This post is part of a series authored by sponsors and exhibitors from the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit, which recently concluded just outside Houston, Texas.
Did you visit us at this year’s Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) Summit in Texas? Attendees were able to see our Algem® photobioreactor in action, and speak to us about our multiparametric optimization.
At Algenuity, we take a radically different statistical modeling approach to help you get the most from your algal strains. We can improve your process and outcome by discovering which parameters are most important and co-optimizing them, while also uncovering hidden parameter interactions. We statistically model your process to accurately predict better conditions, which rapidly increases your yields, defines tolerances, improves your process economics and decreases your time to market.
We have demonstrated successful application of this advanced scientific approach to increase the biomass yield of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) by 235 %, and astaxanthin production in Haematococcus pluvialis to 6.9 % dry weight. “We are excited by the results we have achieved for these commercially important microalgae,” commented Andrew Spicer, Algenuity CEO. “We are confident in applying our expertize and technology to improve microalgal industry outputs, driving the industry to success, renewed investment and growth”.
Missed us at this year’s ABO Summit? Don’t worry – contact us to see how we can optimize your strain, improve your outputs, and support you in your ultimate success story.
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes the case for robust, coordinated research and development programs that can accelerate the development of technologies that can turn greenhouse into useful products such as fuels, construction materials, and chemicals. Algae cultivation is prominently featured in the report, as it has long been considered one of the more exciting biological routes to achieving economically viable carbon capture and sequestration (CCU).
The report calls for a coordinated R&D effort funded by the U.S. government and the private sector, targeting fundamental research, entrepreneurial research hubs, pilot facilities and large-scale commercialization projects.
“Typically scale-up research is done in industrial research settings; however, industry may be unlikely to invest in development of these nascent technologies beyond the laboratory scale due to the lack of market, regulatory, and policy drivers. Therefore, government investment will be critical to enable these technologies to reach pilot and demonstration scale.”
Over the next several decades, CCU technologies could capture more than 10 percent of global emissions, making the approach one of the most potent tools against climate change—if we can make it happen.
A number of research areas for advancing the potential of algae cultivation are identified in the report, including maximizing photosynthesis and carbon dioxide conversion limits. The authors describe the wide range of valuable products that can be made from algae, including the co-products that can be made from the wastes generated during the production of algal biofuels:
Dietary protein
“Protein productivity from algae has been estimated at up to 50 times that of soybeans per acre of land.”
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
“Many green algae naturally produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that are valuable for humans and animals as food additives. While they are typically harvested from fish, PUFAs from algae represent a viable and more sustainable set of target molecules.”
Pigments.
“Algae are well known for their ability to produce a variety of pigments and could provide a more sustainable alternative to the utilization of fossil fuels.”
The report also cites the potential for cyanobacteria, often called blue-green algae, to convert greenhouse gases into a long list of valuable fuels and industrial chemicals, including:
Ethanol
Butanol (n-butanol and isobutanol)
Fatty acids
Heptadecane
Limonene
Bisabolene
2,3- butanediol
1,3-propanediol
Ethylene
Glycogen
Lactate
3-hydroxypropanoic acid
3- hydroxybutanoic acid
4-hydroxybutanoic acid
Isoprene
Farnesene
The potential for algae to drive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in clearly enormous, as is the potential to develop a new source of more sustainable products, jobs, and agricultural practices.
This month hundreds of entrepreneurs, scientists, investors and government leaders gathered in Houston for the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit. The themes that emerged from the tours, speaker presentations, poster sessions and product demonstrations all pointed to an industry that is evolving, growing, and succeeding in more places than ever.
Check out Twitter hashtag #algae2018 to review some of the action, and be sure to take advantage of ABO’s fall recruitment discounts. Recruit a new member and get 20% off both memberships until November 15th!
Summit Highlights: A Billion Years in the Making
ABO’s executive director Matt Carr noted in his opening keynote that hundreds of millions of years ago algae enabled life on Earth by transforming the planet’s early atmosphere into the oxygen-rich climate we have today and providing the base of a thriving food web. Now they are being called upon once again as a living solution to greenhouse gas emissions, water shortages and land degradation, and to fill a massive (and still expanding) need for protein in the decades ahead.
The 2018 Summit distinguished itself from all those before with more discussions of how algae are meeting those challenges: from a new wave ofalgae-derived products on the market, to large industrial applications that are being set up to deliver commodity-level production, to the integration of algae cultivation into carbon abatement via direct capture, soil amendmentsand more.
Matt also called upon the assembled to come together in support of ABO’s expanding efforts to help the sector fulfill its global potential – including:
Ongoing work in Washington to increase funding, agriculture, and other policy support for algae research and commercialization
To give attendees a chance to help grow the ABO community, Matt announced the first ever ABO Member-get-a-Member campaign. Current ABO members who recruit a new member at an equivalent membership level or higher get 20% off both memberships until November 15th! Learn more here.
The 2019 Algae Product Showcase at the Summit featured dozens of algae-derived products hitting markets all over the world.
The Commercial Evolution: Biofuels and Beyond
It was clear at the Summit that the algae industry has grown dramatically into new markets. The impressive innovations for algae biofuels reported by Exxon were just as engaging as companies that brought word of their efforts to disrupt markets with algae foams, plastics, foods, feed, nutritional supplements, yarns and other materials.
Among the hot topics throughout the event was how the potential of algae should be communicated to consumers. Some speakers diverged on whether identifying algae as a preferred ingredient would command as much consumer interest as price or performance.
“We need to make products that fit the market,” noted Qualitas Health’s CEO Miguel Calatayud.
Others noted there was plenty of room to harness the excitement around products made with the world’s most sustainable crop, if only the story could be told correctly.
The Summit’s Taste of Algae allowed attendees to sample the latest algae-based foods, supplements and ingredients in the exhibit hall and during meals & evening receptions.
At a panel titled “The Who, What, When, Where and How of a Compelling Case for Algae” several PR and marketing experts offered advice on how to get over some of the communications hurdles facing algae entrepreneurs. Among the tips:
Do copious amounts of market research to really learn what’s driving the purchase decisions of your customers – what’s important to them. And then adjust your marketing materials, messaging and packaging accordingly, noted Jill Kaufmann Johnson Head of Global Market Development for Algae Ingredients at Corbion.
Determine your company’s values and vision – your company’s “True North” early on, and use it as a competitive weapon, noted John Williams, president and founder of Scoville Public Relations.
Science and technology are cool–just look at the rise of Neil DeGrass Tyson and others. Philip Henson, Creative Director at Something Massive, encouraged storytellers to use this trend as an asset when making the case for algae.
The Summit also laid the groundwork for an even larger impact down the road. In a dynamic evening session, the Future of Algae in Food and Feed initiative attracted dozens of new participants, and a coalition of groups (including ABO, Carbon 180, the X-Prize Foundation and ASU Lightworks) pushing to use algae in carbon capture and utilization operations contributed a power-packed panel and day of programming dedicated to a new carbon economy.
A Technical Edge
The Algae Biomass Summit began as a conference to find synergies among the technical and commercial applications of algae, and 2018 continued that tradition in spades. More than a hundred speakers and posters described new innovations and breakthroughs from the scientific community. ABO will be making presentation slides available to attendees in the coming days!
On the final day of the Summit, ABO presented 6 poster presenters with theYoung Algae Researcher Awards for their contributions to algae science, from high school projects to post-doc research.
Emerging Global Need
The Summit’s international attendees brought news of outstanding progress and growth in China, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere. Over the three-day event a consensus began to emerge that a global effort to advocate for algae may be needed to accelerate the full potential that algae cultivation can provide economies and ecosystems around the world.
Join Us
At the Summit we heard from more companies and individuals than ever that are ready to join ABO and help push this industry forward. Be sure to take advantage of our fall membership special: recruit a new member into ABO and we’ll give you both 20% off. This deal expires November 15 th, so please contact Barb Scheevel ( bscheevel@algaebiomass.org) soon to arrange your discount!
See You In Orlando!
On the last day of the Summit ABO’s director Matt Carr announced that the 2019 event will be held in Orlando, Florida, September 16-19.
Florida has a strong tradition of developing cultivation technologies, from ABO veterans like Algenol to newcomers like the Orlando Utilities Commission.
Florida’s recent battles with unprecedented algal blooms that threaten waterways and other areas also present an opportunity for the industry. Can advanced algae technologies play a role in stemming the destructive red tide? We’ll start to find out at next year’s Summit!
Thank You Summit Sponsors and ABO Members
Thank you to all our members that made the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit such a success, and to the many sponsors that recognize leadership in the algae industry requires a one-of-a-kind event like the Algae Biomass Summit!
Six student scientists were presented with this year’s Young Algae Researcher Awards for their contributions to fields of algae biology and engineering at the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit, held in The Woodlands, Texas Oct 14-17.
The awards are presented at the annual conference to recognize outstanding research projects by early-career scientists that are discovering the potential for algae to address a number of challenges in energy, human health, climate change, agriculture and more.
A panel of judges evaluated more than 100 posters based on six key criteria: presentation, methodology, data analysis, poster integrity and the presentation of the poster by the presenter him or herself.
The Young Algae Research Awards are presented to winners for research conducted in two subject areas: biology and engineering.
For outstanding research in algae biology, awards went to:
First Place: Sarah Loftus, Duke University Effect of Cultivation Water Reuse on the Accumulation of Dissolved Compounds and Algae Growth
Second Place: Jackie Mettler, Los Alamos National Laboratory Targeted Knockout and Knock-in of Photoreceptor Genes to Improve Biomass Accumulation in Microalgae
Third Place: Nikita Bharati, Basha High School A Novel Approach to Optimizing Algae Biofuel Production by Using Naturally Occurring Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) Through Bioflocculation
For outstanding research in algae engineering, the awards went to:
First Place: Yang Han, Desert Research Institute Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Marine and Freshwater Algae Biomass Using Co-solvents
Second Place: Yanxia Lin, Stevens Institute of Technology Optimization of an Attached-growth System for Harvesting of Microalgae
Third Place: Stan Pankratz, University of Alberta The Economics of Producing Algae Biomass in Canada for Biofuels Via Open Pond Raceways and Photo-bioreactors
Congratulations to each of these scientists! Their innovations are building the foundation for the technologies, products and companies of tomorrow.
In a letter to Farm Bill negotiators Friday, Congressional Algae Caucus Co-chairs Scott Peters of California and Darin LaHood of Illinois urged inclusion of key algae agriculture provisions in any compromise Farm Bill package. The letter is the latest indication of mounting support in Congress for an increased role for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in growing the algae agriculture sector.
Negotiators have been meeting this month to iron out differences between House and Senate versions of a Farm Bill package that would set farm policy and spending levels for the next five years. (The current Farm Bill is set to expire Sept 30th.) Among the items to be negotiated is the fate of several key policy proposals to ensure existing USDA programs fully support algae agriculture. The proposals were first introduced by a bipartisan group of legislators in H.R. 5373, the Algae Agriculture Act of 2018. One of the proposals (establishing a USDA algae research program) was included in the House version of the bill. Another (eliminating a restriction on algae in a crop assistance program) made the Senate bill. Friday’s letter calls for inclusion of these and two key additional provisions:
Algae Research Initiative – Proposed in the Cornyn-Udall Senate floor amendment SA 3205, but not brought to a vote, the SA 3205 language improves on the Algae Agriculture Research Program language that was included in section 7208 of the House-passed bill (via Dunn Amendment #6 during markup) by providing specific research priorities and necessary authorization. SA 3205 should be included in the conference report.
Crop Assistance for Algae – The absence of an established crop insurance program for algae production has been reported as the single greatest barrier to the establishment of new algae farms and the expansion of existing farms. Section 9 of House bill H.R. 5373, the Algae Agriculture Act, includes two key, no-cost provisions that would begin to pave the way for algae crop insurance. Modeled on provisions included on a bipartisan basis in the 2014 Farm Bill to lay the groundwork for crop insurance for sorghum, H.R. 5373 authorizes a study on development of crop insurance for algae and study adds explicit eligibility for algae under the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program. Section 9 of H.R. 5373 should be included in the conference report.
Elimination of Algae BCAP Exclusion – Algae is inexplicably excluded from Collection, Harvest, Storage and Transportation (CHST) payments under the Title IX Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This exclusion is eliminated under section 9110 of the Senate-passed bill. Section 9110 of the Senate-passed bill should be included in the conference report.
Recycled Carbon Fixes – Definitional changes are needed to ensure eligibility of carbon-recycled products made with algae and other biological Carbon Capture and Use (CCU), as outlined in section 8 of the H.R. 5373, the Algae Agriculture Act. The Bennet-Whitehouse Senate floor amendment SA 3342 – based on H.R. 6457, the Carbon Utilization Act – proposed to include these vital, no-cost fixes, but the amendment was not included in the final bill. SA 3342 should be included in the conference report.
With the September 30 deadline fast approaching, there is now growing discussion of a possible short-term extension of the current Farm Bill to give negotiators additional time to come to agreement, but ABO is continuing to work with algae advocates on Capitol Hill to ensure the best possible outcome for the industry. Be sure to contact your representatives in Congress and tell them to support algae agriculture in the Farm Bill by fighting for these important provisions.
Did you visit us at this year’s Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) Summit in Texas? Attendees were able to see our Algem® photobioreactor in action, and speak to us about our multiparametric optimization.
A new 
The Algae Biomass Summit began as a conference to find synergies among the technical and commercial applications of algae, and 2018 continued that tradition in spades. More than a hundred speakers and posters described new innovations and breakthroughs from the scientific community. ABO will be making presentation slides available to attendees in the coming days!
