Author: Carrie Cox

Gross-Wen Technologies Raises $2 Million for Wastewater Treatment Tech

One of ABO’s newest members, Iowa-based Gross-Wen Technologies, recently announced a $2 million investment from Doerfer Corporation, a US-based engineering and manufacturing firm. 

The investment will be used to further commercialize Gross-Wen’s algal wastewater treatment technology developed at Iowa State University.

GWT’s technology uses advanced algae cultivation techniques to remove nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants from municipal and industrial wastewater. The algae biomass that is produced can be used as a slow-release fertilizer or to make bioplastics and biofuels.

A press release includes more information about the investment and Gross-Wen’s progress toward deploying the technology at commercial scale. GWT recently demonstrated the process at pilot-projects in Iowa as well as one with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Here’s a video of the installation in Chicago:


GWT Founder and President Dr. Martin Gross says the system is now ready for commercial deployment. In addition to offering an effective water treatment option, the system can also introduce a new revenue stream for treatment plant operators. 

“Most communities don’t want to sell algae, that’s not their business model, but it is ours,” Gross said. “We provide an offtake agreement for the algae and profit share with the community. So, a conventional municipal treatment plant that was traditionally a cost center now creates a revenue stream when they implement our system.”

More coverage of the investment and Gross-Wen’s approach is available here. 

Algae Biomass Organization Announces Preliminary Agenda for 12th Annual Algae Biomass Summit in The Woodlands, Texas

WASHINGTON, DC (June 5, 2018) The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today announced the preliminary agenda for the 12th Annual Algae Biomass Summit, being held in The Woodlands, Texas, October 14-17, 2018. The sessions unveiled on the agenda promise a wide range of discussions about the latest advances in algae commercialization and research and the growing impact they are having on food and nutrition markets, agriculture, carbon and water management, energy and more. Registration and agenda details can be viewed at: http://algaebiomasssummit.org.

The combination of commercial and research activity, as well as a favorable climate and resource base, make Texas the perfect setting for the world’s largest algae conference. Texas is where a number of leading companies such as iWi®, ExxonMobil, and AlgEternal Technologies are harnessing algae to develop a new generation of sustainable and versatile products for nutrition, animal feed, biofuels and other markets. The state is also home to leading research institutions, such as Texas A&M and the University of Texas, that are developing the cutting-edge technologies that will make it possible for algae to become a new crop and mainstay of American agriculture.

 “We’re looking forward to bringing algae industry leaders from all over the world to Texas, where some of the most successful approaches to deploying algae cultivation at commercial scales are being demonstrated,” said Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “The Summit’s agenda is more diverse than ever, covering just about any market and any application for a new generation of algae farmers, scientists and entrepreneurs that are building value and addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges.”

In addition to plenary sessions on the most pressing topics facing the industry, the conference will feature dozens of presentations in breakout sessions organized into four tracks:

  • Biology: Featuring the latest research discoveries and innovations about how algae grow, and how they can be harnessed to address global challenges or create new products.
  • Commercialization, Finance & Policy: Updates from entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies that are deploying algae into the market, as well as investment opportunities and bipartisan policy support for algae in Congress and state legislatures.
  • Engineering & Analysis: Addressing the latest techniques for cultivating and processing algae at commercial scales.
  • Products & Markets: A new Summit track focusing on the latest products that are made possible with algae, and how they can upend traditional options.

The Summit’s exhibit hall will offer opportunities to see algae technologies up close, and also includes a Product Showcase with examples of the hundreds of algae-based products already on the market. More than 100 posters will be on display showcasing groundbreaking new technologies, research and commercial breakthroughs.

The 2018 Summit comes as ABO member companies have accelerated the pace of product commercialization in the past year, introducing new and more sustainable aquaculture feeds, nutritional supplements, algae-derived plastics and foams, food ingredients, and more. The new value these products are creating is complemented by an unparalleled sustainability profile for algae farming. Algae can be grown using carbon dioxide from energy production, previously unusable brackish water or wastewater from treatment plants, and marginal lands that aren’t suitable for most traditional crops.

More information about the Summit can be found at www.algaebiomasssummit.org.

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.

Supporting the Algae Foundation Now Easier Than Ever With New AmazonSmile Link

Turn Your Amazon Purchases Into Support For The Algae Foundation’s Algae Academy

Today the Algae Foundation has launched an initiative with AmazonSmile to support the Foundation’s K-12 STEM project, The Algae Academy, and reach even more students through the algae outreach program.

AmazonSmile is an Amazon service that allows a buyer to donate a portion of their purchase to a charity/non-profit of their choice.  The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases.

“It doesn’t sound like much, but contributions through AmazonSmile can add up quickly for a project like ours,” said Tiffany Cannis, Vice Chair of the Algae Foundation. “This is an easy, hassle-free way for the industry to support the Algae Foundations’ goals to inspire the next generation of Algae researchers, scientists and engineers. Anyone who orders from Amazon can donate this way, and it is especially effective when

 organizations who purchase goods through Amazon choose to do so through AmazonSmile with the Foundation selected as their charity of choice.” 

The Algae Academy provided 48 Algae STEM Kits to middle school classes in California, Michigan, and Ohio last year.  In 2018, our goal is to provide 150 kits to middle and high school classrooms nationwide.  Each kit serves up to 150 students and is provided completely free of charge to teachers.  In order to continue to serve our schools and engage students in algal education, we need to raise $20,000+ annually.  Our AmazonSmile proceeds will help us meet this annual goal.

To contribute to the Algae Academy, visit: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-2312083, log in, and select the Algae Foundation as your non-profit of choice.  Then make purchases on AmazonSmile like you normally would.

ABO Secures Unprecedented $136 Million For Algae and Related Projects — Deadlines Approaching

ABO’s ongoing work in Washington, DC, to educate Congress and federal agencies on the importance of robust algae research, development and demonstration has resulted in the release of an unprecedented series of funding opportunities for algae. Deadlines for letters of intent are fast approaching.
 
Four major algae funding opportunities totaling up to $136 million are now open for applications. The requests for applications (RFAs) come from three different offices across multiple federal agencies and represent the largest wave of potential algae funding in a decade. But hurry, letters of intent for these opportunities are due as soon as May 30.
 
This funding is the direct result of ABO’s work in Washington. This work would not be possible without your support of ABO and the Algae Biomass Summit.
 
 
 

Available Opportunities:

 
BioEnergy Engineering for Products Synthesis (up to $28 million): This multi-topic FOA from BETO seeks to develop highly efficient conversion processes for improving the affordability of fuels and products from biomass and waste streams. Awards for between $1 million and $2.5 million each. Letters of intent are due by May 30, 2018. Full applications are due by June 27, 2018.
 
Efficient Carbon Utilization in Algal Systems (up to $15 million): This research funding opportunity from BETO seeks proposals in two areas to improve the cost-competitiveness of algae-based biofuels and bioproducts. Awards for between $1.5 million and $2.5 million each to industry- and academia-led consortia. Letters of intent are due by May 30, 2018. Full applications are due by June 27, 2018. 
 
 
Novel Methods for Making Products from Carbon Dioxide or Coal (up to $13 million): This FOA from the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy seeks to develop novel, marketable products using carbon dioxide or coal as a feedstock. Projects are sought for technologies that show: a positive life-cycle analysis; the potential to generate a marketable product; and significant advantages when compared to traditional products. Application closing date is June 25, 2018.
 
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Sustainable Agricultural Systems (up to $80 million): This RFA seeks from the USDA seeks approaches that will improve the supply of abundant, affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible food, while providing sustainable opportunities for expansing of the bioeconomy through novel animal, crop, and forest products and supporting technologies. Letters of intent are due by June 27, 2018. Full applications are due by October 10, 2018.

Algae Biomass Organization Welcomes Four New Silver-Level Members Operating in Markets for Nutrition, Water Treatment and Power Generation

WASHINGTON, DC (May 24, 2018) The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today announced AstaReal, Inc., Gross-Wen Technologies, the Orlando Utilities Commission, and SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions as its newest Silver-level members. The four leaders in algae technology and product innovation join the growing ranks of companies and organizations that are working with ABO to develop algae into a sustainable source of countless products and services.

“We are seeing a greater diversity of applications for algae cultivation than ever before,” said Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “We look forward to working with these four companies to build even bigger markets for the products and services that can be made more efficient, more sustainable and more effective with advanced algae technologies.”

AstaReal Inc, part of a world-wide AstaReal group located in Seattle, Washington is one of the leading producers of natural astaxanthin, a biomolecule critical to human and animal health. AstaReal is regarded as a pioneer in algae cultivation and in the early 1990’s became the first company in the world to commercially produce natural astaxanthin from microalgae. The company has invested heavily in clinical science and operates microalgae production facilities around the world including in the United States and Europe.

Iowa based Gross-Wen Technologies was founded in 2013 by Dr. Martin Gross and Dr. Zhiyou Wen to solve one of the world’s largest problems: water quality. Based on a technology developed at Iowa State University, the Gross-Wen approach harnesses a proprietary revolving algal biofilm system to cost-effectively recover nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. The carbon-negative process also produces algae biomass which can be sold as a slow releases fertilizer.

The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) is a municipal utility that provides water and electric services to the City of Orlando, Florida and parts of the surrounding area. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, MicroBio Engineering, Inc., and other ABO members, OUC is working to demonstrate how algae cultivation can be used to capture carbon emissions from coal power production at its Stanton Energy Center.

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.