Carrie Cox – Page 65

DOE Announces $15 Million for Algae-based Biofuels

The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) today announced that it has awarded $15 million for three algae-based biofuels projects. The grants are intended to advance research and development within the industry, ultimately speeding along the production of renewable, economic alternatives to fossil fuels. Significantly, a number of participants in all three projects are Algae Biomass Organization members, including our newest member: General Electric!

Funding for these projects was made available through Congressional appropriations, and was due in no small part to the efforts of ABO members in the research and business communities to keep elected officials apprised of the potential for algae to make an enormous impact in our energy, economic and environmental security.

The three projects include:

Further development of Global Algae Innovations’ open raceway pond system in collaboration with the University of California-San Diego, TSD Management Associates, Texas A&M University, General Electric, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The project will combine ‘best-in-class’ cultivation and pre-processing technologies with innovative strain development.
Creation of a viable biofuel intermediate by Algenol Biotech LLC in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology and Reliance Industries Ltd. The team will be collaborating on enhancing the productivity of cyanobacteria and successfully converting the resultant biomass into a biofuel intermediate using a photo-bioreactor system.
Development of a wide range of integrated technologies by MicroBio Engineering, Inc. in partnership with Cal Poly University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and Heliae. The focus of the collaboration includes increasing yields of algal biofuel production, improving treatment of wastewater, producing higher value co-products and mitigating carbon dioxide.

These dynamic projects will do much to advance the algae biofuel industry and represent a maturing of innovation in the space. The efforts will directly address the purpose of the body providing the grant: the EERE is intended to accelerate the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies with the intent to strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality and economic vitality. Algae’s promise in all three categories prove these awards will ultimately be a boon to the country.

Carbon Capture and Utilization Act Would Support Algae Technologies

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and five of his Senate colleagues introduced today the Carbon Capture and Utilization Act of 2016, a bill that will provide provide tax credit support for algae and other carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies that can convert greenhouse gas emissions into valuable products such as advanced biofuels, animal feed, fertilizer and chemical ingredients. The proposed language would add CCU technologies to section 45Q of the tax code, which already provides credits for the adoption of carbon capture and sequestration technologies.

The bill is expected to generate and incentivize new innovations to reduce emissions in the U.S. “Preventing the worst of climate change will mean deploying a broad range of technologies to reduce carbon emissions,” said Senator Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This bill would provide a boost for entrepreneurs in Rhode Island and across the country who turn harmful carbon pollution into useful products. That incentive will spur economic growth and help protect our environment and public health.”

Of particular interest to the algae community are provisions in the bill that would allow smaller projects to qualify for the credit. This will be a significant boost for many projects that seek to demonstrate how cutting-edge algae cultivation technologies can be used to consume the CO2 from power plants for the production of valuable biomass, biofuels and other products.

Read ABO’s statement here.

To read the full announcement, visit http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/whitehouse-introduces-carbon-capture-and-utilization-bill

DOE 2016 Billion-Ton Report: Ample Resources for Algae Production in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) released its 2016 Billion-Ton Report on Tuesday. The report is the third in a series of DOE assessments to calculate the potential supply of biomass to support the United States bioeconomy.

New to the 2016 report and of special interest to ABO, however, is the assessment and acceptance of algae as a viable renewable resource for the development of biofuel, biopower, and bioproducts. Other renewable resources in the report include biomass from agricultural, forestry, and waste.

According to the report, the United States possess ample resources to produce large quantities of biomass from algae.

Among the DOE’s findings on algae:

Nearly 140,000 square miles of land suitable for open pond algae farms are available in the United States;
CO₂ resources in the United States could be used to produce nearly 1.4 billion tons of algae annually;
An analysis of the productivity of a single strain of saltwater algae found the potential to produce 86 million tons of algal biomass annually and capture 211 million tons of CO₂ from coal, ethanol and natural gas sources.

Overall, the United States currently uses 400 million tons of dry biomass resources annually. The report’s findings show that this amount could increase to 1.57 billion tons which would subsequently decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

The 2016 Billion-Ton Report confirms the need and viability for expansion of the U.S. bioeconomy. Of significance to the ABO, the report reaffirms the importance of the work our members are doing with algal bioproducts.

Read ABO’s full statement on the report here.

To read the full report, visit http://energy.gov/eere/articles/future-bioeconomy-supported-more-one-billion-tons-biomass-potential

Algae Biomass Organization Hails Carbon Utilization Tax Credit Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC (July 13, 2016) The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, hailed the introduction today of the Carbon Capture and Utilization Act of 2016 by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Jon Tester (D-MT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ). The legislation would provide tax credit support for algae and other carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies that can convert greenhouse gas emissions into valuable products such as advanced biofuels, animal feed, fertilizer and chemical ingredients. The proposed language would add CCU technologies to section 45Q of the tax code, which already provides credits for the adoption of carbon capture and sequestration technologies.

“Developing technologies that convert greenhouse gases into useful products can overcome the biggest obstacle to carbon capture: cost. We applaud these Senators for recognizing that by recycling carbon and converting it into valuable products we can offset the cost of carbon capture technologies, minimizing impacts on ratepayers and creating new economic opportunities in rural regions across the country,” said Matt Carr, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “We are particularly grateful for the language advocated by the Algae Biomass Organization that would allow smaller projects to qualify for the credit, which will help jumpstart several innovative algae technology demonstrations.”

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 companies across the country are working to commercialize new technology advances that use algae and other microorganisms to convert concentrated sources of CO₂ into 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.

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.

Algae Biomass Organization Hails Potential for Algae Cultivation Revealed in U.S. Department of Energy’s Billion Ton Study

WASHINGTON, DC (July 12, 2016) The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, hailed the findings in the Department of Energy’s 2016 Billion-Ton Report that show the United States possess ample resources to produce large quantities of biomass from algae that can be processed into fuels, feed, food ingredients and other products.

Among the DOE’s findings on algae:

Nearly 140,000 square miles of land suitable for open pond algae farms are available in the United States;
CO₂ resources in the United States could be used to produce nearly 1.4 billion tons of algae annually;
An analysis of the productivity of a single strain of saltwater algae found the potential to produce 86 million tons of algal biomass annually and capture 211 million tons of CO₂ from coal, ethanol and natural gas sources.

“The Department of Energy has shown that even with the most conservative estimates it is possible to harness the latest algae technologies to not only generate large quantities of useful biomass, but also make substantial reductions in CO₂ emissions from the power sector and other industries,” said Matt Carr, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “The proven potential for algae to make this huge economic impact and reduce the costs of controlling greenhouse gas emissions should encourage more demonstrations of this technology at larger and larger scales.”

The findings of the Department of Energy come as several leaders in Congress are advocating for more research and incentives for technologies that can transform greenhouse gases into valuable products. In addition to funding research at the Departments of Energy and Agriculture, proposals in the House and Senate have sought to provide tax incentives for carbon utilization technologies that are on par with other carbon capture approaches. Earlier, the Environmental Protection Agency included carbon capture and utilization in its Clean Power Plan after members of the algae research community and industry made clear the role the technology could play in national climate policy.

Carbon capture and utilization 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 companies across the country are working to commercialize new technology advances that use algae to convert concentrated sources of CO₂ into 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 latest innovations in carbon capture with algae will also be topics of discussion at the 2016 Algae Biomass Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, October 23-26.