Category: Blog

Dr. Martin Gross, President and a founder at Gross-Wen Technologies, joins ABO’s board of directors

The Algae Biomass Organization welcomes Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT), a next-generation wastewater treatment company that is commercializing the revolving algal biofilm treatment technology (RAB), as the group’s newest gold-level member. Dr. Martin Gross, President and co-founder of GWT, was also elected to ABO’s board of directors on January 16, 2020. 

GWT’s wastewater treatment technology harnesses algae to sustainably capture nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants from wastewater generated in municipal or industrial environments. In addition to clean water, the process produces high-value algal biomass for fertilizer and bioplastic applications. GWT’s first commercial deployments at two municipal utilities are expected to break ground in late 2020 and be operational in 2021. Also, the company has active fertilizer trials for turf-grass applications underway at Iowa State University.  

“Algae is going to make a big impact on the sustainability and economics of the water treatment industry, and we are glad to be working more closely with ABO to accelerate the adoption of this technology,” said Gross. “ABO’s work across multiple markets will make it easier for us to coordinate operations in production, as well as with a wide range of product and market developers.”

During his role as president at GWT, Gross has raised over $5 million in equity investments, served as principal investigator on over $1 million in non-diluting Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding, established a robust patent portfolio, and helped orchestrate the first commercial sale of GWT’s core RAB technology.  

Prior to founding GWT, Gross attained dual doctoral degrees from Iowa State University in the fields of Bioprocess Engineering and Food Science and Technology.  Gross also serves as a professor of entrepreneurship at ISU.

“We are glad to have GWT as a gold member and to have Martin’s expertise on the board,”  said Mark Allen, ABO’s Board Chairman and Vice President at Accelergy Corporation. “Water treatment and nutrient runoff is becoming a more urgent issue as global populations grow, and GWT is leading a new generation of sustainable technologies to meet the challenge.”

For more information about Gross-Wen Technologies, visit: https://algae.com/ 

Abstract deadline: February 10, 2020

The Algae Biomass Organization is pleased to announce that abstracts for speaking and poster presentations at the 2020 Algae Biomass Summit are now being accepted. This year’s Summit will take place on September 8 – 11, 2020 at the University of California, San Diego in the coastal community of La Jolla, California.

Algae is closing out the year stronger than ever. New budget legislation widely expected to be signed by President Trump this week includes a record amount of federal funding for algae research, development and commercialization projects in 2020. This strong Congressional support signals that algae technologies will continue to make remarkable headway.

A breakdown of the 2020 funding includes:

• $40 million to be directed to the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) for algae research and development. This is a $10 million increase over last year’s funding.
• $21 million to the DOE’s Fossil Energy (FE) office for for non-geologic carbon utilization activities. Last year this office received $14 million. FE is already supporting impressive carbon capture and algae cultivation projects, in coordination with utilities, ABO member companies and other stakeholders.
• For the first time, up to $10 million is being allocated for R&D into direct air capture technologies. This has been a priority in ABO’s advocacy efforts. A wide range of technologies will compete for this funding, but with algae’s ability to absorb massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere, we expect strong consideration will be given to a number of cutting-edge algae cultivation projects.

These funding increases reflect the bipartisan support that advanced algae technologies have earned over the years. A robust algae industry has the potential to deliver remarkable benefits in global sustainability, but also in areas like rural economic development and energy security.

ABO expresses its gratitude to all Members of Congress that support this kind of technology development. The co-chairs of the Congressional Algae Caucus, Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Darin LaHood (R-IL), deserve special recognition for their efforts to build industry support into this legislation. In the Senate, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) deserves thanks for his role in leading his colleagues to support this important result.

ABO will be keeping its members updated as these appropriations are developed into funding opportunities over the next few months.

The holidays are a time to gather with friends and family. As the conversation drifts from topic to topic, don’t forget to put in a few words for algae!

Putting algae into the meal is a great way to get the conversation started. Algae can be easily included in a number of recipes, and ingredients based on algae are widely available, from whole spirulina powder made by Earthrise, Cyanotech and Valensa, to Thrive’s algae-based cooking oil.

Cookies are a great way to introduce a crowd to algae as a food. Try these vegan cookies made with matcha and chlorella. Not ready to cook? The Cookie Company makes their vegan “fully functional” cookies with algae butter. Visit their website to find a store near you.

Algae can make its way into every part of the holiday meal.  Give your guests a sample of PopZero popcorn, or build a course around Blue Evolution Pasta. You can also make algae the main event by serving algae-fed salmon available under the brand names Blue Circle and Silverside® Coho Salmon

However algae makes it into your meal, ABO wishes you the best holidays. We will see you in 2020!

What milestones did the algae industry achieve in 2019? What foundations were set for success in 2020? Here are a few of the highlights during a busy year for those of us in the business of algae.

Algae Wins Recognition as Agriculture

2019 started out with a big development for the future of algae R&D and commercialization. For the first time, algae was recognized as a crop by the US Department of Agriculture in a new Farm Bill. Throughout the year officials at USDA have been busy setting up the support that the Farm Bill implemented and in 2020 we expect some exciting developments as algae farmers, product developers and others take advantage of the new programs. 

More Companies Targeting the $320 Billion Algae Opportunity

In 2019 there was a rapid pace of commercial progress as companies look to the algae opportunity: Food giants Corbion and Nestle partnered on plant-based ingredients. Checkerspot raised $13M to apply synbio technologies to algae. UK-based retail giant Tesco called for an increased use of algae-based feeds in farmed salmon. Veramaris opened a $200M facility to make algae-based fish feeds, and Kanye West announced an algae-based shoe. And this is an addition to a projected $320 billion market for algae. 

Federal Funding for Algae Research and Commercialization

Thanks to the support and hard work of ABO Members, the Department of Energy and other entities were able to offer funding for a number of projects at the cutting edge of this new industry. The funding was made possible by a Fiscal Year 2019 spending bill that provided an additional $44 million for algae and carbon utilization research — the highest funding level for algae research since the 2009 Recovery Act. 2020 funding levels are set to be even higher.

Ready to apply for funding opportunities that might support your own project? Check out our introduction to the process. 

Federal Agencies Come Together

The support at the USDA is one example of a growing number of federal agencies that are examining the potential of algae. In March of 2019, the federal Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board unveiled a multi-agency strategy to accelerate innovative biomass technologies for affordable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. Algae cultivation is prominently featured among the suite of technologies the effort is harnessing, and ABO working closely with the new group to ensure they can coordinate with the industry’s leading commercial and research projects.

The Most Dynamic Algae Biomass Summit Yet

The 2019 Algae Biomass Summit in Orlando, Florida saw more connections made, breakthroughs announced and products revealed that ever. Read about just a few of the developments in our Dispatch from the Summit, and make plans to join the next Summit, September 8-11, 2020 on the beautiful campus of the University of California, San Diego. 

Algae Makes Waves in the Classroom

ABO’s sister organization, the Algae Foundation, made news in 2019 by putting algae in classrooms across the country. The AF has established the Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC), a project to build programs that can educate the future algae workforce. At the K-12 level, the Algae Academy has brought algae-focused lesson plans, live algae, laboratory supplies and educator support to over 70 schools nationwide. 

For more advanced training, ATEC and the Algae foundation have built online courses, and programs for community colleges that can offer certifications for those building a career in algae cultivation, processing and product development. Find our more about these programs at ATEC’s website. 

Looking Ahead

Throughout 2019 ABO’s Board of Directors and taken the lead coordinating this year’s success in policy, events and market development. As ABO enters 2020 we are well-positioned to continue the upward trajectory for the industry. 

The upcoming year promises to be filled with exciting new product announcements, new projects and technology demonstrations, and even more voices joining Algae Nation.

Not a member of ABO? Join today and become a leader in one of the most exciting technology markets: algae!