ABO Blog – Page 141

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

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:

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.

Algae Body Armor

Super-light body armor? Add it to the list of things algae can make.

Over at Gizmodo Eric Limer describes recent research reported at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society about incredibly light, and strong, nanocellulose materials that are made from algae. Eric writes:

“Initially, the production of nanocellulose involved huge breeding tanks of bacteria, which rather annoyingly required things like food. But recent advancements have helped groom a new workhorse: blue-green algae, which unlike normal bacteria, can make its own food from the sun, and devour greenhouse gases in the process. You could hardly ask for more.”

Algae Biomass Organization Launches First Comprehensive Map of Algae Research, Companies and Commercial Projects

Visual display shows depth and breadth of algae-related industries across the US and globe

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 16, 2012 – A new map of the algae industry published online by the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) shows algae production facilities and research projects stretching from coast to coast, illustrating a nationwide opportunity for a new and growing industry that is moving to supply the U.S. with algae-derived renewable fuels, feeds, fertilizers, chemicals and other products. The new map was revealed today at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. and is available at: https://algaebiomass.org/algae-industry-map/

“When you see a visual display like this you get a real feel for how far reaching is today’s algae industry. Algae entrepreneurs, researchers, companies and projects come from every corner of the United States,” said Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the ABO. “Our members are proving algae can produce a wide variety of products, grow in wide range of climates, and provide economic benefits to rural and urban areas without harmful impacts on our land or fresh water.”

The algae industry map shows the locations of algae-related companies, research institutions, national laboratories, demonstration and commercial projects and other efforts undertaken by ABO members and non-members alike. ABO will continually update the map as new companies, projects and research are unveiled.

A recent ABO survey of more than 470 algae industry contacts shows that 67 percent of algae producers said they plan to expand capacity in 2013, and more than 95 percent of producers believe it that algae-based fuels may be able to compete with fossil fuels as soon as 2020. The results are similar to expansion and price expectations reported in the same survey conducted last year.

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. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.

About the Algae Biomass Organization