Last Friday ABO-member Algix held a grand opening for its newest facility near Marion Junction, Alabama that harvests the algae from catfish-farming operations for processing into biodegradable plastics.
The Selma-Times Journal has the story and pictures. Among the impressive details about Algix’s products is the news that the company is already working with an impressive list of companies looking for suppliers of sustainable products: Apple, Clorox, BASF and Shaw.
Algix is also a great example of the algae industry integrating with traditional farming industries. The company expects a rapid increase in the number of catfish farmers it works with. The Selma-Times quoted Butch Wilson, president of Catfish Farmers of America:
“The bottom line is going to be affected significantly,” Wilson said. “We will have to use less chemicals and farmers will also get cash from allowing Algix to clean up their ponds. Honestly, I think this is like discovering oil.”
The grand opening at the Algix facility was also part of ABO’s Summer of Algae, an educational campaign my member companies to open their doors and show the public, policy makers and the media some of the exciting developments in the rapidly growing algae industry. Other events this summer have included an open house at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences’ National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA) in East Boothbay, Maine and a certificate of appreciation presented to Representative Matt Salmon (R-AZ) by Arizona-based ABO member Heliae.