptions covers decarbonization efforts and the introduction of different materials to create a safer and more bio-based environment.
Biodiesel and SAF
Decarbonizing the transport sector has never been such a hot topic, with transport making up around 20% of all global carbon dioxide emissions and regulations coming into play to limit these emissions going forward. Despite electric vehicles being very much an established market and a great solution to abolishing harmful emissions from driving, there are still many internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles on the road.
Biodiesel is an option that could provide relief from fossil-fuel reliance, as feedstocks like used cooking oils and fats can be turned into the fuel through a chemical process called transesterification. IDTechEx's report, "Sustainable Biofuels & E-Fuels Market 2026-2036: Technologies, Players, Forecasts", identifies 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation biofuels as advanced biofuels because they don't compete with the land needed for food production, as other food crop or food oil feedstocks like sugar cane or sunflower might. These advanced biofuel feedstocks could include anything from lignocellulose, waste vegetable oil, and algae, to genetically engineered microorganisms or captured CO2, which would be a goal for the future to ensure that biodiesel is produced as sustainably as possible.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced with similar feedstocks, though can be made through multiple different production pathways. E-SAF, arguably the most sustainable SAF option, is produced from hydrogen from water electrolysis and captured CO2, meaning there would be no harmful emissions created. From the hydrogen and CO2, the next stages listed in IDTechEx's report are most commonly reverse water gas shift, syngas, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, which create the final e-SAF product. The difference in these production routes to traditional fossil-fuel feedstocks could make a huge difference in the overall footprint of air travel. Mandates starting in 2025 required at least 2% of all jet fuel to be comprised of SAF, with this percentage increasing each year. IDTechEx's report, "Sustainable Future Aviation 2025-2045: Trends, Technologies, Forecasts", provides more details on the uptake of SAF worldwide.
Biomanufacturing and sustainable chemicals
Food additives, pigments, cosmetics, and enzymes are all speciality chemicals that can be biomanufactured. Specialty chemicals are chemicals that are designed to perform specific functions, often needing to be in line with strict regulations or standards. These chemicals can be produced through white biotechnology, using renewable feedstocks, which is more sustainable than using fossil-based feedstocks and processing as it lowers the embedded carbon emissions. Precision bioprocessing is also a means of accessing complex, difficult-to-synthesize molecules that may be harder to achieve with other, incumbent methods, making this route great for specialty chemicals that target more specific and high-demand applications. IDTechEx's report, "Biomanufacturing Specialty Chemicals 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Players, Forecasts", explores white biotechnology as a means of producing speciality chemicals, along with their main applications and the key players currently operating within the market.
Other types of sustainable chemicals can be made from next-generation chemical feedstocks like renewable carbon sources, such as from forest and agricultural waste, plastic waste recycling, and CO2 utilization. With the chemical industry being one of the largest worldwide, and the 3rd largest producer of carbon emissions, decarbonization efforts will change the future landscape of chemical production, and feedstocks could be a huge contributor to these more positive changes. IDTechEx's report, "Next-Generation Feedstocks for Sustainable Chemicals 2025-2035: Markets, Players, Forecasts", covers sustainable chemical production from alternative feedstocks in greater detail, including market forecasts and a SWOT analysis for each feedstock.
For more information on sustainability and decarbonization movements across the transport and chemical sectors, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Sustainability Research Reports and Subscriptions for the latest research and developments.
