Category: News

Last Wednesday Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced legislation that would tax carbon emissions in the United States, and return the revenues to citizens through rebates and other tax reductions. A carbon tax is a common policy prescription for dealing with climate change, but the “American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act,” includes one provision that no other proposed climate legislation has covered: it offers incentives to technologies that recycle carbon dioxide.

For the first time an emissions-reduction bill includes carbon capture and utilization (CCU) as an accepted method for power plants and other industries to achieve CO2 reductions. Algae cultivation and harvesting technology is just one of many approaches that can use carbon dioxide as a feedstock for plastics, biofuels, chemicals and other products.

Only recently has the process of CCU been recognized in Washington, DC for its potential to meaningfully contribute to emissions reductions, and do so at a profit, since the products that can be made from carbon dioxide have huge markets.

Senators Whitehouse and Schatz are among the first to include CCU in serious legislation. They deserve thanks for their foresight and hard work introducing this concept into the consciousness of policy makers.

The American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act is a chance to have a discussion about dealing with climate change in a way that protects our environment and allows for innovation across industries. The Algae Biomass Organization is grateful that supporters of this legislation have also acknowledged the important role that new and emerging technologies can have in making all our lives better.

 

 

WASHINGTON, DC (March 27, 2015) The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, today announced CO₂-to-fuels company Joule Unlimited as a new Platinum member and Parker Hannifin’s Renewable Resources Unit focusing on algae industry research and development as a new Corporate member. Joule and Parker join the growing ranks of companies and organizations that are working with ABO to develop algae and other photosynthetic microorganisms into a source of sustainable fuels, chemicals, feeds, nutraceuticals and other products.

Based in Bedford, Massachusetts with operations in New Mexico and the Netherlands, Joule Unlimited has pioneered a CO₂-to-fuels production platform, effectively reversing combustion through the use of solar energy and engineered cyanobacteria. The company’s platform is unique in that it applies microbial biomass as a catalyst rather than a “crop,” enabling the direct, continuous conversion of waste CO₂ into renewable fuels such as ethanol or hydrocarbons for diesel, jet fuel and gasoline. Free of feedstock constraints and complex processing, Joule’s process can achieve unrivaled scalability, volumes and costs without the use of any agricultural land, fresh water or crops.

“We’re pleased to join like-minded companies in the important effort to recycle waste CO₂ emissions into useful products,” said Serge Tchuruk, President and CEO of Joule. “Although our process differs from those using algal biomass, we share the common objective of commercializing sustainable fuels that can meet global energy demands while also providing a carbon mitigation solution.”

Parker Hannifin is the global leader in motion and control technologies and systems. Parker’s engineering expertise and broad range of core technologies uniquely positions the company to solve some of the world’s greatest engineering challenges.

By partnering with customers, Parker Hannifin’s Renewable Resources Unit improves their productivity and profitability through developing innovative systems and services that solve algae industry pain points.

“We are excited to have an inspiring industry leader like Joule join the ranks of platinum ABO members that are driving our industry forward,” said Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “Parker’s engineering expertise and commitment to deploying technologies that have bottom-line benefits is perfectly aligned with the goals of the Algae Biomass Organization. We look forward to working closely with both of these new members as we work to put more algae-derived products into the hands of consumers.”

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 www.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: www.algaebiomass.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 11, 2015 – A survey of the algae industry conducted by the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) broadly shows high expectations for continued growth in the sector as well as increased production of a wide range of algae-derived products. The survey was conducted in February 2015 and includes more than 230 responses from companies and individuals involved in directly producing and buying algae or algae-derived products, as well as equipment manufacturers, research laboratories, providers of equipment or materials, government agencies and service providers.

As in the previous three annual surveys, respondents this year continued their optimism that algae-derived fuels are likely to be price competitive with fossil fuels by 2020 (75 percent agreement); that algae based feeds will be commercially available by 2020 (97 percent agreement); and that algae-based plastics and chemicals will be commercially available in the same timeframe (93 percent agreement).

A majority of producers reported plans to increase production capacity (70 percent agreement); and many expect positive hiring trends through 2015 and beyond.

The positive attitudes could be attributed to the widespread progress of the industry in commercialization efforts and research breakthroughs in the past year. During 2014 the industry improved capacity at commercial production facilities, made new advances in yields and algae biology, and made significant progress on the policy front with the leadership of the Congressional Algae Caucus.

Federal support for algae and carbon utilization R&D and commercialization, along with streamlined regulatory approvals for algae products or facilities were cited as the top two priorities for the future, suggesting that companies are looking forward to continuing their transitions from research and demonstration stages to commercialization.

“The members of the Algae Biomass Organization are moving quickly to develop technologies that will provide consumers with products they want without negative impacts on our food, climate or energy security,” said Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “This survey captures the enthusiasm of the entrepreneurs and scientists that are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges, creating new jobs and new sources of fuel, feed and other products.”

Other key findings of the survey included:

• The algae industry supports a wide variety of jobs across the United States. Respondents reported holding all types of positions in their organizations including executives, scientists and researchers, operations or production positions, finance, students and professors.
• Significant job growth is projected by 2020, with the percentage of employers with 51-100 employees expected to continue to increase and the percentage of employers that expect 101-500 employees expected to increase eightfold.
• Congressional engagement is high—68 percent of respondents’ organizations either have met with or plan to meet with legislators, and more than half of ABO members reported having elected officials tour their facilities.
• Forty-six percent of producers project the cost of algae-based fuel to be less than $3.00 per gallon and more than 91 percent project the cost to be less than $5.00 per gallon by 2020.

An executive summary of the survey’s results is available at:
https://algaebiomass.org/resource-center/references/industry-statistics/ 

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in our vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.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: www.algaebiomass.org.

 

WASHINGTON, DC (December 18, 2014) The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, welcomed today Gas Technology Institute (GTI) as a new corporate member. GTI joins the growing ranks of companies and organizations that are working with ABO to develop algae into a source of sustainable chemicals, fuels, food, and feed applications, as well as for high-value applications such as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, among others.

Based in Des Plaines, Illinois, GTI is a leading research, development and training organization that has been addressing the nation’s energy and environmental challenges by developing technology-based solutions for consumers, industry, and government for more than 70 years. The company has a long record of supporting the development and deployment of biomass conversion technologies for biofuels and other applications.

“We are excited to have a leader like GTI join the Algae Biomass Organization,” said Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “GTI’s contributions to the technologies necessary for converting algae biomass directly to drop-in fuels have been invaluable, and we look forward to working closely with them as we continue to move this industry forward.”

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 www.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: www.algaebiomass.org.

Technology to Convert Greenhouse Gases Into Products Gains Support on Capitol Hill 

WASHINGTON, DC (November 19, 2014) The Algae Biomass Organization, the trade association for the algae industry, applauded Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) for including provisions to encourage carbon utilization technology in climate change legislation they proposed today. The bill calls for greenhouse gas regulations that would promote the use of carbon dioxide as a feedstock for plastics, biofuels, chemicals and other products.

“We need creative solutions to the climate problem, and by including carbon utilization in this bill Senators Whitehouse and Schatz are leading a growing number of legislators that see the value in making products from carbon-containing waste gases,” said Matt Carr, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. “This is a great first step in providing carbon utilization technology the policy support it deserves.”

A number of new technologies are being brought to market that consume carbon dioxide as a feedstock, making this approach a unique opportunity to reduce overall emissions. In contrast to current CO₂ disposal options, known as carbon capture and sequestration which aim to bury emissions, carbon utilization technologies convert those emissions into valuable products that can have economic and environmental benefits.

Algae technology developers are developing a wide range of platforms to convert concentrated sources of CO₂ to renewable fuels, chemicals, fertilizer, plastics and feed ingredients, as well as high-value products such as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.  By converting waste gases into products, emitters can not only comply with EPA regulations — they can offset their cost or even profit from them.

The Algae Biomass Organization has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to explicitly recognize that carbon utilization technologies are acceptable methods for states to achieve emissions reductions under the agency’s Clean Power Plan. Failing to do so will be a missed opportunity to encourage investments in an approach that could deliver positive environmental results along with economic growth, jobs and improved energy security.

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: www.algaebiomass.org