Author: Carrie Cox

Holiday Party Talking Points!

Yet another year seems to have sped by, bringing us the holiday season, and with it innumerable family gatherings, parties with co-workers, and cheerful conversation. We here at ABO have pulled together a few helpful talking points on algae to ensure that you are the life of the party wherever your holiday travels take you:

Are the kids asking what makes Santa’s sleigh so fast? He could be using algae biofuels!

Algae can be used to make all the fuels we need: ethanol, diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. And since they consume carbon dioxide as they grow, algae-based biofuels can help cut down on the greenhouse gases that are warming the Earth and threatening the ice at the North Pole.

Santa can also feed his reindeer with super-sustainable feeds from algae.

Algae-based feeds are perfect for reindeer, who live far from the farmland needed to supply hay and other forage. Not only would the high protein content and Omega-3 oils help fuel Rudolph and his team all night long, but algae-based feeds are also more sustainable than conventional feeds:

  • They have less than 10% the carbon footprint of conventional feeds
  • They use less than 10% of the land requirements of traditional feeds
  • They have less than 20% the water impact of traditional feeds

Studies have already shown that feeds based on algae can meet and exceed the performance of traditional feed formulations.

That sounds pretty good, you say. Can I eat algae too?

Algae-based foods for humans are already becoming available in the supermarket, so don’t be surprised if some of your holiday meal includes one of the-the most sustainable ingredients known. Solazyme recently introduced an algae-derived cooking oil with a mild flavor profile, high cooking temperature and an insanely high ratio of monounsaturated fats (those are the hearty-healthy kind most of us need to eat more of).

How does Aunt Debbie manage to look so young?

She may be using algae-based nutraceuticals and personal care products. Algae’s Omega-3 and antioxidant content offer major benefits including anti-ageing and hydration properties and have already made their mark in the premium cosmetics sector in the U.S. She could also be taking an algae-based Omega-3 supplement, one of the most mature markets for algae, to improve her cardiovascular health.

If the holiday libations have you moving a bit slower in the morning you can always try the world’s best hangover cure: algae!

We came across this recent claim that Chlorella, a freshwater algae, may be one of the world’s best hangover cures for its ability to detoxify the liver and provide much-needed vitamins and minerals. You may also want to try Spirulina, which can often be found in popular fruit smoothies and as a stand-alone supplement. Or you may want to mix your algae into your cocktail–check out the Green Machine & Vodka drink.

So make a toast to algae, the perfect solution to liven up holiday chatter, to build a stronger economy and to create a more sustainable planet.

Have a great holiday season!

 

Matt Carr

Executive Director

Algae Biomass Organization

Algae Biomass Organization Lauds Congressional Support for Advancing Algae Technology

WASHINGTON, DC (December 18, 2015) The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, applauded the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate for including in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 policies that will accelerate the development of algae technologies that can enhance the economic, energy and environmental security of the United States.

The appropriations bill passed by Congress this week includes several components that will accelerate the development of advanced algae technologies that can help address some of the nation’s most pressing challenges. The bill includes an important extension of the second generation biofuel tax credit through the end of 2016, as well as $30 million for algae research and development at the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office and $10 million for carbon use and reuse at the Department’s Office of Fossil Energy. This support increases the potential funds available for algae research and commercialization by 50 percent over 2015 levels. The legislaton also makes up to $45 million available to the Department of Defense for the construction of biorefineries for the production of advanced drop-in biofuels from algae and other sources.

“Programs at the Departments of Energy and Defense are making vital investments in an algae technology platform that offers an economically sustainable solution to carbon emissions, provides Americans with a new source of domestically produced fuels, and opens the door for an industry that can provide jobs across the nation.” said Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organizations. “Extending the production tax credit for second generation biofuels through 2016 also sends a vital signal to investors that algae-based and other advanced biofuels have the full support of Congress. We thank members of the House and Senate for their leadership and vision.”

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic and climate challenges facing the world today. This tiny but powerful organism has the ability to simultaneously put fuels in vehicles, reuse CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people, and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at allaboutalgae.com.

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: algaebiomass.org.

Qualitas Health’s Algae Farm in Imperial, Texas

ABO member Qualitas Health was recently featured in the Fort Stockton Pioneer for their innovative algae farm near Imperial, Texas.

Instead of taking crude oil out of the ground this facility is using a brackish underground aquifer to grow algae that’s harvested for its nutritious Omega-3 oil components.

According to the Pioneer:

Qualitas Health algae farm was established in Imperial because of its abundance of available land, sunlight and brackish water, all of which are needed for an inland marine algae farm. It is the largest facility of its type in the world. 

Read the full profile in the Fort Stockton Pioneer.

University of Delaware Looks to Algae as Fuel of the Future

ABO member and University of Delaware associate scientist Dr. Jennifer Stewart is working to create sustainable algae-based biofuels that could reduce carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions in the atmosphere. Her recent work on carbon capture and utilization with algae is attracting some attention.

Many scientists have proposed growing algae on power plant smokestacks to neutralize their emissions, which typically contain high levels of nitric oxide and carbon dioxide gases. Nitrogen oxides in industrial emissions are highly toxic and contribute to acid rain and ground-level ozone, while also damaging human health and destroying food crops.

Stewart discovered that Heterosigma akashiwo, a species of algae that thrives in Delaware waterways and worldwide, contains a special enzyme with the unique ability to convert nitric oxide gas into a form of nitrogen it can use for food. So instead of dying in the presence of toxic emissions, H. akashiwo thrives, a discovery that may help push algae further into the major leagues of biofuel sourcing.

2015 Funding

Federal Support for Algae in 2015

ABO advocacy helped secure more than $27 million in funding for algae from federal research and development programs in 2015.

Next year funding could reach $75 million or more if we can keep reminding Members of Congress and government agencies about the potential for algae to help solve so many of our economic and environmental challenges.

$2 Million for Carbon Utilization

Federal confidence in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) may be on the rise thanks to the efforts of the Algae Biomass Organization and many of its members to make sure CCU was part of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

Earlier in the year the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) also added language about “biological CO2 use or conversion” to a carbon capture funding opportunity announcement.

This opened the door for algae-related research to qualify and eventually two projects, totaling almost $2 million in DOE funds, were selected. One will focus on using Scenedesmus acutus algae to make CO2 into fuels and bioplastics.

Congratulations to the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, University of Delaware, College of Earth, and ALGIX, LLC for their fantastic work on their collaboration.

MicroBio Engineering also deserves kudos for winning support for its project that will integrate microalgal production systems into the Orlando (Florida) Utilities Commission Stanton Energy Center coal-fired power plant and study their ability to use and mitigate CO2 emissions from flue gas. Other partners in this work include Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (La Jolla, CA), Life Cycle Associates LLC (Portola Valley, CA), and SFA Pacific, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA).

$18 Million for Biofuels

Even with oil hovering around $40 per barrel, the DOE continues to back algae-based fuel projects. Six research projects tasked with bringing the cost of petroleum-equivalent algal fuel to $5 per gallon received $18 million in total. Through this funding, the DOE aims to spark innovations, create green jobs, and increase energy security.

Congratulations to the selected projects: Producing Algae and Co-Products for Energy (PACE), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO; Marine Algae Industrialization Consortium (MAGIC), Duke University, Durham, NC; Global Algae Innovations, Inc., El Cajon, CA; Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ; University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA.

$2.1 Million from ARPA-E

In addition, the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), awarded Marine BioEnergy $2.1 million to turn kelp — macro algae — into biofuel. Instead of harvesting from kelp forests near the shore, Marine BioEnergy has developed a system for controlled open-ocean farming. At scale, this is an enormous project and an enormous step for algae.

$75 Million or More in 2016?

We have been working with our House and Senate supporters on appropriations language that could support up to $30 million for algae in the DOE Biomass Energy Technologies Office (BETO) budget and an additional $10 million for carbon capture and utilization in the DOE Fossil Energy Office.

On top of federal funding opportunities, XPRIZE has announced a $20 million competition to develop technology that converts CO2 emissions into valuable materials(register your team by March 3rd, 2016) and the Canadian province of Alberta is offering $15 million in new funding for Innovative Carbon Uses through the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation. CCEMC applications are due January 18.

In total, there is a potential $75 million on the table for algae in the coming months.

Help us keep the visibility of algae in the minds of the federal research programs tasked with solving our nation’s most intractable problems.

Your ABO membership allows us to keep you apprised of these opportunities, help you apply, and introduce you to the Congressional and agency staff who need to hear about the latest scientific and commercial breakthroughs they aim to accelerate.

As the largest group of algae professionals, an ABO membership can also provide your project or products with maximum visibility to customers, researchers and other important audiences. Check out membership details here.

Thanks to all of you who are reaching for better ways to use algae! ABO will keep pushing to ensure that you will have the support you need to make it happen.