ABO Blog

The 2013 Algae Biomass Summit is rapidly approaching, and after 3 consecutive sell outs, this year looks to be no different.  If you want to be a part of the largest gathering of algae professionals in the US as either a sponsor or as a part of the exhibit hall, then you’ll need to act fast because spots are going quickly.

Becoming a sponsor at the 7th annual Algae Biomass Summit (ABS) is one of the most effective ways you can connect your business with biotech decision-makers. With a wide range of highly-visible sponsorship packages, partnering with the ABS is a valuable opportunity to promote your organization.

Download the prospectus (PDF) to learn more about becoming a Sponsor.

A limited number of opportunities are available—so sign up soon before they’re all gone.  If you’re looking to get in front of the leaders of the industry this is the time and place to do it.

If you are in Washington, DC today be sure to stop by the Caucus Room in the Cannon House Office Building for the 16th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum. The event is free and open to the public until 4:30 pm.

Be sure to stop by ABO’s booth:

The event is sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Coalition – in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses, and in partnership with the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Congressional Energy Savings Performance Contract Caucus, High Performance Building Caucus, Green Schools Caucus, and Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Caucus.

Check out the event website for the great list of speakers and exhibitors. And if you can’t make it to DC you can listen to the live webcast of many of the speakers.

Now is the time to reserve exhibit space for the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit, this year in Orlando, Florida.

The expo hall continues to be a valuable and popular meeting place for algae professionals attending the event. Last year marked the third consecutive year the hall sold out!

Read more about the benefits that come with exhibiting at the Algae Biomass Summit.

Space is going fast again this year so be sure to make your reservation soon!

Commercial algae production took another big step forward today with the announcement from ABO member Cellana that one the world’s largest suppliers of renewable diesel, Neste Oil, has entered into a multi-year agreement to purchase oil from algae produced by the commercial-scale algae biorefineries that Cellana is developing worldwide.

More information about the deal can be found in the press release.

Cellana is one of many leaders in the algae industry that are creating algae-derived feedstocks for biofuels, animal feed and Omega-3 nutritional oils. The company’s impressive Kona Demonstration Facility in Hawaii shows how the company is moving to industrial scale.

One very important aspect of Cellana’s approach is how the company takes advantage of algae’s unique ability to provide a wide range of valuable products, and thus a wide range of markets for an algae company to access.

“This agreement supports Cellana’s three-product biorefinery business model and will allow Cellana to accelerate its remaining off-take agreements for animal feed and Omega-3 nutritional oils,” said Michael J. Kamdar, Cellana’s President. “The off-take with Neste Oil, together with the remaining agreements for animal feed and Omega-3 nutritional oils that Cellana plans to sign, will contribute to Cellana’s  development of commercial algae facilities throughout the world with a total capacity of at least 100,000 metric tons of algae biomass per year.”

Congratulations to Cellana and all of its partners!

While it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when artists look for inspiration, Arizona State University art student Phillip Carrier is using the tiny plants as his muse for an art installation project.

Carrier will blend art and science together throughout two summer semesters on the ASU Polytechnic campus as the inaugural artist in residence at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI). “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work on a project that fuses the fields of art and technology, especially with the research community at AzCATI.” Carrier said. “Their in-depth research in algae will be an essential catalyst for my artwork and I’m excited to dive in to this project.”

Gary Dirks, Director of LightWorks and Director of the Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU added, “Artists like Philip tell stories that instruct us or stimulate us into thinking about what that future is going to look like.”

Projects like this highlight the wonder algae can still hold for those that work with it.  Sometimes in our scientific and industrious pursuits it’s nice to remind ourselves of the simple beauty this tiny organism holds.