Author: Carrie Cox

Does your research, peer reviewed or otherwise, demonstrate the safety of one or more types of algae or algae bioimass as food or feed?

Animal feed applications represent an increasingly promising opportunity for algae biomass producers, but, at present, with very limited exceptions, whole microalgae and microalgal ingredients are generally not approved for use in animal feed in the U.S.

To support the expansion of algae-based animal feed use, ABO is seeking to compile the most comprehensive possible library of literature demonstrating the safety of algal feed ingredients, including:

• Safety studies or feed trials in fish or other animals
• Human safety studies
• Studies of environmental safety
• Reports showing historical use of algae for feed

Please send us your results! Contributions should be sent (as attachments if possible, or as links to publicly available studies, to this email address: news@algaebiomass.org) by close of business Tuesday, October 18. 

Thank you for contributing to this important effort!

As the Algae Biomass Summit 2016 draws closer, we wanted to take this opportunity to recognize and profusely thank all of our sponsors. The Summit, now the world’s largest algae conference and indispensable for representatives looking to connect with other experts on algae and to learn about new opportunities in the space, would not be possible without the support of our sponsors.

This year promises to be a landmark year for the Algae Biomass Summit, now in its tenth year, with a strong line-up of speakers and a wide range of pertinent topic areas. There will be four tracks for break-out sessions throughout the conference, focusing on biology, commercialization, engineering & analysis and emerging topics in the industry in addition to four general Plenary Panels. Throughout the conference, the exhibit hall will be open for browsing with a great group of exhibitors from across the globe.

This year, ABO is also collaborating with WEF to provide an Algae for Wastewater Treatment Forum in advance of the Summit on Sunday, October 23^rd. A unique experience is also available after the Summit concludes in the form of a tour of the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation.

Thank you once again to our sponsors for making this possible, including Commercial Algae Professionals, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technology Office, FedEx, Cellana, Matrix Genetics, ExxonMobil, MicroBio, Keller and Heckman LLP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Schott, Bergeson and Campbell PC and many more.

For more information about the Summit, including registration details, please visit our website.

The Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has shown a commitment to algae and its future by funding a project to expand education in the algae industry. More specifically, BETO is funding the Algae Technology Education Consortium (ATEC) to expand algae-based educational programs at the community college level.

Why prioritize education? ATEC recently performed a study that found that despite the algae industry’s growing size, trained workers in the algae-space are difficult to find. And the need for such workers will only grow in the coming years as the already $8 billion industry expands.

ATEC offers a variety of programs to solve that deficit. For one, the organization provides a two-year degree program at the community college level to train graduates for entry-level positions in algal farms or aquaculture facilities. ATEC also created a certificate program for those more interested in algal sciences and is currently developing an online course to be made available to the public.

These efforts in support of the algae industry certainly fulfill BETO’s goal to develop biofuels and bioproducts and to thus reduce dependence on petroleum imports. With the great promise shown by the algae industry, this is a great way to invest in and support the industry’s future.

For more details about the programs, visit the BETO’s website.

by Paul Mullen

NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE is a global competition which aims to develop breakthrough technologies relating to carbon dioxide. The competition aims for the team to convert the most carbon dioxide into one or more products with the highest net value. 47 entries from 7 countries are competing for the $20M NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE. Amongst the 47 entries, two algae related teams are in for a chance to win the grand prize. More information on the two algae teams can be found below:

 

• Aljadix – A Swiss company developing carbon negative biofuel from microalgae feedstock.
• Pond Technologies – A Canadian company that converts raw smokestack emissions from heavy industry into algal biomass.

Up to 15 semi-finalist teams are scheduled to be announced on October 15, 2016. To see the full list of teams click here.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), held a workshop to discuss near-term opportunities to commercialize algal biofuels and bioproducts. As explained by BETO, the purpose of the Algal Biology Toolbox Workshop was “to discuss the R&D needed to achieve affordable, scalable and sustainable algae-based biofuels.” More specifically, the goal was to determine the algal biological tools available (both abstract and concrete), what hurdles there are in terms of applying those tools and what strategies the industry should focus on going forward.

Over 50 stakeholders attended the workshop, representing industry, government and research interests.

BETO has now released the Algal Biology Toolbox Workshop Summary Report, detailing highlights and insights gleaned from the workshop. The comprehensive report delves into presentations and discussions from the workshop as well as answers from focus questions that were introduced during the workshop. According to the report, some key priorities for the industry include:

• Increased productivity in terms of strain development
• Improved algae screening tools
• Standardized and accessible algae reference materials and databases

And many more. For more details about the workshop, visit BETO’s webpage.