ABO Blog

Jaakko Nauha, Head of Initiative, Algae at Neste joins ABO’s board of directors 

The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) welcomes Neste, a global leader in renewable fuels and one of the most sustainable companies in the world, as the group’s newest platinum-level member. Jaakko Nauha, Neste’s Head of Initiative, Algae was also elected to ABO’s board of directors on January 16, 2020. 

Neste is a leader in the development of technologies that can provide low-emission, sustainable fuels and solutions for customers in the transportation, aviation as well as polymers and chemicals sectors. The company, based in Finland, is the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel produced from waste and residue raw materials.

Neste has been a long-time supporter of commercialization efforts that can drive the technologies and expertise needed to make algae a feedstock for low-emission fuels. 

Neste has supported ABO’s efforts as a silver-level member since 2013. The company’s upgrade to a platinum-level membership comes as a number of global energy leaders are investing in the potential of algae-derived fuels, chemicals and other products.

“We are excited to engage even more deeply in algae innovation with Algae Biomass Organization members,” said Nauha. “ABO’s dedication to accelerating innovation dovetails with Neste’s commitment to developing global supplies of sustainable fuels and other products. We look forward to a transformative decade with all of our ABO partners”

“ABO is grateful for Neste’s increased support,” said Mark Allen, ABO’s Board Chairman and Vice President at Accelergy Corporation. “Global sustainability challenges are presenting opportunity for companies that are ready to develop a new generation of solutions, and Neste is already a recognized leader.”

For more information about Neste visit: https://www.neste.us/about-neste

Dr. Martin Gross, President and a founder at Gross-Wen Technologies, joins ABO’s board of directors

The Algae Biomass Organization welcomes Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT), a next-generation wastewater treatment company that is commercializing the revolving algal biofilm treatment technology (RAB), as the group’s newest gold-level member. Dr. Martin Gross, President and co-founder of GWT, was also elected to ABO’s board of directors on January 16, 2020. 

GWT’s wastewater treatment technology harnesses algae to sustainably capture nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants from wastewater generated in municipal or industrial environments. In addition to clean water, the process produces high-value algal biomass for fertilizer and bioplastic applications. GWT’s first commercial deployments at two municipal utilities are expected to break ground in late 2020 and be operational in 2021. Also, the company has active fertilizer trials for turf-grass applications underway at Iowa State University.  

“Algae is going to make a big impact on the sustainability and economics of the water treatment industry, and we are glad to be working more closely with ABO to accelerate the adoption of this technology,” said Gross. “ABO’s work across multiple markets will make it easier for us to coordinate operations in production, as well as with a wide range of product and market developers.”

During his role as president at GWT, Gross has raised over $5 million in equity investments, served as principal investigator on over $1 million in non-diluting Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding, established a robust patent portfolio, and helped orchestrate the first commercial sale of GWT’s core RAB technology.  

Prior to founding GWT, Gross attained dual doctoral degrees from Iowa State University in the fields of Bioprocess Engineering and Food Science and Technology.  Gross also serves as a professor of entrepreneurship at ISU.

“We are glad to have GWT as a gold member and to have Martin’s expertise on the board,”  said Mark Allen, ABO’s Board Chairman and Vice President at Accelergy Corporation. “Water treatment and nutrient runoff is becoming a more urgent issue as global populations grow, and GWT is leading a new generation of sustainable technologies to meet the challenge.”

For more information about Gross-Wen Technologies, visit: https://algae.com/ 

Abstract deadline: February 10, 2020

The Algae Biomass Organization is pleased to announce that abstracts for speaking and poster presentations at the 2020 Algae Biomass Summit are now being accepted. This year’s Summit will take place on September 8 – 11, 2020 at the University of California, San Diego in the coastal community of La Jolla, California.

Algae is closing out the year stronger than ever. New budget legislation widely expected to be signed by President Trump this week includes a record amount of federal funding for algae research, development and commercialization projects in 2020. This strong Congressional support signals that algae technologies will continue to make remarkable headway.

A breakdown of the 2020 funding includes:

• $40 million to be directed to the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) for algae research and development. This is a $10 million increase over last year’s funding.
• $21 million to the DOE’s Fossil Energy (FE) office for for non-geologic carbon utilization activities. Last year this office received $14 million. FE is already supporting impressive carbon capture and algae cultivation projects, in coordination with utilities, ABO member companies and other stakeholders.
• For the first time, up to $10 million is being allocated for R&D into direct air capture technologies. This has been a priority in ABO’s advocacy efforts. A wide range of technologies will compete for this funding, but with algae’s ability to absorb massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere, we expect strong consideration will be given to a number of cutting-edge algae cultivation projects.

These funding increases reflect the bipartisan support that advanced algae technologies have earned over the years. A robust algae industry has the potential to deliver remarkable benefits in global sustainability, but also in areas like rural economic development and energy security.

ABO expresses its gratitude to all Members of Congress that support this kind of technology development. The co-chairs of the Congressional Algae Caucus, Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Darin LaHood (R-IL), deserve special recognition for their efforts to build industry support into this legislation. In the Senate, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) deserves thanks for his role in leading his colleagues to support this important result.

ABO will be keeping its members updated as these appropriations are developed into funding opportunities over the next few months.

The holidays are a time to gather with friends and family. As the conversation drifts from topic to topic, don’t forget to put in a few words for algae!

Putting algae into the meal is a great way to get the conversation started. Algae can be easily included in a number of recipes, and ingredients based on algae are widely available, from whole spirulina powder made by Earthrise, Cyanotech and Valensa, to Thrive’s algae-based cooking oil.

Cookies are a great way to introduce a crowd to algae as a food. Try these vegan cookies made with matcha and chlorella. Not ready to cook? The Cookie Company makes their vegan “fully functional” cookies with algae butter. Visit their website to find a store near you.

Algae can make its way into every part of the holiday meal.  Give your guests a sample of PopZero popcorn, or build a course around Blue Evolution Pasta. You can also make algae the main event by serving algae-fed salmon available under the brand names Blue Circle and Silverside® Coho Salmon

However algae makes it into your meal, ABO wishes you the best holidays. We will see you in 2020!