ABO Blog

Algae Biomass Summit Exhibit Space and Sponsorships Now Available

The 2013 Algae Biomass Summit is kicking off in Orlando, Fl Sep. 30-Oct. 3 and there are several opportunities to be more connected to the event.  Algae industry leaders from 34 countries and 48 states are expected to attend and the expo hall has sold out 3 years running. Exhibit space has just opened up, so those wishing to sign up should do right now, before spots are taken and you miss out on an opportunity to be a part of the largest gathering of algae professionals in the world, there’s no time like the present.

Sponsorship opportunities have also recently opened up and after the huge success of last year’s event spots are already going fast.  Those who get these limited spots will receive several added benefits, including two full registrations and valuable exposure leading up to and at the event.

 

Exhibit Booth Includes

  • Two complimentary full conference registrations
  • Company listing on the conference website
  • Company listing in the on-site program
  • Company mention in promotional e-mails and brochures
  • One 8′ x 10′ (foot) booth and company identification sign

Click here to become a Sponsor.

Click here to sign up for exhibit space.

Algae Partnership; A Hot Topic in Arizona

Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3) members from across the nation descended upon the ASU Polytechnic campus April 15-18 to discuss strategies for advancing research and development of algae-based technologies for biofuels and other valuable co-products.

Led by the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) at ASU, representatives from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Cellana, Touchstone Research Laboratory, Valicor Renewables, California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, and Commercial Algae Management have partnered to form ATP3. ATP3 aims to facilitate innovation, empower knowledge creation and accelerate growth of the emergent algal energy industry.

During the kickoff meeting, members of ATP3 strategized how to effectively meet the needs of testbed users across the world and collaboratively produce relevant data and standard analytical and production methods to inform algae-based solutions for the energy, carbon capture and scale-up needs of public and private markets.

“The ATP3 kickoff meeting gave all of the partners of ATP3 a chance to discuss how we will support public and private institutions in finding solutions to the nation’s energy challenges,” said Gary Dirks, director of ATP3, and ASU LightWorks, the university initiative that pulls light-inspired research at ASU under one strategic framework. “Working together, we will push the envelope on algae-based sciences and produce usable, sustainable solutions to carbon capture and fuel needs – to name a few.”

The ATP3 project is made possible by a $15 million U.S. Department of Energy competitive grant from its Bioenergy Technologies Office. This funding allows ATP3 to support the operation of existing outdoor algae cultivation systems and produce algae that can be used for real-world solutions such as biofuel.

Partner testbed facilities are located in Arizona, Hawaii, California, Ohio and Georgia.

The ATP3 framework allows partners to work individually within their own institutions or collaboratively, to coordinate analytical and technical support from the larger ATP3 network.

“The framework we are creating at ATP3 is unprecedented,” said John McGowen, Portfolio Manager in ASU’s Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development’s Project Management Office and Director of Operations and Program Management for ATP3. “By providing closely coordinated, harmonized and objective standards for algal production and biomass compositional analysis protocols across our network of testbed facilities, we will have the ability to reduce the uncertainties around biomass productivity, oil compositional quality and yields.  ATP3 will make these standardized and validated methods, as well as the high impact data from our long term cultivation feedstock trials accessible to the algal biofuels modeling and R&D community.”

The collaborative effort of ATP3 not only serves the group mission to accelerate algae-based research and development, but also helps partner agencies advance their own goals.

“Partnering with industry leaders through the ATP3 framework enables collaboration to more quickly solve underlying challenges in support of commercial algae technology solutions,” said Lee Tonkovich, vice president of Research & Development at Heliae LLC, an algae technology company in Gilbert, Ariz.

The ATP3 meeting took place at AzCATI, a hub for research, testing, and commercialization of algae-based products at the Polytechnic Campus. AzCATI provides open test and evaluation facilities for the algae industry and research community. AzCATI is embedded within ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation and is part of the LightWorks initiative, supported by ASU’s Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development.

For more information about ATP3 visit atp3.org.

Sarah Mason, sarahmason@asu.edu
480.727.9658
ASU LightWorks

Algae Biomass Organization Congratulates BioProcess Algae for Department of Energy Biorefinery Support

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 23, 2013 – The  Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, congratulated one of its member companies, BioProcess Algae LLC, for being selected by the Department of Energy to receive a grant of up to $6.4 million for a pilot-scale biorefinery project that will advance biofuel technologies as a domestic alternative to power our cars, trucks, and planes that meet military specifications for jet fuel and shipboard diesel.

“We’re thrilled BioProcess Algae has been selected as one of four pilot biorefineries that will receive support to accelerate the availability of advanced, renewable biofuels,” said Mary Rosenthal, executive director of ABO. “The United States has a long history of supporting new energy technologies, and the Department of Energy’s selection is a testament to BioProcess Algae’s impressive progress and the potential for algae to provide America with renewable, domestic biofuels that don’t compete with food or fresh water.”

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in our vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans without significant impacts on valuable agricultural land or fresh water. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

About the Algae Biomass Organization

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

BioProcess Algae Awarded DOE Grant to Develop Drop-In Biofuels

BioProcess Algae facility in Iowa

Yesterday the Energy Department today announced nearly $18 million in four innovative pilot-scale biorefineries in California, Iowa, and Washington that will test renewable biofuels as a domestic alternative to power our cars, trucks, and planes that meet military specifications for jet fuel and shipboard diesel. Among the recipients is ABO member Bioprocess Algae, which will use the award to further develop their Grower Harvester technology platform, co-located with the Green Plains Renewable Energy ethanol plant in Shenandoah, Iowa.

A statement from BioProcess Algae describes the project more:

“We believe our Grower Harvester platform will be vital in the development of this project with the DOE,” said Tim Burns, President and CEO of BioProcess Algae. “For this project, we will integrate low-cost autotrophic algal production, accelerated lipid production, and lipid conversion in an effort to develop a cost-effective advanced biofuel for military needs. This development is consistent with our current plans to build the next phase of Grower Harvester reactors in Shenandoah.”

ABO also congratulated BioProcess Algae for their award, and noted that the federal government has played a role in advancing technologies that formed the basis for new industries for some time:

“We’re thrilled BioProcess Algae has been selected as one of four pilot biorefineries that will receive support to accelerate the availability of advanced, renewable biofuels,” said Mary Rosenthal, executive director of ABO. “The United States has a long history of supporting new energy technologies, and the Department of Energy’s selection is a testament to BioProcess Algae’s impressive progress and the potential for algae to provide America with renewable, domestic biofuels that don’t compete with food or fresh water.”

Congratulations to BioProcess Algae!

 

Algae vs. Malaria

We’ve posted a lot of news about the efforts to use algae for producing renewable fuels, fertilizers and even cosmetics. But the  science that is making these possibilities a reality may also have a big impact on medicine.

We have already seen how algae can be coaxed into producing anti-cancer drugs. Today, research from UC San Diego published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology describes how algae might also be used to fight malaria and other diseases.

The paper describes how mice fed algae engineered to produce a special protein developed antibodies to a malarial parasite protein and to a toxin produced by the cholera bacteria.

“Many bacterial and viral infections are caused by eating tainted food or water,” says Stephen Mayfield, a professor of biology at UC San Diego who headed the study. “So what this study shows is that you can get a really good immune response from a recombinant protein in algae that you feed to a mammal. In this case, it happens to be a mouse, but presumably it would also work in a human. That’s really encouraging for the potential for algae-based vaccines in the future.”

Will we be eating algae to vaccinate against disease?

For more information about this research check out the UCSD News Center.