The Algae Biomass Organization is now accepting abstracts and proposals for the 2015 Algae Biomass Summit, being held in Washington, DC, September 30-October 2. Submit your own proposals for keynote speakers, panel presentations and poster sessions at the event, the world’s largest algae industry conference.
Speaking opportunities for the Summit are highly competitive, making the submission of high-quality abstracts before the March 16, 2015 deadline essential.
Senators urge Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to support carbon utilization throughout their programs.
WASHINGTON, DC (January 15, 2015) The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, applauded U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) for their letter today to Ernest Moniz, Secretary of the Department of Energy, and Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency supporting the use of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies in climate and energy policy.
“We thank Senators Whitehouse and Manchin for their leadership in recognizing that the diverse interests of many states can be met by exciting new technologies that transform harmful CO2 emissions into products Americans need for modern life,” said Matt Carr, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “Congress and the Administration can play a big role in how quickly CCU technologies will become part of the solution to America’s energy and environmental challenges. We are glad to see growing support for this win-win solution.”
CCU technologies, such as algae cultivation, can transform carbon dioxide emissions into valuable products, simultaneously reducing harmful greenhouse gases and providing economic benefits. A number of algae companies across the country are working to commercialize new technology advances that convert concentrated sources of CO2 to renewable fuels, chemicals, fertilizer, plastics and feed ingredients, as well as high-value products such as Omega-3 nutritional supplements, powerful antioxidants, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
The Algae Biomass Organization has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to explicitly recognize that carbon utilization technologies are acceptable methods for states to achieve emissions reductions under the agency’s Clean Power Plan. Failing to do so will be a missed opportunity to encourage investments in an approach that could deliver positive environmental results along with economic growth, jobs and improved energy security.
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.
Today Algenol Biofuels announced that the Environmental Protection Agency has certified that the company’s algae-derived fuels meet the requirements of the Renewable Fuel Standard, making Algenol eligible for the Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN) needed to begin commercial sales.
This regulatory approval is an enormous milestone for Algenol and for the algae industry in general. The EPA evaluates advanced biofuels on a number of factors, including what the greenhouse gas reductions for the fuels are certified to achieve. The EPA found that Algenol’s fuels come with an astonishing 69% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when compared with gasoline!
Fuel blenders and refiners can now use Algenol’s fuels to meet requirements of the Clean Air Act, opening up an entirely new possibilities when it comes to energy and environmental security.
Algae-derived fuels like Algenol’s can be made with simple inputs of sunlight, nutrients and carbon dioxide. They can also be grown on marginal lands and without the use of freshwater. In fact, Algenol’s process produces freshwater as a byproduct!
The ability to use carbon dioxide as a feedstock for fuels can be a game-changer in the fight against climate change. The process, known as carbon utilization, transforms emissions that were considered a liability into a valuable asset.
Congratulations to the team at Algenol!
More information can be found in the company’s press release (PDF).
Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)’s fourth annual Advanced Biofuel Market Report was made public last week and many ABO member companies can be found within the report.
The Advanced Biofuel Market Report catalogs the growths and challenges in the advanced biofuel industry, estimating the capacity of the industry through 2017. The scope includes advanced biofuel producers and related companies in the United States and Canada achieving at least a 50% reduction in carbon emissions.
According to the report, “A notable trend in 2014 has been innovation in some companies’ paths to commercialization. While many companies continue to commercialize with a large biorefinery, other companies are looking at more distributed generation models, which are less capital and feedstock intensive.”
While the report focuses primarily on U.S developments, it does acknowledge that international development and partnerships will impact how advanced biofuel technologies evolve domestically. One example mentioned in the report is Sapphire Energy‘s collaboration with oil giant Sinopec, demonstrating the feasibility of algae-derived crude oil through projects in China.
The Advanced Biofuel Market Report estimates that advanced biofuel capacity in the U.S. will grow from about 800 million gallons of gasoline equivalent in 2014 to more than 1.7 billion gallons equivalent in 2017 on the high end.
The report lists a number of companies in the US that are looking to algae for advanced biofuels, including:
Algae Systems, producing biocrude
Algenol, producing ethanol
Altranex, producing renewable diesel
Aquatech Bioenergy, producing ethanol
Envergent Technologies (Honeywell UOP/Ensyn), producing multiple renewable fuels
Phycal, producing multiple renewable fuels
Sapphire Energy, producing green crude
Several other algae companies and facilities are listed as among those that will come online by 2017, and others that are producers of algae feedstocks, including:
Algae.Tec
AlgaeVenture Systems
BARD
BioProcess Algae
Cellana
Fermentalg
Kent Bioenergy
Matrix Genetics
Renewed World Energies
Solix
MicorBio Engineering
Open Algae
It is inspiring to see algae so well represented among the many technologies being pursued by the advanced biofuels community!
Read the entire E2 Advanced Biofuel Market Report 2014 here.
Submit your research on algal technologies for publication in Industrial Biotechnology! The Algae Biomass Organization is working with the editors of Industrial Biotechnology to assemble a special issue focused on advances in algal biomass and CO2 utilization technologies for the production of biofuels and biobased products.
If you are interested in submitting a paper for consideration and peer review we want to hear from you! We will need commitments from authors by the end of January 2015.
Please send us a tentative title and brief description of your paper to info@algaebiomass.org.
If accepted, manuscripts would have to be complete by March 1st, 2015. We are aiming for publication in the August 2015 issue.
A guest editor and the editors-in-chief of Industrial Biotechnology will handle peer review of the published papers.
This is a great opportunity for those researching algae-based technologies. Industrial Biotechnology is a peer-reviewed bimonthly research journal focused on biobased industrial and environmental products and processes. The Journal publishes critically reviewed original research in all biotechnology related sciences (biology, biochemistry, chemical and process engineering, agriculture). It also offers expert commentary on current policy, funding, markets, business, legal issues, and science trends. You can read more at: http://www.liebertpub.com/ind
This is also a unique chance for the industry to demonstrate broad commercialization progress in an authoritative, peer-reviewed setting. We look forward to your submissions!
