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.