The scientometric research on macroalgal biomass as a source of biofuel feedstock

We performed a scientometric analysis to determine the main trends and gaps in the studies on macroalgal biomass as a source of biofuel feedstock conducted between 1945 and 2013. We used the database from the Thomson Institute for Scientific Information. We found 160 papers published in 78 journals. The number of papers on using macroalgal biomass as a source of biofuel feedstock over the years has increased, especially in the last four years of the study period. The majority of the publications were from Asia (79 papers) and Europe (60 papers). Ulva spp. and Saccharina spp. were the most studied genera of macroalgae. Nine biofuel types (bio-oil, bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, biomethane, biohydrogen, biochar, bio-crude and hydrochar) produced from macroalgae were studied, with bioethanol being the most studied. The important gaps in the research that need to be addressed are that few studies have been conducted in countries situated in climatic zones that favor the large-scale cultivation of algae for biofuel production (particularly countries from Africa and South America), as well as on some types of biofuels (e.g., biohydrogen, biochar, and hydrochar).