Author: Carrie Cox

Additional $100 Discount Expires In Seven Days!

The Algae Biomass Summit is entering its 12th year and we want to make a special deal available to those that already know the value of the largest algae conference in the world.
 
Register for the Summit by next Thursday, May 17 and we’ll take an additional $100 off the regular early bird rate!

This is the lowest rate we will offer for the 2018 Summit, so don’t miss out.

Use discount code: SUPERALGAE

You can enter your code on the check-out page of the registration process.

Register Today!
 
ABO members save even more!

Become an ABO member TODAY, or renew your 2018 membership by logging into the membership portal at: www.algaebiomass.org. 

See you in Houston!

Algae is on a roll in Congress. Despite a challenging fiscal environment, the latest federal spending bill passed by Congress includes new funding for algae R&D that will be available in FY2018 and, for the first time, tax credits for algae-based carbon capture and use (CCU). New proposals to boost algae agriculture and further speed deployment of CCU technology are also gaining steam. Policy experts at the heart of these and other efforts to boost algae and related technologies offer a detailed look the latest developments, implications for algae research and the algae industry, and what you can do to keep things rolling. Join us for this exclusive insider conversation.

When:

Tuesday, May 1st, 2018
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Dial-in Info:

Register via the link below to receive dial-in information before the call.

This call is free for ABO members. Non-members can participate for a $100 fee.
 

Register Now

Presenters:

• Matt Carr, Executive Director, ABO
• Aaron Goldner, Energy Policy Advisor, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
• Anaïs Borja, Legislative Assistant, Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA)
• Tim Peckinpaugh, Partner, K&L Gates 

Policy Topics:

• Appropriations: The spending bill passed in March included $30 million for the Department of Energy’s Biotechnology Office to advance algae R&D, with at least 50% targeted for university or university-led consortia. It also added $12 million for carbon use and reuse R&D within the DOE’s Fossil Energy Office. Learn how this funding will be made available.
• Carbon Capture and 45Q: In February, Congress passed a $35 per ton tax incentive for carbon captured and recycled from power plants or industrial facilities using algae or other biologically-based carbon capture and use (CCU) systems. Learn how projects can take advantage. 
• Algae Agriculture Act: With the recent introduction of the Algae Agriculture Act of 2018 by a bipartisan group of legislators ABO is working to make algae a new pillar of American agriculture. Learn how this bill can increase R&D at the USDA, provide algae crop insurance, and more.
• USE IT Act: Also introduced with bipartisan support, the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act would support carbon utilization and direct air capture research by amending EPA authority and the permitting process for CO2 infrastructure.

 

Register Now

An amendment from Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL-2nd) establishing a USDA Algae Research Program has been adopted in H.R. 2, the comprehensive 5-year Farm Bill just approved by the House Agriculture Committee in a party-line vote.

If enacted, this provision would provide a major boost to investment in research and development of algae as a sustainable source of food and feed, biofuels and biomaterials, and as a solution for carbon capture, soil health, nutrient management, and other on-farm applications.

A big thank you to Rep. Dunn, as well as to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway for including the amendment in his package of recommended bill amendments.

 

If you are a student, postdoc or early career professional interested in algae and algae-based technologies, the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) would like to invite you to our 2018 Algae Biomass Summit, the world’s largest algae conference.

This year’s summit will be in the Woodlands, Texas, just outside Houston, October 14-17, 2018.

Come and learn about recent technological advancements and innovative research in a wide range of algae-related topics including algae biology, nutrition, feed innovation, energy production, water treatment, carbon utilization, commercialization and more.

Present your work as a poster or platform presentation. Students and first year postdocs are welcome to participate in our annual ABS Young Researcher Poster Competition with cash prizes.

Learn about the Algae Foundation $500 student travel grants to support students’ and postdocs’ attendance to the summit. The deadline to apply for this grant is April 15, 2018.

During the summit, visit our Young Innovators Lounge (YIL), a space designed to explore career options and connect with experienced researchers and industry leaders in the algae sector.

Join us in making algae a renewable and sustainable solution for our future!

Robin Gerlach, Program Chair

Brent Peyton, Program Co-Chair

Learn more about what we can do with algae, visit http://allaboutalgae.com

For more information about the conference contact bscheevel@algaebiomass.org

For more information about the Young Researcher Poster Competition contact Everett Eustance (everett.eustance@asu.edu)and Adriana Alvarez De La Hoz (alvar353@umn.edu).

For more information about the Algae Foundation’s Travel Grants contact bscheevel@thealgaefoundation.org.

Last month ABO’s executive director Matt Carr briefed attendees of the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference in Washington, DC on the potential that algae has to become a leading crop of the future.

The potential of algae goes far beyond biofuels, with a number of efforts underway to put algae in everything from food to soil amendments to water treatment systems. 

Among the details in Matt’s presentation was this slide showing that  algae’s average biomass yields far exceed many traditional crops:

The productivity of algae farming is clearly impressive, but so is the sustainability profile. Since algae can grow on marginal lands, and in water that is unsuitable for traditional farming, the impact of algae cultivation on the environment is much lower than with many other crops.

And on the question of carbon emissions, algae farming can’t be beat when it comes to fighting climate change:

In fact, some recent research has shown that large-scale algae cultivation could even play role in reversing climate change: 

Algae grow extremely fast, and need enormous quantities of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. This makes them ideally suited to consume the carbon dioxide emitted from power plants or other processes before the gas escapes into the atmosphere. It also means that areas with large carbon dioxide supplies might be well-suited to grow algae.

The distribution of coal-fired power plants and ethanol production facilities in the US indicates what regions might have the largest quantities of CO2 available for local algae production:

You will notice one state with particularly good carbon resources for algae production: Texas. In fact, the entire Gulf Coast offers some ideal conditions for algae farmers across a number of variables: carbon supplies, climate and water. 

As the leaders of the algae industry gather near Houston this year for the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit this regional potential will be a big topic of discussion. 

These are just a few of the dimensions of algae cultivation that point to a future of more algae farming in the United States. As the technology advances and more products based on algae become available, ABO expects that future maps of the United States will show an entirely new kind of agriculture providing jobs, energy, food and other products more sustainably then ever before.