ABO Blog

During the past 10 years, we’ve heard and read an awful lot about “Energy Independence” – both from the biofuels industry and the fossil industry. Indeed, during times of $100-$140 a barrel oil, both sides had a point – we need to control our energy density.

Rewind back to just a few years ago and the onset of the shale oil era – when America all of a sudden was able to extract millions of barrels of crude that were previously unobtainable. Supply flooded the market, prices came down and everyone was happy.

Proponents of fossil energy proclaimed a new era of dominance. Opponents of biofuels suggested the demise of the industry. After all, biofuels can’t compete with $50/barrel oil.

Turns out, neither can traditional oil. This week, Bloomberg BusinessWeek has a fantastic piece on the impact of cheap oil, as well as our nation’s continued dependence on forces outside our control when it comes to energy.

The article notes: “Big projects intended to start pumping oil and natural gas 5 to 10 years from now are being canceled or put on hold as the price crash forced $114 billion in spending cuts on the industry.”

Further, “The collapse in crude prices has been so steep and so dramatic that most of the 200 major international oil and gas projects scheduled for final investment approvals in the next two years are susceptible to cancellation or postponement,” said Nick Lowes, vice president of oil and gas consulting at IHS Inc. “Sixty-six percent of those projects aren’t economical at current prices.”

If we are ever truly to achieve energy independence, we must not only develop domestic sources of crude, but extremely cost effective method of production. As we’ve seen with shale oil, the floor is about $50 a barrel. Other alternatives, such as tar sands, arctic exploration and deepwater drilling need similar economics. In short, all the easy oil has been found – it will only get more costly to find new sources.

Conversely, the cost curve for algae-based fuels continues to decrease. With access to free, cheap or plentiful CO2 from industrial sources, as well as free sunlight and a prolific growth rate, algae are well positioned to become a major source of domestic fuels.

The Algae Foundation, ABO’s sister organization, is pleased to announce that it is offering $500 travel grants to attend the 9th Annual Algae Biomass Summit in Washington, DC, USA, from September 29 through October 2, 2015.

Purpose – To provide support for graduate students attending the Algae Biomass Summit (ABS) 2015

Award – Each Algae Foundation Student Travel Grant Award is $500 for use only in attending ABS 2015

Eligibility – to qualify for consideration the student must:

• Be an ABO Member;
• Be an undergraduate, graduate student or pre-doctoral student or
• Be a PhD with a post-doctoral appointment and is currently involved in a full time academic research program for no longer than 2 years.
• Submit an abstract to present a poster or oral presentation at ABS 2015 and be the presenting author of the abstract.
• Provide a suggested budget to attend the Summit
• Provide a current letter of recommendation for ABS 2015 (See below.)

Selection Criteria:

• The relevance and scientific quality of the submitted abstract
• The student has not received a similar travel grant award in the last two years
• Only one travel grant per laboratory

The applicant must submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member or department head on official letterhead including the following information:

• The letter must state that the student is expected to be active in the training or degree program at the time of the meeting, or, if the student has completed their terminal degree, the actual date of completion.

All applications and materials should be sent to:

• Barb Scheevel, Algae Foundation Administrative Coordinator
• Email: bscheevel@algaebiomass.org
• Address:
  • 125 St. Paul Street, P.O. Box 369
  • Preston, MN 55965

 Student Travel Grant Application deadline is May 15, 2015.

Selection Process – Selection is made by the Algae Foundation Travel Grant Selection Committee. The awards are highly competitive. If a grant recipient cannot present the accepted abstract, the recipient MUST notify the Algae Foundation as soon as possible. The grant will be rescinded and awarded to an alternate.

Award Notification: Awardees will be notified by June 15, 2015.

You’ve heard about the canary in the coal mine, but what about the sardine in the sea? This week we learned that the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to shutter the West Coast sardine fishery for at least one year, beginning July 1.

While sardines may not be the favorite tasting food of many humans, they are the meal of choice for highly popular (and environmentally crucial) larger fish such as Chinook salmon and albacore tuna.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports “Sardine numbers — which can only be measured using their collective weight — have dropped from 1,037,000 metric tons in 2007 to 96,688 metric tons, a 91 percent decline.

What does this have to do with algae? It’s all about Omega 3’s. Sardines are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which makes them popular as a health food for humans and a tasty treat for fish higher up the food chain.

The collapse of the fishery could have more grave consequences for the health of tuna and Chinook salmon, among others (which are also more popular sources for Omega 3s).

Algae are prolific producers of Omega 3’s, and can be grown sustainably in a variety of climates, offering aquaculture and nutraceutical/health markets a stable source of this important nutrient.

This issue shows us that we simply can’t assume the supply of important nutrients that we’ve traditionally sourced from the sea and land will be available in the same amounts in the years to come.

Algae companies, including ABO members Cellana, BioProcess Algae, DSM and Earthrise are all harvesting the power of algae to produce important and lasting sources of fish, animal and human proteins.

Starting on April 22^nd in Amsterdam, ACI’s 5^th annual European Algae Biomass Conference will once again bring together senior executives from industry and academia to discuss the latest commercial and technical developments, challenges and research breakthroughs throughout the entire algae value chain.

A number of ABO members will be in attendance. This will be an excellent opportunity to network with the leaders developing the algae industry in Europe! For more details click the banner above or download the brochure.

Algae is a global opportunity, be sure to check out this event.